Weather Warnings and Funky Backpackers

Well, I've finally emerged from the void of airports, essays, and Halloween parties, and have a chance to update for the first time in three weeks. To play catch-up: Halloween was great - lots of neon-colored-monster fun, which morphed into "hippie" by night three, and by the fourth night I just went as "PJ Party" because I was so worn out.... I subsequently came down with a cold the following week, which was no fun, and meant that I had to wait another week before getting to eat the delicious Cinnamon Toast Crunch which my sister sent me in my FANTASTIC care package so that I could fully appreciate it ;). In addition to a cup of the best/most addictive American cereal ever, the box contained a multitude of letters, an Irish rubber duck, and a photo album chronicling the adventures of Flat Anna with all her friends around the Wash U campus. Best package ever.

Tuesday was Ireland-trip booking day, and Thursday I finally managed to make plans for the second half of reading week - flights in and out of Malaga for a 3-day adventure in Granada, Spain! But to start at the beginning - after receiving an email warning us about violent weather forecasts for the coasts, Anna (downstairs roomie) and I left Sunday morning for the southwest coast of Ireland. After a 3 hour bus ride to Killarney, we met a lovely woman named Eileen at the tour bus office who managed to get us a four star hotel room for only 25-euros, including breakfast. Needless to say, we slept in luxury in our two queen sized beds that night, which was well needed, because that evening we decided to walk 2 miles to Ross Castle, a huge fortress right on the edge of the lakes of Killarney (recall: weather warning). By the time we got back (another 2 miles), I was the wettest I've been not in a swimsuit in a very long time. Fortunately, 4-star Irish hotels have towel heaters in their bathrooms (we also have them in our apartment, though we've yet to find a use for them), which helped, in conjunction with extensive hair-drying.

Day 2 (Monday) was the Ring of Kerry, a bus tour around the Kerry Peninsula with stops at some scenic overlooks and quaint little Irish towns with names like Kilorglin and Sneem. It was a bit rainy, but still beautiful. We got back in time to catch the last bus to Dingle, a tiny little town (but still the biggest on the Dingle Peninsula) in a Gaeltacht region of Ireland, where Irish is the predominant language. Though the town was pretty quiet at night, we managed to find a pub with a small crowd where we met three guys on vacation from Rome celebrating one of their birthdays with a 2-euro cake from the convenience store and as many candles as they could fit on it. Discovering that they had a car but no idea what to do in Dingle, and we had a guidebook but no way to get around, we decided to team up and the next morning set off for a road trip around the peninsula. By this point (Tuesday) the weather had finally cleared up, so our stops at the beaches and ancient stone towers were significantly more pleasant (and beautiful).

Day 4 was a long bus/train trip home to Dublin, with a short stop in Tralee, a much larger town but will little to do for tourists other than an Irish history museum and a rose garden with a few flowers still hanging in there against the oncoming cold (Tralee is known for its roses, so I imagine it must be beautiful in the spring). We got back home at 8:30 and immediately had to unpack/repack and take a short "nap" before leaving again at 4:00 in the morning for Malaga. Despite some minor frustrations with Ryanair (apparently our backpacks were too large to be "carry-ons"), we made it to Spain and caught a bus from Malaga to Granada, a small city (small relative to Barcelona/Madrid, not to Dingle) with beautiful architecture and a reputation for its "tapas," a.k.a. free appetizers with every drink you purchase at certain restaurants. Major highlight of Granada though: the Alhambra, a 14th century Moorish palace/garden complex built for the Muslim Nasrid Dynasty in Spain. Perhaps one of the most beautiful man-made structures I've ever visited, as indicated by the 300+ pictures I now have on my camera from that one day (I culled them for Facebook, don't worry). The neatest part about it was that the designs weren't the typical Christian ones I generally see in ancient buildings - these palaces were entirely decorated with intricate carvings and mosaic patterns, integrated with animal figures and abounding with water features (pools, fountains, waterfalls) which showed the great wealth of the rulers at the time. It definitely made my trip, though Granada as a whole was a great city - it was fun to speak a little Spanish, though I'm glad Anna was there with me because she basically acted as translator when we needed a taxi or for someone to "tomar una foto" of the two of us. The only upside to having to leave the gorgeous 65 degree weather on Sunday morning was the fact that we no longer had to awkwardly introduce ourselves to everyone we met as "Anna" and "also Anna." Ironically, there was a girl from Hungary in our hostel also named Anna. We got tapas together, along with Sandy from New Zealand, a lady from Hong Kong, and Veronica from Argentina, who is now my Facebook friend (along with Anna from Hungary) and who all shared a room with us at the "Funky Backpacker" hostel. I'm sure "funky" must be a fun English word to Spanish-speakers.

The week since I got back has been significantly calmer (well needed), but I'm going to see Harry Potter in a few hours (!!) and next week is Thanksgiving! Which means nothing to the Irish, of course (I still have to go to class), but we nonetheless will be celebrating our American heritage with some delicious turkey/stuffing/mashed potatoes/pie/etc. cooked by some of my friends who have tens of times more cooking skills than I do...

Happy Turkey Day!

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Pictures:
Halloween: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2072011&id=1304250202&l=1b4e5e0a07
Killarney/Dingle: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=31313958&l=2c73ae7b33&id=1304250202
Granada: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2073645&id=1304250202&l=32a3ffd6e9