The Ireland Entry

Before I start to talk about what I consider one of the best weeks of my life, I have to preface my Ireland experience. Needless to say, the trip was out of this world. I had the absolute time of my life. But as I reflected on the experience, I had to ask myself: Why was it so great? Why was this better than all the other incredible trips I've gone on this semester? What was it that made me giddy on the inside and out, and made me forget all my troubles and sadness? Why was this place that I never considered visiting now a little piece of Heaven to me?

Then, it hit me.

I was with Irish people the entire time.

Not ONCE during this trip did I interact with Americans. I lived with Irish people, went to their favorite pubs and restaurants, visited the spots they frequented as children, ate real Irish food in a real Irish home, learned some of their unique phrases (ummm did anyone else know that Irish is an actual LANGUAGE?! Call me ignorant, cause I sure didn't.), and did my best to keep up with their legendary drinking skills. For the first time in my study abroad experience, I was fully immersed in a culture. The Irish are so friendly and fun to be around, and you find yourself always smiling and laughing when in their presence.

So in conclusion? I sure as heck wouldn't mind living here someday.

Okay, now that we have that out of the way let's get to the fun stuff :) Brace yourselves for a VERY long, but VERY entertaining entry!

Friday
After 10 hours of strenuous travel, I arrived in Dublin. I took a shuttle to meet my friend Eadaoin (once again...pronounced Ay-Deen), who I would be staying with for the week. She proceeded to inform me that we would be IMMEDIATELY getting on bus for three hours to go to Galway for the night. As if I hadn't traveled enough that day, right? But hey, it was for a huge graduation party, so I sucked it up and hopped on the bus. We met up with Eadaoin's friend and my former coworker, Kate. I got to take my first ride aboard Dublin's awesome transportation system called the Dart, which is very similar to the Bay area's Bart.

We finally made it to Galway, where we got ready in a bus station bathroom. So classy. Then we headed over to an apartment where we were greeted by oh, you know...a roomful of good looking Irish lads. After downing a whole bottle of wine, we headed over to a pub called Skeff and then a club called Karma. We danced the night away, and I had my first pint of Guinness!


I honestly had no sense of time at the club, and apparently, we left around 4:00a.m. I then downed a whole Quizno's sandwich, and ended up sleeping on 5 connected kitchen chairs. It was a very interesting but epic way to start off my trip!


Saturday
After a failed attempt to go to the Cliffs of Moher, Eadaoin and I decided to explore Galway instead. Galway is a really cool city, and has a ton of talented street performers. We got lunch at this pub Eadaoin's dad recommended called the King's Pub, and then did some shopping on the famous Shop Street (I got boots, in case you were wondering.). We then hung out in Eyre Square, and then took the bus back to Dublin.


That night was probably the craziest I've had since I entered Europe. It began with a totally strange ride on the Dart, complete with a 12-pack of beer, fireworks, and a bunch of 17-year-old lads, including one named Rufus. Aaand I'm just gonna leave it at that.


Eadaoin and her friend Helen took me to this club called Coppers, where we met up with some of my other Knott's coworkers. Coppers was absolutely 100% OUT OF CONTROL. In fact, most of my Irish friends thought Eadaoin was insane for bringing me there. Apparently, it's a place that only a true Irish person could show you, and an American tourist would never even dream of trying it out.


Coppers one of the most bizarre clubbing experience of my life. I was borderline sexually assaulted about 15 times. At one point, we were dancing to the RIVERDANCE song (Disclaimer from the Irish: ONLY at Coppers will they play the Riverdance song). But I loved every MINUTE OF IT! A highlight was dancing to California Girls by Katy Perry, and Helen telling the DJ to give me a shout out during it. Most of all, I had a blast hanging out with my Irish Knott's peeps. They never let me down at having good time!


Sunday
After waking up in a giraffe-print onesie (don't ask), Eadaoin and I went back to her house for a power nap. When we woke up, we took her crazy-yet-adorable-poodle named Sucre for a 3 hour walk around Dalkey village. Some of the highlights were White Rock beach, which reminded me of Laguna,


BONO'S HOUSE (or at least his gate),


The fabulous Fitzpatrick Hotel,


And all the places Eadaoin hung out at while growing up in Dalkey. That night, Eadaoin's mom made us corned beef and cabbage for dinner! Contrary to popular belief though, Irish people don't eat it that much ;)

Monday
Monday was a "bank holiday" for the Irish. Hence all of the schools were out, so Eadaion and I were able to meet up with our other Knott's friends, Jeff and Niall. Jeff suggested we go over to Glendalough, which is a giant lake and historic site down in Wicklow. Jeff was kind of enough to drive, and I was tripping out over the whole driving-on-the-wrong-side-of-the-road thing.

Our time in Glendalough was lovely. My friends did their best to tell me the historical significance of the place, but we had a great time just walking around and talking. And of course, reflecting on our days as Knott's carnies.


That night, Jeff's mom invited us all over for dinner. This time, we had ham and cabbage! Hahaha We stayed until about midnight watching Forgetting Sarah Marshall and me getting an orientation on Irish television.

By the way, it is CRAZY how popular the X-Factor is in Europe. Should be interesting to see what it's like in the United States. I'm over American Idol anyways :)

Tuesday
This was tragically my final day in Ireland. So Eadaoin and I went and explored Ireland's most popular and famous city: Dublin.

First we visited the famous Trinity College. The campus is gorgeous, and what's even cooler is that Eadaoin was a student there! She is currently working on finding a teaching job, so if you know of any in California, hook her up so she can come live in Huntington Beach :)


After seeing the Book of Kells at Trinity, we went to the generic spot where every American tourist is supposed to visit when in Dublin:

That's right, we went to the Guinness Factory.


It was surprisingly interesting to see. Quite frankly, I thought I was in it for the free pint, but it turned out to be a pretty nice experience. I had no idea how prestigious Guinness was, because honestly, I would never in a million years order one back in the states. Apparently, the Irish find the USA's version of Guinness to be disgusting. But the real deal goes down real smooth, and each one is carefully made and poured. Even Eadaoin enjoyed it, and she remembered it being really boring when she went as an 8-year-old.


The rest of the day consisted of souvenir shopping, eating another fabulous Irish dinner (shepherd's pie this time!), and watching that simply awful Miley Cyrus/Nicholas Sparks movie with Kate and Helen.

The next morning I departed at 4:00am, which was normally the time we were leaving the club. And oh my gosh...I was SO sad to leave!!! In case you couldn't tell by this novella of an entry, I had the trip of a lifetime. This experience was beyond unique, and sure beat trying to book hostels and keeping up with boring tour groups. The Irish all found it so weird that I loved Ireland so much, because they all had a love affair of their own with Huntingon Beach. But they treated me like I was one of their own, and showed me exactly what Ireland is all about: drinking, hospitality, drinking, good food, good friends, and drinking. It's the little things that make Ireland such a fabulous place to visit. Don't worry. I will be back some day.

In the meantime, Mommy and Daddy are in Florence! Life is SO GOOD RIGHT NOW. And God is so good for providing me with all this!

I am lucky :)

Love,
Kara

Procrastinating on midterm studying? This entry is for you!

Well...I guess this entry is for me then, considering I am doing such right now.

The last two weeks have been pretty quiet for me. This is mostly on account of said midterms. I've been hanging out with friends, hitting the bars, and doing a little bit of shopping here and there. Last Friday, I went to Eurochocolate with my Food & Wine Pairing class. It is Europe's biggest chocolate festival, and is held in the lovely city of Perugia. I was definitely chocolated-out by the end of the day, but it was a really cool experience to be a part of. Plus, I had a bomb.com/yourmom crepe.


My midterms have been okay. The two I thought were going to be my hardest weren't too bad, and then the one that should've been my easier I think I bombed. Blah. I still have two more, and they more than likely WILL be my hardest: Food and Wine Pairing and Italian. Yes, you read the first one correctly. So messed up, right?

But once I hand in my Italian midterm, Fall Break 2010 commences! Not gonna lie, the next two weeks are probably going to be the best of my whole trip here (never say never, though). Here is what my traveling schedule is looking like, and also so you can know "Where in the world is Kara?"

• On Friday, I take a train to Rome, where I will be boarding a plane to Ireland! I am going to be staying with my friend Eadaoin Moore, who I met over the summer at Knott's. She and about 12 other Irish students came to California this summer to find jobs and have the time of their lives (which is kind of a contradiction, since they worked at Knott's. Kidding). They all lived in Huntington Beach, so I would occasionally give them rides home so they could avoid HB's TERRIBLE public transportation system. One day, I was giving Eadaoin (pronounced Ay-Dean) a ride home, and jokingly suggested that I could come stay with her in Ireland when I am in Europe. And she actually said yes!!! So now I am going to stay with her and her family in Dublin for five days. We are going to rendezvous with all of the other former Knott's employees, and have a reunion of sorts by doing what the Irish do best: partying! Throughout my time there, we will be visiting Galway, the Cliffs of Moor, and the Guinness Factory! I'm so excited to hang out with Eadaoin, and getting to experience Ireland with actual Irish people :)

• I return to Florence the following Wednesday, where I will be greeted by my parents! I'm so excited for them to come, and I get to be their official tour guide of Florence! Together, we will probably go to the Tuscany area, including Chianti. There might even be a little Rome trip in the works :) And I am of course just plain excited to see my parents! I get little boughts of homesickness here and there, so seeing them will be the perfect cure.

• My parents will be leaving the following Thursday, and so will I...but this time, I'm going to England to visit my old softball buddy, Jenny Driver! Jenny is studying abroad for a whole YEAR (Lucky duck) in Bristol. So I will fly into Bristol to meet up with her, and she will give me the grand tour of her study abroad experience. We are probably going to go see Stonehenge as well. And then on Saturday and Sunday, we are embarking on a little weekend excursion to London!!! Aaaaah! I can't wait to explore London with Jenny, and it will be wonderful to see a familiar face. This was a total spur-of-the-moment trip, but I have a feeling it's going to be pretty dang amazing. And then Jenny is going to come visit me in Florence in December!

Phew! These next two weeks are going to be amazing, and I just have to survive two more midterms to get to it! I also plan on going to Vienna, and then my two of my friends and I are going to plan a trip to PARIS the first weekend in December! (pending that potential terrorist attacks and airplane strikes don't hold us back.)

I processed the other day that I have less than two months left in Florence. This is kind of depressing, because it is going to fly by so quickly. I don't want to have any regrets about this trip, and want to live it up to the fullest. So with that, I bring you:

Confession Time

There was one thing here that I kind of let become my focus during the first month of studying abroad. I'm going to let the situation remain ambiguous, but this became my FAVORITE aspect about being in Florence, and I was convinced it was going to be the hardest to leave. However, the situation turned in to a total letdown. However, for those of you who know what I'm talking about, I'm NOT going to let it be a problem anymore. It was not worth my time and energy, and just ended up hurting me in the end. But no more of this! I am better than that. And something tells me that 5 days in Ireland, time with mommy and daddy, and a little weekend getaway to England will be just the thing I need :)

I promise to take lots of pictures, and to take extensive notes on how the Irish party in Ireland. I saw how the do it in California, so I can't wait to see them in their natural habitat ;)

I love you all!

Love,
Your favorite European explorer,
Kara

Bonjour, French Riviera

Last weekend, I embarked on my second LdM school trip. This time, the destination was the French Riviera, where we would visit the Principality of Monaco, Nice, St. Paul de Vence, Cannes, and Eze.

We took off at the glorious hour of 5:00a.m., and I can now say I have perfected the art form of sleeping on buses. Not gonna say that I enjoy it, but you gotta do what you gotta do working on four hours of sleep.

Our first stop was the Principality of Monaco. We were greeted by gorgeous weather as we walked over to our first site, which was the church where Grace Kelly and Prince Albert are buried. The church was really pretty, and Grace Kelly's tomb had the most flowers on it.


After that, we got to see the noontime changing of the guard. It was held right in front on the palace, which is also the spot where Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier were married.


After that, we got lunch and a chance to take pictures of the amazing views. However, I really wish we could have had more time to see the city. We didn't get to see the Monte Carlo casino, which was a bummer. I wanted to see how it stacks up to the one in Vegas (haha)! But all the more reason to return here someday :)


Our next stop was the city of Nice. And needless to say...Nice is nice! It is positioned right on the water, and is exactly how you'd picture a French city to look like. We ditched our tour group and explored the city on our own. Sitting on the beaches of Nice was a thing of beauty, and I was positive I never wanted to leave.


I explored the city with new friends from New Jersey, who have reinstated my faith in the state. Cause I didn't want to think that ALL people from that state are like those on Jersey Shore, Jerseylicious, The Real Housewives of New Jersey. They are all normal and awesome! We hit the town together that night...and by hit the town, I mean tried two bars and called it a night. We were sooooo beat down from the long day we had, and we had to be up really early. But one of the girls in the group introduced me to ordering a Stella with raspberry sauce in it. The amazing result looked like this:


The next day can be summarized in one word: RUSHED. We saw three cities in one day, which was not enough time to see anything. Our first stop was one we were not expecting, which was to the medival city of St. Paul de Vence. While the city was kind of adorable, we were in NO MOOD to see a place where pretty much nothing was open. And for some odd reason, we got two and a half hours there, when we could easily cover the city in an hour. But we explored anyways, and went to a street fair where they were offering free samples of cheeses, olive oils (the city is noted for it), spreads, and wines. But St. Paul really is a cute little town, and I probably would've appreciated it more had I not been such a tired grouch.


After St. Paul, we headed out to Cannes, where I'm sure we have all heard about the famous Cannes film festival. However, the building where the festival is held is extremely underwelming.


Nothing special, right? But much like Grauman's in Hollywood, there are handprints of people in the movie industry who have visited the film festival. Other than that, Cannes is a pretty nice city with lots of yachts parked in its harbor. I'm sure my rich husband and I will be cruising through this area on a whim one day.


After boarding the bus for the umpteenth time, we departed for Eze. Eze was a MAJOR letdown, because our guide said that we had ONE HOUR there. Yes, one whole hour in this wonderful city in the French Riviera. Even better, we had a choice of either seeing the Fragonard Perfume Factory of the actual village. And you all know what a body lotion-lover I am (not), so guess which one I picked?

Sigh. I went to the perfume factory.
But it really wasn't that bad. Making perfume is fun-with-chemistry, and the people who test-smell the perfumes are called professional "noses." Their job is to smell EVERYTHING that factory produces. They can't drink or smoke or eat spicy food, but I guess they get paid a ton of money. I will pass on this job opportunity though, because after smelling six different perfumes, I got light headed. And I like two out of three of those things two much.

Here's the next surprise: I actually BOUGHT French perfume. Yes, I, Kara Rutkin, am now the proud owner of Juste un Baiser (Just a Kiss), straight from the Fragonard factory. It smells lovely, and we got it at a factory discount. Aaaand our guide showed us where the "sexy spots" to put it on are ;) Tehehehehe.

So as you can tell, we saw a LOT this weekend. It was sooo much to take in, but fun nonetheless. I hope to return to France later this semester....my friends and I are in the works of a Paris trip :)

Well, that's all I got for now. But this week is midterms, so pray for my soul. Yes, I have to go to school here! Fall break is the light at the end of my tunnel, and I will be going to IRELAND!!!! And then Mommy and Daddy come :) Life is good. La vita è bella!

Je'taime!

Kara

Oh, hey, Amalfi Coast

*Last weekend was my first time going on a trip outside of a tour group. If you are a student in Florence, there are a ton of tour groups that you can go with that will provide accommodations and transportation for your weekend. Popular groups include Bus2Alps, Florence 4 Fun, and Euroadventures.

My roommates were all going to go with Bus2Alps for the Amalfi Coast weekend, but I could not make it because I had a dinner for my Food & Wine Pairing class (which was AMAZING, by the way). So my friend Hannah and I decided to head to the coast on our own. We booked our train tickets, found a hostel, and boarded a train for Napoli. I had a nasty cold, but Hannah introduced me to the miracle drug, Emergen-C, and I healed over the weekend!

We arrived in the town of Sant'Agnello on Friday morning, where we stayed at the GORGEOUS 7Hostel. Seriously, this place looked like it could be beachfront hotel. It had a bar, outdoor patio, and even a rooftop terrace. Coincidentally, the Bus2Alps people were staying at the same hostel! In fact, we were roommates with 5 dudes (yes, 5 dudes) from the trip! So we got to party with Bus2Alps, sans the bus.

After we checked in, we decided to explore Sant' Agnello. We stumbled on a little beach that only had a bar (a bar is a snack bar in Italy), and about 5 other people sun bathing on it. So we laid our stuff out, bought some ice cream, and took a nap on the beautiful beach.


That night, we hung out at our hostel and had dinner with frozen daiquiris. It was fun hanging out with Hannah and getting to know her better. :)


The next day, we headed to the ruins of Pompeii. In case you dozed off in AP Euro, Pompeii was an ancient city that was destroyed by a Volcano called Vesuvius. However, the ash allowed the city to be extremely well-preserved. In fact, due to a technique where they pour plaster into the ground, they were actually able to find bodies of people who were killed during the volcano's eruption.


The place was extremely interesting, and apparently, Vesuvius is due for another explosion! Thank goodness it wasn't that day ;)


That night, we decided to check out Sorrento. Sorrento is actually a really cool city. It's very lively, with lots of nice shops and restaurants. We went to a place called the English Inn, where we feasted on prosciutto & melon, this interesting sausage dish, and mojitos. We also HAD to take a shot of Limoncello, because Sorrento is the home of it.


After that, we headed back to the hostel, where we listened to a live Motown cover band, and chilled with some cool girls who were studying in Rome.

The next day, we had to make the "tragic" choice of choosing between visiting Positano or Capri. A day in Capri was going to be a little out of our budget, so we took a bus to Positano. Holy cow, that city is unlike anything I've ever seen before. It is all on the cliffs, and is the cutest little town you've ever seen sitting on it. It's just so colorful and vibrant, and I will definitely be investing in a summer home here.


We had the craziest, yet most delicious, seafood lunch in Positano. When you order spaghetti with seafood, be prepared to get spaghetti with SEAFOOD, as in, it just came out of the ocean the minute you ordered it. I had never had clams or mussels before, but I gotta say...it was pretty tasty. And then we ended up making the same dish in my Food & Wine Pairing Class! Good thing I was prepared.


Then we laid on the beach for a while, and almost missed the ferry back home. After, we had crepes in Sorrento, and I did a bit of shopping too. I bought a pair of boots that ended up being BROKEN. Grrrr....at least they only cost me 22 euro. I am currently on the hunt for my first pair of REAL Italian leather boots :)

Overall, it was a very relaxing weekend. I'm a little bummed we didn't get to see Capri, but I obviously plan on returning here someday :)

Alright, time to do some homework. It's crazy I've been here over a month, huh? Time flies when you are in love <3

-Kara


*Okay, faithful readers...you caught me. This post is a week late. I totally started it last Thursday, and then our Internet disappeared completely. A more recent post on my French Riviera trip will be coming your way soon, I promise :) Love you all!

20 Things I've Learned in Florence in One Month

1. Nutella is a food staple here.
2. Tuscan bread has no salt in it. Hence causing you to binge on breads from other cities.
3. RyanAir is the way to go for unbelievably cheap flights.
4. Mi chiamo Kara. Sono americana.
5. No taxes and no tipping! It's all inclusive.
6. A bus ride to Munich from Florence is 8.5 painful hours.
7. Piazza Italia is like the Italian version of Forever 21.
8. When in the market: haggle, haggle, haggle.
9. There is a sandwich shop in the back of Mercato Centrale called "Nerbone," and it makes the BEST roast beef sandwich in the world.
10. You get charged more if you sit down in a cafe or bar.
11. To quote a classmate...."Call me ignorant, but once you've seen one fresco of Jesus on the cross, you've seen them all."
12. Almost everyone here speaks English. A blessing and a curse for the American study abroad student.
13. Sometimes, it's cheaper to order a glass of wine than to get a bottle of water in a restaurant.
14. A travel guidebook is a worthwhile investment.
15. ALWAYS VALIDATE YOUR TRAIN TICKET
16. The men here need to come up with a better way of hitting on ladies than honking at them on their vespa and making a kissy face.
17. No matter how many times I walk past the Duomo, it never ceases to take my breath away.
18. Audio tours are my new best friend.
19. You are set a certain amount of electricity a month...if you go over it, you pay more =/
20. I am positively in LOVE with this country.