July 20- Oslo: A Day Of Excitement (Both Good And Bad)

I wish I had more time to explore Oslo! Because of our cross-country traveling, we only got to spend one day here. Courtney, Maddy (she could be a real life impersonator of Merida from Brave) and I decided to spend the day together. Thanks to our wonderful location, we were already in the city center when we first stepped a foot off the ship. We tried to go souvenir shopping, but most of the shops were close partly because it was Sunday and partially because it was “early” in the morning (10:00 is early for Europeans).

We then went to Oslo’s famous Viking Ship Museum which holds one of the world’s best preserved Viking ships. We had to take a ferry to get to the island where the museum was at, and that was really fun! The museum was also really neat. Although it wasn’t very big, they had a lot of interesting displays. We’ve learned a lot about Vikings in my religions and architectural history classes, so it was fun to see pieces of actual Viking history that has been so well looked after.

The Viking Ship Museum

When we were done there, we took the ferry back to the city. We had a quick lunch at a nearby 7-elven (don’t judge us for not eating locally, Norway is expensive!). I had a thing called a Bjork (sp?). It was basically like a cinnamon roll but instead of cinnamon sugar it was made with spinach and feta cheese. It was delicious! We also had some frozen yogurt. Yum!

The MV Explorer

Norwegian Flag

Feta cheese and spinach Bjork

Maddy and I are Vikings

Our next stop was the National Gallery. We were running a little short on time, but the Gallery is home to Munch’s famous Scream Painting, so we had to stop by just to see it, if nothing else. I wish I could have spent more time there because I’ve found that I really enjoy looking at art. We all had a couple more souvenirs to buy, and we wanted to be back to the ship a little early (thank goodness we did this as you will shortly find out why).

We stopped at a few stores, but we finally found one where we could pick up some last minute items. I found something for Cailey and Zane, so I paid for the items and left. The ship was only right around the corner, and we were a full hour early before the time we had to be back on the ship (6:00). Once I got back to my room, I set my stuff down and almost left the room to go find my friends. For some reason though, I decided I should go through the things I had bought them and put them away (thank God for my excellent sense of responsibility!). As I was going through my bag, however, I realized that I couldn’t find my wallet.

Now, this normally this would have been bad because my wallet had all of my money and IDs and credit cards, but much worse because it also had my passport in it this time as I was traveling cross-country through Norway. Normally, we can leave our passports on the ship when we’re in country if we don’t plan on staying the night anywhere. So Norway is the first time I’ve had to have my passport with me since London. And I found out it was missing….

I panicked. I started throwing my stuff around. I took every thing out of my bag, I shook out my bed sheets, I checked the bathroom. No wallet. I checked all of my draws, triple checked my bags, looked under my bed. No wallet. I retraced my steps out of my room to the gangway thinking maybe I dropped it on the floor. No wallet. I ran to the gangway where our security was set up. I told them I lost my passport and I was freaking out. I thought it had to have been in that last souvenir shop we were at. That was the last place I bought anything and the last place I know I had it. But the fricken security wouldn’t let me leave the ship! They have a rule that they can’t let students off after 4:00 (2 hours before we had to be on the ship.) I tried telling them that I DIDN’T HAVE MY PASSPORT AND I HAD TO GET OFF OF THE SHIP TO LOOK FOR IT, but they weren’t listening to me. Thankfully, a nearby faculty member heard me talking to them, and she demanded that security let me go.

The faculty people are so awesome here! Two women (I think they work in administration) calmed me down and asked me where I had last seen it. I told them that I thought it was at the last souvenir shop I was at. I told them it was just around the block and I could get there in less than five minutes. They were really concerned, and they told me to come back as soon as possible if I didn’t find it. Then I ran. I ran like the wind. Dressed in my maxi dress and sandals sprinting down the streets of Oslo. I’m sure I was a magnificent site. I rushed down the street, around the corner and down another street. I saw an SAS student named Cole who I had seen in the same souvenir shop that I had been in. I hurriedly asked him if he had seen a black wallet in the store. He said he hadn’t and asked me if I was missing it. I told him I was and that it had my passport in it. He immediately understood the gravity of the situation. And he started to go with me to the shop. I told him not too. I told him to go back to the ship in case he was late. He refused though. He said he’s help me find it! It was so thoughtful.

Together, we found the shop and low-and-behold there was my passport! As soon as we walked in we saw the two ladies behind the counter holding it. I could tell they were having a rushed conversation, but as soon as they saw me burst into the room they said, “Oh my goodness, thank God you came back! We were just getting ready to go to the "cruise ship" to try to find you!” It was so sweet! They knew that we were all students from America, and they had talked to some SASers earlier who had told them we were docked at the port while studying abroad here. I hugged the lady and thanked her so much for finding it. She said she had just found it on the floor, so I think it must have fallen out of my backpack or something. It’s not like I set it down on a shelf or anything (thankfully or I would have felt really dumb). We were all super relieved and laughing. I thanked the ladies like a billion times, and then Cole and I hurried back to the ship.

On our way, we ran into the faculty members who I had talked to earlier. They said they were just coming to look for us. I told them I found my wallet and my passport, and they were so relieved! I’m a very lucky girl!! I couldn’t believe that had actually happened. Losing your passport is like the number one no-no for SAS. You can’t travel anywhere without it! And I DID NOT want to have to go to the US Embassy to get things figured out. The ship would have left without me, and when that happens it’s your responsibility to get to the next port. Which means I would have had to try to catch a plane to Russia. Which I wouldn’t have been able to do without my passport and my Russian visa. Which means I would have had to go home early. I am so thankful and so appreciative of the people who helped me! The faculty women, Cole and the ladies at the store were awesome! The whole ordeal lasted only 20 minutes, but it felt like 2 hours. And it was probably the scariest 20 minutes of my life. (You might think I’m being over-dramatic, but I don’t agree. I think this is a perfectly justifiable reaction to losing and then finding one’s passport in a foreign country.)

So after that little episode, I turned my passport into the reception desk and went to dinner. I still made it to the ship half before the deadline, and I now have everything where it needs to be. So it was kind of a crappy way to end an absolutely wonderful time in Norway, but I really can’t complain because it all worked out in the end. Thank God I've been blessed with great people and just plain old dumb-luck. 

July 19- Bus Ride To Oslo

I really don’t have much to say today. Our bus left Odda today at 11:00, and it was a seven hour bus ride to Oslo. I took several naps, listened to my audiobook (Crime and Punishment), and did a lot of thinking.

I thought a lot about home. Norway reminds me a lot of Montana, and driving through the countryside today felt like taking a road trip back home. I also thought about my Grandma Lynn quite a bit too. For those of you who don’t know, she passed away about four years ago from cancer. My grandma was full-blooded Norwegian which makes me a quarter Norwegian. I wish now that I would have talked to her more about our heritage while I had the chance, but it was something that I never really thought about as a kid. The only Norwegian tradition my family has is to eat lefse at holidays. I don’t think I’ve eaten it since my grandma got sick, but I might just have to try making it this year at Christmas.

Learning about Norway before coming here and then actually traveling across the country has been an amazing experience in more ways than one. Some people are very proud of their heritage, but I’ve never really felt that way. It’s not like I’m ashamed of it or anything like that, it’s just not something I’ve ever given much thought to. Being here has changed that though. I feel a new sense of curiosity and pride about my family history, and it has made me very excited to visit Finland as well. My Grandma Sylvia is half Finnish so I’ll be visiting another one of my “home lands” so to speak.

We arrived in Oslo around 6:00. Together, the huge group of SASers and I navigated our way through the city to get the ship. Oslo is hands down the prettiest port we’ve been to. I’m not necessarily talking about the city (although Oslo is beautiful), but as far as the actual port itself that our boat is docked at. We are literally right in the center of town, and there’s open water and city all around us. It’s just gorgeous to look at. Some of the ports we’ve been to (Portugal, Scotland, Ireland) have been industrial ports, so there’s a lot of big cargo ships and cranes and heavy machinery around. Our port in Oslo, however, is the complete opposite. I really enjoy it!

So even though I did nothing but sit on the bus today, I’m actually pretty tired. We only have one day in Oslo tomorrow before we have to be on the ship by 6:00, so I think I’ll head to bed soon to get an early start for tomorrow.

July 18- Trolltunga, Norway

Well, we survived Trolltunga! And we had a fantastic time doing it!!

Ryan, Courtney and I met up with a small group of SASers to head to the bus station in Odda together. The weather outside was already beautiful, and it looked like it was going to be a nice day. I packed a lot of layers and my raincoat for just in case. I was also a little worried about our water situation because I knew it was going to be a 10-12 hour hike. Most of us only had our one water bottle, but we figured we’d just have to ration it out. We met a bigger group of SASers at the bus, and together we all headed to Trolltunga.

The bus ride was surprisingly long. We went waaaay up in the mountains, a lot farther than I thought we were going to. We also gained a lot of elevation. I mean, the mountains are pretty big here, but if the bus was already taking us up so high then how far were we going to have to hike? After a lot of narrow, windy roads, we finally made it to the trailhead. There was quite a few number of people there. I guess it’s a popular hike, but unfortunately that meant that there was going to be a lot of people on the trail (which there was). I guess I’m just used to hiking in pretty isolate places where you don’t usually run into anyone else. I didn’t really like that there were so many others on the hike, but I didn’t let that detract from the day.

At the Trailhead

Courtney and Ryan

The beginning part was pretty difficult. Now I’m a pretty experienced hiker (compared to the friends I was with), but I’m also very out of shape. I haven’t done any strenuous exercise in the past two months (oops). But it wasn’t that bad, and it only lasted about 45 minutes. We had to climb up some very steep terrain, the worst part is that it was very rocky. Once we got to the top of the steep part, the rest of the hike got much easier although it did take about four hours. On the way there, we took it pretty slow. We had a few breaks and took a lot of pictures.

Right from the start, Ryan, Courtney and I separated from the group of girls we had been traveling with. We wanted to go at a faster pace, so we joined another group of SASers: Mike (aka Carmello), Fasil (Ryan’s roommate), Brian, Paul and Amanda. I didn’t know any of them except Fasil before the hike, but they were all pretty cool and I enjoyed spending the day with them.

The hike was beautiful! Early on in the hike, one of the guys said, “This really reminds me of Lord of the Rings.” I was seriously thinking the same thing as soon as he said it. The Trolltunga hike felt exactly like Middle Earth! It was so cool!! I was trying not to geek out the entire time. Every time we would get into a new area, it would remind me of a different scene from Lord of the Rings or the Hobbit. I’ll even admit that I took out my iPhone at one point and played the Lord of the Rings Soundtrack (yeah I have it downloaded on my phone).

At one point, we found a patch of snow. Everyone was really excited, and I was like, “Yay. Snow. That white stuff that I have to deal with 6 months out of the year.” We took a short break so they could have a snowball fight. At another spot along the way, we had to cross a creek at the foot of a waterfall. At that point, we were all pretty desperate for water. We were only a couple hours into the hike, and most of us had drank nearly all of what was in our water bottles. We decided to take a risk and drink out of the creek. We also knew that we could refill out bottles on the way back too. Thank God I did it, because I would definitely have been dehydrated today without it.

Our friend Mike (aka-Carmello) staring off dramatically into the distance

Courtney liked the snow!

Middle Earth

Me with Courtney and Fasil

So beautiful! It was unreal

Almost to the Troll's Tongue...

So after several hours of hiking through Middle Earth, we finally reached the Troll’s Tongue. However, there was a TON of people already waiting there, and there was a line to actually go out onto the rock to take your picture. We had to wait a whole hour until it was our turn, but I’ll be damned if we didn’t hike all that way to end up not getting out picture taken. We broke into two groups, and Courtney took pictures of Mike’s group while Mike took pictures of our group. While we were waiting in line, we saw some people do some pretty insane antics. There were people doing funny poses, dangling their feet over the edge, taking group photos, doing yoga poses, doing headstands, jumping into the air, girls taking topless photos, and other crazy stuff. And yes, there were even several guys who went out on the rock naked. I don’t know why you would want to commemorate your hike to Trolltunga in that way, but to each their own.

The Troll’s Tongue sticks out over a 2,300 foot drop. That is very, VERY high. I honestly couldn’t even look over the edge of the cliff while we were in line because I thought it would psych me out before I got my picture. When my turn finally came, I didn’t even have time to think about it. I just ran to the tip of the rock, quickly (but very carefully) scooted myself to the edge, and posed. I didn’t even look down. Then I got a few single shots and a couple with Courtney as well. Crazy!

Finally made it!

2,300 foot drop

"Come to me Courtney, my love."
This picture was not planned. It just turned out epic.

Soulmate roommates

Cheesy heart pic

"We are victorious."

Jumping for joy!

Courtney

Group shot with Fasil

This took some courage.
Fasil "Spermanned" off of Trolltunga

Courtney peeking over the edge

Ryan
The best shot of our overall view

By the time we were done, it was almost 4:30. We knew the last bus left the trail head at around 8:00, so we did the second half of the trip much faster than we did the first. Going back was easier because it was mostly downhill and we knew what to expect. We filled our water bottles up again at the same stream as we did before. Eventually, the guys group pulled ahead away from us, but we were still making good time so we didn’t push it. It was tricky to go down in some spots. A few of the areas were so steep that it was hard to get up it let alone try to go down it. We made it safe and sound at the end though.

Oh yeah, we also ran into many SASers on the trail today. When we got to the bus stop, there was a BIG group of us waiting for the last bus. I was a little worried there wasn’t going to be room for everyone, but thankfully there was two buses instead of one. Tired, dirty and sweaty, we hopped on the bus back to Odda.

After the bus dropped us off, Ryan, Courtney and I went to the grocery store to get some food. None of us felt like eating at a restaurant. I just wanted a loaf of grainy bread, some cheese and some fruit. And that’s exactly what I got. Ryan bought a loaf of bread, Courtney bought a tub of icecream, and I bought some cream cheese, crackers and a nectarine. We all shared our food and had a delicious picnic by the waterside. I don’t think I’ve ever tasted anything so good. It was the perfect, healthy dinner to have after a long day hiking.

We then walked back to our hotel, took a shower, and now we’re all ready for bed.

July 17- Norway, I Love You

Well, we made it to Odda!

The weather today wasn’t spectacular, but considering that we spent most of the day traveling it wasn’t too bad. Ryan, Courtney and I met up with a group of SASers this morning after breakfast. Together we all walked through the rain to the local bus station. Let me tell you, Bergen is still the cutest town even in awful weather. We had to wait a while for our bus to come, but we were sheltered from the rain so we didn’t get too wet. I somehow managed to pack enough clothes, toiletries and other necessities for three entire days into the hiking pack Zane got me last Christmas (Thanks love for the pack by the way! I seriously use it almost every day in port. I’m so glad I brought it!!). And even though the pack isn’t waterproof, I can fit my rain coat can fit around me and my backpack and still zip up all the way (thanks mom and dad for the raincoat!). I look like the Hunchback of Notre Dame walking around with backpack inside my jacket, but my stuff stays dry so I don’t mind.

We then took a four hour bus ride to Odda where we will be staying for the next two nights. Although it was long, the trip wasn’t bad at all. A bunch of other SAS kids ended up getting on the bus last minute, so I think they’re all planning to do the hike as well. I slept for a little bit, and Courtney got some awesome pictures of me napping (note the sarcasm here).

What are real friends for?

About halfway through the bus ride, we unexpectedly got on a ferry. It was awesome! We got to take a little cruise across the fjords. It was a really nice surprise, and it was incredible to be able to see the area we were in from the middle of the water. I really appreciated how big the mountains were once we got away from land and got to look around on all sides. We also saw some crazy, cool houses that had grass growing on the rooftops. I’m not entirely sure what the point of that was, but it looked awesome.

In mid-afternoon, we finally got to where we were going to stay in Odda. All of the SAS kids got off at different stops, but there was a small group of us all staying at the Trolltunga Hotel. It was a really quaint, humble little place. It was rainy and foggy outside, so we couldn’t really see where we were when we first got there. We checked in, used the wifi, and waited for the rain to let up before we went out to explore. Our room was cute and plain with three beds. I got top bunk, Courtney got bottom and Ryan got the single on the other side of the room.

When the sun started to peek through the clouds, we set out for dinner. A meal at the hotel cost $40, and we were pretty sure we could get cheaper somewhere else in town. Our hotel was about a 20 minute walk from Odda, but we were in such a beautiful place that we didn’t mind at all.

So I seriously cannot explain how beautiful of a place we are at. And even though I have a very nice, new camera, my photos do not do it justice. Literally right outside our hotel is a lake that turns into a river that turns into a waterfall all within a couple hundred feet. And the mountains are just ginormous. I mean, I’m from Montana so I’m used to big mountains, but these mountains are completely different from the ones we have at home. On either side, the mountains just shoot up straight into the air, and in between them at the bottom in a never-ending body of water that stretches all the way from the ocean to the heart of the countryside. Then the little town of Odda is nestled right at the foot of the mountains alongside the water’s edge. I know I’ve probably said this a dozen times in my blog so far, but this is truly THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PLACE I’VE EVER BEEN. Like it even beats Sintra! And everything here is so green! It’s like if Montana and Washington had a baby, it would be Norway. But it would be a freak, mutant baby because that’s how beautiful it is here.

Our view from the Trolltunga Hotel

Odda, Norway

Words will never suffice to explain the beauty of Norway. So back to my day, after ogling at the scenery for a while, we walked into the city to find some grub. We passed some SASers along the way, and they said they ate at an endless pizza and salad buffet right in the center of town. We thought that sounded again, so we found the pizza palace and dug in. And the best part was that it was only $16! Cheap for Norway. I ate so much pizza and salad it was ridiculous, but in my defense I hadn’t eaten since breakfast. There was also a lot of SASers at the Pizza Palace, and we ended up running into some friends when we were leaving. We all went out to the water while they ate their pizzas to go. I’ll try not to keep saying this, but the view was very pretty.

Chillin' by the water

Say cheese!

Ryan, Courtney and I left the group and wandered around town for a little bit. We found a convenience store and bought some candy to munch on. While we were exploring, we happened to walk by a majestic horse statue, so naturally Courtney and I had to get on its back and take some pictures.

After we were done being silly, we all went back to the hotel where I am sitting now. Just like last night, we didn’t get back here until 11:00 but it’s still bright as day outside. It’s very strange. We have a big day ahead of us tomorrow with our hike! We’re meeting the other SASers in the lobby at 8:30. Wish us luck!

July 16- Hello Norway!

We. Are now. In Norway…

I just have to let that sink in for a second. I’m actually in Norway. It looks and feels like I’m in a fairytale…

So today we had class as usual, but we were allowed off the ship at 6:00. I met Arshia and her friend Marquette in the dining hall for dinner. We ate quickly and then left the ship together. Bergen is one of the cutest towns I’ve ever been to! It seriously looks like Disneyworld here except it’s real life. The houses and buildings are all colorful and… well I really don’t know how to explain it except they look like they’re fake. Just look at these pictures and maybe you’ll see what I mean:

Our port in Bergen, Norway

Doesn't it look like Disneyworld?

The most beautiful Starbucks in all the world

Our port was right in the middle of town, and we only had to walk maybe five minutes to get to the city center. We all really enjoyed walking through the streets and seeing all of the Norwegian shops. We stopped in at a souvenir store, but everything was so expensive we didn’t buy anything. I’ve heard before about a billion times that Norway is the most expensive country in Northern Europe, but I didn’t really understand what that meant until we actually got here. Everything truly is EXPENSIVE. Like the cheapest little troll doll souvenir was $8 USD. I’m pretty sure a small sticker was like $3 USD? The cost of things is about 3 or 4 times more than it would be in the US. At the pre-port last night, they said that a long-island ice tea at the local pub costs $21 USD. It’s insane!

I’m not really sure why it’s so expensive. I’ve heard that it’s because Norway has to import nearly all of its goods, but I also heard it’s because of how their tax system is set up. I think it’s a combination of both probably. Anyways, Arshia, Marquette and I went into the local McDonalds. Now before you judge us too harshly, we weren’t going in there to eat. Arshia is taking a tourism class and she has to compare 3 or 4 McDonalds in the different countries we’ve been to and write a report on it. Marquette parted ways and joined some of her other friends, so Arshia and I walked around Bergen a bit more. We headed back to the ship after a bit. Even though it was fairly late, it was still very bright outside. We’re so far up North now that it hardly ever gets dark this time of year. Bergen only gets a few hours of nighttime, but even then it doesn’t ever get completely dark. At certain times of the year, the sun never even sets. They call it the midnight sun.

So that’s it for today. Tomorrow, I will embark on the mini-journey of a lifetime. As I mentioned before, some friends and I are going to travel across Norway together, and we’re going to do one of the coolest hikes in Scandavia. I’m very excited, but I also need to sleep! So goodnight!!

July 14 to 15- To Scandinavia We Go

July 14

Today I had my first Architectural History test. Surprisingly, it did not go as bad as I thought it would. I didn’t really know how to study for it last night, so I just went over my notes and studied my teacher’s power points for a couple hours. We had one hour to write about four pictures of places or buildings we visited in our four ports. The prompts were really general, and I think I did decent! Woohoo!!

Now I just have to study for my Foundational Religions midterm for tomorrow…

We learned a lot about Vikings today. My architecture class is really hard, but it’s also really, really interesting. It’s insane how much I learn in that one hour and fifteen minutes of class. I love how we are able to learn the history of an entire area and then relate it to modern day architecture. It’s incredible if you think about it. Like we’ll start talking about how the dragons were a central part of Viking mythology and by the end of the class period we’ll be going over how the Oslo Opera House was designed to look like a glacier slipping into the water.

Oslo Opera House

Also, I got truly homesick for the first time last night. I spent a lot of time traveling independently in Ireland, and I don’t know if that like made me feel more lonely than usual or what. But I started thinking about home and my parents and Cailey and Zane, and I got pretty melancholy. Then I started thinking about Newman (my cat that I had to put to sleep a week before I went to London), and I’ll admit that I cried a little. We’re just approaching the half-way point of my trip. I’m still obviously so happy I’m here and I’m loving it, but I’m also just a tiny bit excited to go home too…

July 15

So my Foundational Religions midterm was a little tougher than I thought it was going to be. I should have spent more time studying Judaism then Paganism, but I think I did alright. We’ll see what my grade is tomorrow! It definitely pays off to be a good student when it comes to test time (both on and off the ship). I always listen in class, take good notes and do my best to read as much of the text as I can. I’d be pretty lost if I were some of the kids on this voyage who call it the “Booze Cruise.” I have no idea how some of them are getting by!

I also had a game night with my extended family after dinner tonight! It was really fun, and I should have taken a picture of us but I didn’t think about it at the time. We played a fantasy card game called Ascent (I think it’s called Ascent) that Giselle brought. It was kind of complicated, but I’m really into strategy games so it I liked it a lot once I figured out the basics. Joe, my ship dad, brought candy and trail mix which is a big plus in my book.

We also had our pre-port meeting for Norway! Norway is going to be a little bit of a different country for us. We have class tomorrow, but we’re allowed to get off the ship early at 6:00 pm. We have one day in Bergen (which is on the west side of Norway). Then the ship will be “in transit” for one day while we sail to Oslo (on the east side). We’ll then be in Oslo for two days. While the ship is in transit, students are allowed to travel across the country. So we can travel independently or with a paid field program overland from Bergen to Oslo.

Courtney and I are both planning to travel "independently" overland with a group of about 25 other SAS students. We’re going to do this incredible hike called Trolltunga or “Troll’s tongue.” I highly recommend Google Image searching “Trolltunga Hike Norway” if you’re into beautiful scenery. The view is absolutely breathtaking, and I am so very excited to see it for myself! Hiking in Norway, could it get much better than that?

I should also mention that we had some awesome entertainment at our pre-port meeting tonight as well. Our ship’s very own SASsy Choir made up of the children voyagers serenaded us with a fabulous rendition of Frozen’s “Let It Go.”

The little Queen Elsa in front really stole the show!
They were all adorable, but she was especially cute.

In addition to this tear-jerking performance (yeah I cried a little, okay?), the Academic Dean, David Geis, and the Executive Dean, Marti Fessenden, sang us a little Shania karaoke. We’ve had a fundraiser going on where students could put their spare change in a Dean David box or a Dean Marti box. Whichever dean ended up with the most money had to do something embarrassing at tonight’s pre-port. Dean David won (by a mere $5 USD), and his punishment or reward (whichever way you look at it) was to sing “I Feel Like a Woman” by Shania Twain. In the middle of the song, however, Dean Marti jumped up and joined him as well. We seriously have the most fantastic faculty here at SAS. They are truly incredible people, please read their bios on the link below:

David Gies- http://www.semesteratsea.org/faculty-and-staff/david-gies/

Marti Fressenden- http://www.semesteratsea.org/faculty-and-staff/marti-fessenden/

"I Feel Like a Woman" SAS style

He put on some of his wife's clothing mid-performance

They make a fantastic singing duo

So after all that excitement, I'm not off to bed. Norway tomorrow!

July 13- Goodbye Ireland

I’m very sad that we had to leave Ireland today. This is definitely a country I want to come back to someday (although to be honest I want to go back to every country we’ve visited). There’s so much more to see and do, and I just really love the country here. I have yet to see the Cliffs of Moher and the Giant’s Causeway, so I think that will be my excuse to come back in the future.

Today I didn't really do too much. It’s hard for me to do stuff in European cities because nothing opens until noon. I’m definitely a morning person, and I just want to get up and go in the morning. But it’s kind of pointless because there isn’t much to do or see except walk around the streets. Anyways, Courtney and I took a shuttle into Dublin around mid-morningish. We went to a café and shared a plate of thee most delicious blueberry pancakes I’ve ever had in my whole life. And I’ve had some good pancakes, so these were pretty phenomenal. Afterwards we went to this little ice cream shop called Murphy’s Ice Cream. She had stopped there a couple of days ago and insisted that I HAD to try their ice cream. I was not disappointed.

The workers were super friendly, and they let us sample almost every kind of ice cream. After much debate, I decided on getting a hot brownie with one scoop of rolled oats and one scoop Irish coffee. Needless to say, it was delicious. I’m definitely making oatmeal ice cream when I get home!

Heaven on a plate.

We only had a few more hours in Dublin, so Courtney and I found a Starbucks to get some wifi. After we were able to do all of our internet stuff, we went down into the Temple Bar area one last time. Courtney hadn’t made it to the actual Temple Bar yet, so we stopped there and got an awesome picture with a leprechaun (which my roommate has on her camera unfortunately). We then realized that neither of us had tried an Irish coffee yet, so we ordered on and split it. Yum!

Temple Bar

Courtney and I with our Irish Coffee
And a random guy photobombing us!

Then we caught one of the last shuttles to the ship and got on board. We had dinner, and now I’m about to start studying for my architecture midterm tomorrow (yikes). I have a religions midterm the next day and a couple of papers to write. So until later…