Author: Laney Green

With my semester abroad coming to an end, I figured I shouldn’t leave without exploring more of the country that has hosted me the past four months. So for one last hurrah, I took a trip up north. I ended up in Belfast, Northern Ireland; technically Ireland and yet, encompassed by the United Kingdom. 

I traveled to Belfast by bus and it took around five hours. As soon as I arrived I started exploring the city. I came across the Salmon of Knowledge, the Beacon of Hope, City Hall, and a popular outdoor mall downtown. 

Once again, I eventually met up with Jakob who was on his last leg of traveling for his spring break. We had two full days to explore Northern Ireland, and half a day to spend in the city before making the trek back to Galway. 

We spent the first day hiking at the Giant’s Causeway, a World Heritage Site. This is a famous tourist attraction known for its green, scenic cliffs and irregular stones. Legend has it that the causeway was formed by two fighting giants! 

After exploring the area and missing our bus, we decided to walk to Dunluce Castle. This castle is known as the most scenic castle in Northern Ireland. You have to pay a small fee in order to gain access and walk through it, but we opted to take in the view from the hillside. 

The next day, we set out to hike in the Mourne Mountains. We ended up choosing a route that would lead us to the summit of two mountains. The hiking was beautiful, scenic and grew more strenuous with each mile. We summited Slieve Commedagh first after a tiresome uphill battle. We celebrated our summit with a lunch break at the top, looking out across the ocean.

The clouds came in as we hiked back down, which left us debating whether or not to hike the second mountain, Slieve Donard. This particular mountain happens to be the tallest mountain in Northern Ireland, and while only a couple hundred feet taller than the last, the title itself made it seem more daunting. 

Once we reached the base, we ultimately decided we had to hike it since you can’t come face to face with the tallest mountain of a region and not climb it! 

It was chilly at the top and the view was cluttered by clouds and fog, but of course it was still worth it. From there we hiked all the way back down and explored the little town beneath the mountains until our bus picked us up to return to Belfast.

We spent our last day walking around Belfast on a self guided tour. We saw Queen’s University, the Botanic Gardens and visited the Ulster Museum. By dinner time, we were on a bus back to Galway.

Overall, we had a super fun time in Belfast and I’m glad I was able to see more of the island I have been lucky enough to call home. 

Best,

Laney Green

 

If you’re curious about how students studying abroad are able to pick up and jet off to dreamy destinations on a whim, I’ll fill you in on how it’s all possible.

Flights around Europe, once you’re already across the pond, are cheap. And I don’t mean a couple hundred dollars cheap. We’re talking only 14 euro if you can manage traveling with one backpack that fits under a plane seat. Accommodation is also very affordable if you book a hostel or split the cost of an Airbnb with travel partners.

With a two week break before finals officially commenced, I bought a ticket and packed a backpack. My first stop was in Nottingham, England to visit Jakob, another Linfield student who’s studying abroad. I was only there for two days before we both set off for a day trip to London. While the weather continuously shifted from blue skies to downpours, it didn’t stop us from catching sight of Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, the London Eye, Tower Bridge, and a city view from 35 floors up.

We spent the night in a hostel before catching a train to the airport at 4 AM for a flight to Croatia. The rest of our holiday was spent in Croatia between two cities, Split and Zadar.

Both cities were breathtaking in their own ways. The atmosphere in Split became especially magical as we watched the sun rise over the terra cotta roofs, and then disappear into the ocean as it set.

From both locations we took day trips and even ended up visiting three national parks! The first park we reached was Krka National Park, known and recognized by its impressive waterfall. This park was gorgeous and very family friendly, but lacked the hiking excitement we sought.

We also went to Plitvice National Park, an area filled with waterfalls and complemented by incredibly clear turquoise water. This park was also less adventurous than anticipated, but again, beautiful and accommodating. We were able to create more excitement by renting a paddle boat and exploring the area further by water!

The last park we visited was Paklenica National Park. This was my favorite park out of the three as it provided us with some great hiking! It was really fun to be immersed into the Croatian mountains, summit a peak, and look out across the whole mountain range.

The rest of our time was filled with a bit more hiking, a visit to Ugljan island by ferry, and just some quality time in each city amongst locals and other tourists.

Spending my holiday in Croatia was more fun than I could have hoped for, and I’m glad I took advantage of visiting while I live so close! 

Thanks for following along on my holiday abroad!

Best,
Laney Green

 

My number one tip for anyone studying abroad is to take classes outside of your major. If you’re studying in a new country, why not take the opportunity to fill your head with some fascinating country specific knowledge to word vomit back to everyone in the states?

This is the approach I took when making class selections for my semester at NUI Galway. While three out of four of my classes are pretty random, I’m still able to get Linfield credit for them! So really, I’m having the most culturally enriching semester of my university career, and I’m still on track to graduate on time. 

With that being said, my favorite class this semester has been The Development of Castles in Medieval Ireland. Not only was it fun to attend lectures about castle history in Ireland, England, Wales and Scotland, but we got to go on a field trip as well! 

The field trip took all day and in total we visited three different castles: Pallas Tower House, Cloonburren Motte and Bailey, and Dunamase Castle. 

Pallas Tower House was our first castle of the day. It’s located about an hour away from campus in what appeared to be someone’s backyard. The castle was still in mint condition for having been built in the 15th and 16th century. It was accompanied by a bawn wall and the remains of a house. We were able to climb all the way to the roof of the five storey tower to enjoy the view. 

Our next stop was Cloonburren Motte and Bailey in County Roscommon. While surrounded by livestock, farm land, and the Shannon River, it is also positioned right behind someones house. 

Mottes are a unique type of castle as they appear as a hill or even just a lump in the ground. However, the height of a motte is what makes it a naturally defendable site. We were able to hike to the top and imagine what it may have been surrounded by back in the 13th century. 

Our last stop of the day was at Dunamase Castle, located east of Galway toward Dublin.

Dunamase was probably the least aesthetically pleasing in photos, but it was definitely the most impressive castle of the day. It’s the largest castle in Ireland which meant the entirety of it couldn’t be captured in a single picture. In person it was absolutely magical, especially since we explored it as the sun began to set.

Dunamase is positioned on a tall limestone outcrop and while in ruins, you can still tell this castle would have been just as impressive on the inside in its late 12th century heyday.

This field trip was something I’ve been looking forward to since I registered for classes in January. In the end, it lived up to my high expectations and was an amazing experience. 

In the next two weeks I plan to travel outside of Ireland during the break before finals. I’m really looking forward to visiting two new countries and sharing my experiences here. 

Best,
Laney Green

I survived Saint Patrick’s Day in Ireland! What I learned from the experience is that most Irish youth would describe St. Paddy’s Day as just a reason to drink all day. So truthfully, it wasn’t that much different from the celebrations in the states, except that I could partake. 

Most of my roommates went to spend the first half of the day in Dublin, but McCall and I opted to stay and enjoy the festivities that Galway had to offer. We started off the holiday by attending the annual parade in the city center. It was the first parade in two years due to the pandemic and we could definitely feel everyone’s excitement for its return buzzing all around us. 

A surprising amount of people were dressed up in green and sported fun, gimmicky props which made the day feel even more festive! As for the parade, it mostly consisted of marching musicians, youth sports teams and local advocacy groups. Overall, it was just exciting to people-watch both the parade participants and those in the surrounding crowd.

We continued celebrating later that day by hanging out at a pub and beer garden. McCall and I were joined by one of our roommates, Kieran, and also Gabbie and Nathan, two of my friends from the states who had arrived in Galway that day. We spent the rest of the night meeting and befriending locals, a few of whom have even studied abroad in California!

This past week I finished some of my classes and started working on my final essays; so crazy, I know! In my free time throughout the week I was also able to show Gabbie and Nathan around Galway. 

To cap off this month, I will be going on a class field trip to three different castles. I will highlight that trip and the castles we visit in my next blog! 

Best,

Laney Green

 

It feels like so much and so little has happened this month and it’s only and already the third week. I guess that’s the magic of Ireland, or just my inability to keep track of time while here. Either way, it’s already been quite the month and the main event (Saint Patrick’s Day) has not even happened yet. Nevertheless, I will take you through this month’s adventures so far.

The last weekend of February and the first week of March my family came to visit me. It was pretty crazy that all three of them made the trip out here and it was such a fun experience getting to show them around my new temporary home. I gave them a walking tour throughout Galway which included a trip to campus and the Salthill beach and diving board.

My parents rented a car for their time in Ireland, so we were able to drive to the countryside of Connemara and hike Diamond Hill. I have completed this hike once already with my roommates in the pouring rain, but this time around it was clear and sunny which made for an entirely different hiking experience. In comparison, I preferred the blue sky over the wind and rain, but the landscape is beautiful regardless.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Also within the first week of March McCall and I played for the NUIG Ladies Club team in the National League final. We went into double overtime and eventually penalty kicks before we came away with the trophy!  It was so fun playing soccer with such a welcoming group of women, and I feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to be a part of a first place victory for our school.

Other than more school work and some local exploring around Galway, that pretty much sums up the first three weeks of March! I’ll be back to report on my full Irish St. Patrick’s Day experience soon. 

Best,

Laney Green

P.S. Mask restrictions have lifted here (as did Oregon’s soon after) and it is so weird! 

 

After a big adjustment period in January, I’m happy to report that I’m feeling much more at peace and at home here in Ireland. I owe this all to February, even though it’s been a whirlwind of a month.

February has been filled with plenty of events and new experiences, both big and small. Everything from more school work and a trip to Paris, to lots of soccer matches and local excursions. Let’s recap some of these adventures!

McCall and I both play soccer at Linfield and while it’s technically our off season, we couldn’t be stopped from seeking out a way to get touches on the ball. We joined the NUIG Ladies Club team and so far we have played in four matches. Our team is even set to play in the league final next week! It has been such a fun experience to play with and against local girls here, and it’s also been a great way to meet new people. Fingers crossed we can continue performing well and come out on top next week.

One of my favorite experiences so far this spring was showing my friend Jakob from Linfield all around Galway. He’s currently studying abroad at the University of Nottingham in England, but the Irish hills were calling his name so he booked a trip for the weekend. I had the pleasure of showing him around the NUIG campus, city centre and even Salthill Beach. 

On Saturday we made our way to the Cliffs of Moher. We lucked out with dry weather and even a brief appearance of sun! It was crazy beautiful and definitely a destination worth exploring if you ever find yourself in Ireland.

We had booked our bus tickets to give us a three hour window at the cliffs. At the end of it, I did wish we had a bit more time as we could have easily kept hiking and also spent more time looking at the indoor exhibit about the cliffs. That being said, as soon as our bus pulled up to take us back to Galway it started to rain, so the timing worked out well in the end.

I’m glad to see short, but sweet February coming to a close- but not because it wasn’t good! Really, I’m just excited to see what March will bring.

Best,

Laney Green

Last week’s adventure consisted of a quick trip to Paris with two of my roommates! We planned this trip about a month ago and after much anticipation it was finally time to head over.

We left our apartment at one a.m. on a Thursday and made our way to the Galway bus station. From there we had a three hour bus ride to the Dublin Airport and then a short flight before we landed in France. Even with the lack of sleep we were ready to take on everything Paris had to offer; especially some chocolate croissants and coffee.

We had three full days to spend in the city which we split up by dedicating two days to be complete tourists and go exploring, and saved the third day for museum visits. Our exploring consisted of trekking through the streets that led to major landmarks of Paris. This of course included the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, the Arc De Triomphe, and an impressive lookout point on the roof of a ritzy shopping center.

We did a lot of walking to get from landmark to landmark, which ultimately led to a lot of good eating along the way too. I had some of the best pizza and pasta of my life on this trip!

As for museums, we all visited the Louvre and it actually exceeded my expectations. It was just as big and beautiful on the inside as the outside architecture is. My favorite part of the museum were all the sculptures, but we also stopped to take a selfie with the ever famous Mona Lisa.

My roommates went on to visit the Musee d’Orsay while I wandered the gardens and trails around the Louvre.

On our last night we got caught up in riots which was a stressful way to end our trip. However, once we made it back safely to our hotel it only added to an overall memorable experience!

More adventures coming soon.

Best,

Laney Green

Hello from Ireland! I have officially completed my first two weeks of school at NUI Galway! Figuring out how to register for classes was a hurdle, but luckily even though it’s a pretty big university, professor email responses were timely and I made it to every class I intended to.

With my class schedule now set, I’ve had the ability to figure out the quickest route to campus and my five classrooms in particular. The next step regarding school life is joining clubs to try and get more involved on campus and meet new people! So far I’ve joined the mountaineering club and the soccer club.

While classes are my priority during my time across the pond, that doesn’t mean I can’t have a little fun on the side– right? That being said, my roommates and I recently took a day trip down to the southwest coast of Ireland known as Cork. I didn’t know much about Cork or its surrounding area before we departed, but that honestly made for a more exciting experience.

Cork is about a three hour bus ride from Galway, and the bus fare round trip is just about 35 euro– very affordable! Once we made it to our bus stop we called a cab and made our way to Cobh, which we chose as our main stay for the day. The town of Cobh is absolutely beautiful and I would go back in a heartbeat. It’s small, but filled with brightly painted buildings and sits right on the harbor.

We specifically chose to come to this part of Cork as Cobh Harbor was actually the last place the Titanic stopped before making its way to America. We were able to get tickets to the Titanic Experience which is an interactive experience about the Titanic and the 123 passengers that got on at this port.

 

After the Titanic museum, we spent the rest of the day roaming around by the water, the colorful streets, and up the hill to the Cobh Cathedral. It made for a great place to watch the sunset before heading back down to call a cab. The cab took us back to the station and from there we hopped on our bus back to Galway. I thoroughly enjoyed our trip to Cork and Cobh, and it’s safe to say I’ll be back to see more!

Below is a list of dos and don’ts I learned from our outing to Cork:

• Do book your bus ticket online the night before, as ticketing may close or sell out by the time you get there in the morning. It’s also cheaper online!
• Don’t pay the extra 0.40 euro for them to text you your ticket information… you won’t need it. 
• Do call your cab before the bus drops you off, otherwise you’ll be standing around waiting for Richard in a midsize taxi for an extra 30 minutes.
• Don’t speak in an American accent or else Richard will stop for gas and a light snack while your cab fare continues to rise.
• Do go to the Titanic Experience museum. It was a really cool presentation and you’ll leave with your head filled with facts about the Titanic.
• Don’t get too distracted by the sunset and wait too long to call a cab; internet connection is spotty and cabs become a delicacy in the early evening.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Best,

Laney Green