Reise nach Irland und zurück nach dem USA

So this will be my last blog post from Germany.  Boy, what a great experience this has been!  When I came here 4 1/2 months ago, I thought I would be counting down the days until I headed home.  I was so wrong.  I met the most amazing people and had the most interesting experiences that I've ever had in my life.  I don't know what I'm going to do when my trip to class doesn't involve walking along the Rhein river, or when I don't get to hang out with all my cool international friends on a weekly basis.  Don't get me wrong, there are definitely things and people I have missed from home, but the transition was drastically easier with all kinds of amazing people and activities.  Words can't really define how much I have enjoyed this experience, and how much I will miss it.  I guess this means I will have to plan a return trip here in the near future.  The tears have already started.
On a happier note, I traveled to Ireland with Mary for my last weekend in Europe.  She is trying to trace her family ancestry, so we went on a little excursion that included Dublin, Portlaoise, and Cashel.    We did make some progress on this, but it was also a fun trip.  While sitting at a pub in Portlaoise, a 60-something Irish man who was already quite drunk came over and sat down with us.  At first he was okay, telling us about his life and showing us pictures of stuff.  But then, after he continued to drink, he got really creepy.  He kept squeezing our hands REALLY hard, and at one point he sneezed about 8 times in a row into his hands.  He then proceeded to grab our hands some more.  Finally, the bartender had to cut him off and escort him out.  We also got some help from a man sitting at the bar, and finally we were safe to finish our drinks alone.  Obviously, the story was much more detailed than that, but it was such an odd experience.
In Dublin, we toured Kilmainham Gaol, an old prison where one of Mary's very distant relatives was executed, and Glasnevin Cemetery.  Both were cool places.  However, it rained pretty much every day, which wasn't very fun.  Mary bought an Aran sweater while we were in Cashel, and, also in Dublin, we went to a pub where you could tap your own Guinness right at the table.  All in all, it was a very good trip, and a nice way to end my time in Europe.  After spending my last trip to Ireland basically completely on a tour bus, I actually got to enjoy the sights of the country.

In another week or two, there will probably be one more blog post about getting settled back in America, but that will probably be the last one.

Bis später!
Maddie