In Cobh, we saw the departure point of the Titanic. We also looked around for a bit in the Titanic exhibit, which was very interesting. It is in the original White Star Line building! The Titanic interests me the most out of anything in history, so this was an especially special experience for me.

We visited the city center of Cork for a little bit to look around and shop. It was really nice!

This was one of my favorite stops that we did. We visited Blarney Castle, and I kissed the Blarney Stone! The area around was so magical, and me and Jenny had the most fabulous walk through the mystical woods. There was also a Poison Garden ... so cool!

We visited a castle called Dunluce Castle here. It was very pretty, and we took some great pictures with the ocean as the background!

We visited the Giant's Causeway here. It is a huge area with rocks that form stepping stones next to the ocean. It is a great wonder of the world, and there are a lot of legends surrounding it. It was so beautiful, and the tour we took to get there was fantastic!

We crossed the Carrick A Rede, which is a rope bridge that is replaced every 4 years. It was ridiculously windy; it was 40 knots. They close the bridge off at 50, and they were planning on closing it as soon as our group left! It was swinging over a huge drop into the Atlantic Ocean, but it was such a great experience! When we got to the island it led to, we could see Scotland across the ocean. Wild!

We visited Belfast, which is rich in history because it is the place where the Titanic was made. We shopped a bit here and saw the famous Titanic Dry Dock.

We visited Bunratty Castle here. It was built in 1425, and the photos we took were really cool. Very picturesque!

This was one of my favorite stops on my Ireland visit. We went to the Cliffs of Moher, which were breathtaking. They are 214 meters high at their highest point, and they go over 8 km over the Atlantic Ocean. This was a lifechanging experience that I will NEVER forget.

Doolin was fantastic! We ate at a little restaurant called Fitzpatrick's that had the best seafood chowder and raspberry cheesecake I've ever had. I also found a little Irish cat, which made me happy! Lots of great photo opportunities here.

The Burren was a great place to visit! We took pictures here and at Lahinch, a surfing beach right on the coast.

We visited this abbey on a tour. It was next to the hills of the Burren, and it was a great place to take pictures.

We went on a tour to Kinvara, a really nce little village. We took pictures at the Dunguaire Castle and it was lovely!

Me and a friend stayed in Dublin for almost a week in a hostel called Paddy's Palace. It was a really nice place that offered some FABULOUS tours that absolutely made our week! Everyone was very nice here. We did some great shopping in the shopping district, and the bars were so cool in the city!

Rome was such an experience! I went to a lot of the tourist attractions. I went to the Trevi Fountain and made a wish, which was awesome. I went to the Ancient City, which was incredible. So many ancient ruins ... I felt like I was standing on the beginning of society! I also went to the Colosseum, but we couldn't get in because it was closed. We visited Saint Peter's Basilica, which was very beautiful. Visting Vatican City was unreal. This is the first time Rome has been without a pope (beside deaths) in 500 years, and I was there during the time they were chosing the next one. That blew my mind. It will probably never happen again in my lifetime, and I was there to witness it. Because of this, we couldn't go into the Sistine Chapel, which was a shame, but I think it's a fair trade off because of the reasoning. The apartment we stayed in here was also nice, but a lot smaller than the one in La Spezia. I fell in love with gelato here. I will never feel the same about ice cream again! More incredible food, of course. I felt so strongly about my presence in Rome, and I think it was a really important experience for me. I'm so happy I got to go. Italy honestly changed my life.

Unfortunately, we only went to Milan to catch our flights on either end of the Italy trip. However, I got to see the Alps! They were absolutely picture perfect. We got some good pizza here too ... it was my first real pizza experience in Italy! As for being the fashion capital of the world, I can believe it. Everyone was dressed impeccably. I felt so out of place! One day, when I'm rich, I'd love to come back here and actually buy some clothes!

In Fegina, we went to the beach to get gelato. Unfortunately, the gelataria was closed, but we walked on the beach and looked at the water. It was incredible, and one day I hope to come back in the summer, when I'm sure it will be absolutely alive and beautiful.

This was another stop we made. More beautiful views, more life changing experiences. I can't even put the beauty of this village of Cinque Terre into words.

In Riomaggiore, which is a small province of La Spezia, we visited the most beautiful sight I've ever seen in all my life. It was honestly a life changing experience for me. We ate lunch (some of the best ravioli I've ever had) and then tried to go on the Via dell'Amore, the Path of Love. It was closed because of the rain, but we got up the mountain it was on. It overlooked the ocean and had winding steps. You could see the whole town in all of its glory. I couldn't stop screaming at the top of my lungs because I couldn't ever remember being happier. It was a sight that has to be seen to be believed, but I will never ever forget this moment.

We stayed in La Spezia in an amazing apartment. It rained all the time we were here, but this was my favorite place so far, BY far. I was so excited to go to Italy because of my heritage, but I never expected it to be like this. The houses were beautiful and pastel, all on tall mountains with the ocean backdrop. I cried when we arrived here. We traveled around Cinque Terre for a few days, but La Spezia was where we stayed, so it holds a special place in my heart.

Barcelona was such an experience! It was the first place I went on my own with friends after travel break. We stayed in my favorite hostel so far, called Black Swan. It was beautiful and very clean. We basically just walked around all day and shopped A LOT. I bought so many clothes, and it was the only shopping spree I've allowed myself so far. We also ate some really good food. Traveling to the oceanfront was particularly amazing. I hadn't realized how much I missed the ocean! Even though it was for only a short time, I really enjoyed Barcelona a lot, and I completely understand what all the hype is about!

Toledo was one of my favorite places I've ever visited. It was seriously one of the most beautiful sights in the whole world. There were houses of all colors splattered all over cliffs, and there were beautiful mountains and fields everywhere. The streets were small and winding and made of cobblestone. Most of the shops sold rifles and swords, which I really wanted to buy but I was afraid I wouldn't be able to get it on the airplane. This was also a mandatory day excursion, and I would have enjoyed it so much more if they didn't force us to go to a bunch of cathedrals and monestaries all day. We only got about 15 minutes to explore Toledo on our own minus our lunch break, which was very much a shame. Hopefully I'll be able to go back, because it was one of my favorites so far. We went to lunch at a place that spoke exclusively Spanish. My roommate was able to translate, and we were served a delicious 3 course homemade meal that was only 12 euros. I can't rave enough about this place!

This was our second mandatory excursion with all of the students from the Castle. We stayed in two different hotels in the middle of Madrid, and they were really nice with a cool balcony and a shower that shot water from every direction! This weekend was very busy because they kept our days full with many mandatory excursions. We went to a bunch of churches and museums, most of which I can't remember because it honestly wasn't something I was interested in. We did do one excursion that I really liked, which was a tour of the Royal Palace. It was absolutely amazing and it was one of the most regal places I've ever been. The food in Madrid was FANTASTIC; tapas became my new best friend! One night, we drank sangria and then got accidentally drunk from what I thought was a cleansing sorbet at the end of the meal. It was actually a shot of some unknown alcohol. Good times! But I really liked the atmosphere of Spain a lot, and I would love to go back.

I fell absolutely head over heels in love with Paris. Everything negative I've heard about it was untrue from my experiences (rude people, extremely dirty, etc.). People were very helpful, and even though they all spoke primarily French, I was able to understand a lot of it and even use a little of it. I got my hair colored on the first day, which was a nightmare, but that night we went to the top of the Eiffel Tower, which totally made up for it. It was one of the most incredible experiences of my life. We also visited Choco Story, a chocolate museum, and the Musée d'Orsay, which housed some hugely famous artwork. I ate very well, and I'd have to say that the food might have been my favorite part. Sushi, escargot, duck, baked apple with caramel, pizza, and even French McDonald's ... what's not to love? The metro was very easy to navigate, and the hotel we stayed in was really nice. I absolutely loved it here, and it might have been my favorite place so far.

This was my birthday weekend!  I visited Kings Cross to see Platform 9 3/4 (from Harry Potter), I got my picture taken on Abbey Road (and almost got hit by cars), I went to Buckingham Palace, and I visited lots and lots of bars, pubs, and clubs! We met some friends from Denmark and hung out with them for the weekend. London was great! The underground was very difficult to navigate, however. Also, we accidentally spent about $70 USD on drinks the first night because we thought pounds were more equivelent to euros than they were. Oops! Still so worth it ... and I had a great birthday on Sunday!