On Wednesdays we go caving
Posted on February 19, 2015 Leave a Comment
Hey everyone, if you cannot already tell by my Facebook album, I went caving yesterday. (More pictures to come) When I say caving, I mean legit, wet suit, helmet with a flashlight, crawling through caves caving.
The Outdoor Pursuits Club offers caving trips most Wednesday nights and it was great craic! (again using the lingo) Another word to call something fun or good is “class.” (For example in a sentence: “That caving trip was class”)
For a small fee of 5 euro, we were bused out to unspecified location in The Burren, part of County Clare, Ireland. This included all the equipment necessary (helmet with light, wet suit, belt and knee pads. The first adventure was getting to the cave entrance. A small group of about 7 of us, all suited up headed out into the vast dark wilderness. Of course it was raining sideways with chilling winds.
We walked down a tiny road and then turned into the woods. We continued down a muddy path in the grass, over rocks and streams. At this point it felt like I was in a post-apocalyptic movie. The land was deserted and the only thing we could see was the beam of our headlights.
After brief safety instructions, we headed out into the cave. The entrance was a tiny hole in the ground and without the light, you might have passed by it. We slid down the rocks, through a tiny waterfall and into the cave. We began walking through the caverns, which were gorgeous! Tiny passage ways lined the cave and we followed the line leader (Almost like Kindergarden).
The most challenging part was the darkness challenge. We all were told to turn our lights off and follow the cave on instinct. It was a lot harder, especially since the cave walls were so narrow and twisted. After some mild hyperventilating, we made it through a couple minutes of pure darkness in the cave.
After some more casual walks, we finally got to the hardest part. We reached an opening and looked around to see the only way out was a tiny window of rock. I was down on my hands and knees crawling through the rock window. I could barely lift my neck up to see what was ahead. At one point the space was so tight that we were on our bellies, using only our arms to push our bodies through.
After hours inside trekking, we made it out of the cave. Everyone in our group was so nice and helpful. Then on the ride back at midnight I ate my PB&J sandwich. (Shout out to my awesome room mate Lizzy for making and packing them while I was in class) You are awesome! Also I packed some Reeses cups. I let some of the Irish students try them because they don’t sell them here. Turns out they find them disgusting and almost could not swallow them. (Guess Americans love artificial peanut butter too much)
Anyways, I had my GoPro strapped to my chest for majority of the caving trip, but sadly because of battery life, I could not keep it on for the entire thing. Also with little light and lot of mud, the shots are the best, but I tried to show as much as I could. The last clip is of me laying on belly. Before that shot I was on my belly sliding myself for 10m straight, so narrow that you could not lift your neck to see ahead. Anyways… ENJOY!
Updates to come after my weekend in Brussels and Amsterdam 🙂
Cooking with no microwave
Posted on February 2, 2015 Leave a Comment
I didn’t think I would experience culture shock until it happened. Turns out I have no hot water, a microwave, toaster oven or coffee maker. (I know what you are thinking…first world problems)
If any of you know me that well, you know that I cannot cook. My skills included placing things in the microwave and then taking them out. I am the girl that fucks up pasta. NOT ANYMORE! These past weeks have taught me a lot about fending for myself when it comes to food. I found myself cooking chicken, pasta and rice with ease. Soon I was adding vegetables (if you consider potatoes a healthily option).
If you really know me well, then you know my obsession and addiction to coffee. I am used to my personal Keurig, but I found myself heating up water in a tea kettle and pouring it over some instant coffee. At first I was pretty repulsed by the taste, but caffeine is caffeine I guess.
Also I have been pretty sick over the past days. This is when that tea kettle came in handy (to be honest I really might buy one here, they heat up the water in seconds and it stays hot for hours). I ended up going down town to try and get medicine. We walk into a “pharmacy,” only to find out that a “pharmacy” in Ireland does not sell meds. Instead it sells cosmetic and cleaning products. In Ireland they call “pharmacists” “chemists.” So I took a trip to the “chemist” and got some sedated. I am still not 100%, but I am doing a lot better.
On the bright side though, I bought a warmer coat, extra towels and an extra blanket to keep warm. Also I started to plan some side trips. The first one coming up is a day trip to Galway this Saturday. (There will be pics and blog post, don’t worry!) Next I will going to Belgium and Amsterdam in late February then over my Spring Break I will visiting Prague, Budapest and Croatia.
This week starts my first full week of classes and we have sign ups for clubs/societies tomorrow night. So much to do!
Watch out Nigel Thornberry
Posted on August 25, 2014 Leave a Comment
Thanks for following my blog while I am abroad. I just got a GoPro and the straps, so basically I will be that person as I walk around Europe. The good news is that you guys can see what I am seeing without having to walk with me and be embarrassed by the GoPro strapped to my head. I leave on the 17th for London and after three days I will be in Limerick, Ireland. Keep checking for updates and awesome pictures and videos. Marianne get the camera!