Forgive me for I am writing on eight days of blissful vacation followed by 30 hours of hellish travel. (I am trying to upload a slideshow of pictures to help tell my story)

I embarked on this trip last Saturday with seven fellow classmates studying abroad with me in Ireland. The first destination was Barcelona. After a long day of travel, we arrived at 11:00 p.m. and were blessed with warm weather (at night!), palm trees, sangria, Doner kabobs, a fun hostel, American and Canadian students, and the Mediterranean Sea. Barcelona was easy to get used to as all these things happened within a two-hour time frame. It was almost as if the entire city was planning a reception party for our group. The next morning we walked through Barcelona at a strenuous pace, which was to set the precedent for the rest of the trip. The best part was the Sagrada Familia Church. This church began construction in 1882 by the architect Gaudi, and is still under construction, expected to be finished in 2026. As we were walking the streets, I noticed a group of 15-foot high costumes parading down the street accompanied by screeching Spanish music. Our group followed the parade that made its way to the front of the church, where a large crowd had assembled within the hour that we had left it. The group was primarily made up of four groups, each wearing their own color. As we watched the music continued and each group began to bunch together. Slowly one member was lifted up, than another climbed up and on top of the first. This continued until each group was four people high, creating a human representation of the spires of the Sagrada Familia Church directly behind them. After that we continued to explore Barcelona and eventually made our way to the port to board the Norwegian Gem.

The cruise aspect of the trip had both pros and cons.

Pro: All you can eat food. After a month and a half of my pilgrim lifestyle, I ate. Meal after meal was a treat. Food was available 24/7. Every night our entire group would sit down at a "fancy" restaurant and get four-course meals.

Con: The entire aspect of the cruise had a very cheesy aspect about it. For example, the "fancy" restaurant was filled with fake Mahoney and ridiculous chandeliers. The other guests on the cruise (another con: most guests except for two friends we made were experiencing some degree of a midlife crisis) played along with the cheesy aspect of the cruise. They would dress extravagantly, and once a meal the chefs (all foreign) would be sent out to a rousing round of applause. The food was good not amazing, but the cruise staff hyped it up, and everyone bought it. I just ate.

Pro: Every stop we made was unbelievable (Malta, Napoli, Rome, Florence, Cannes). Travel was easy, as I would wake up after a refreshing night of sleep and be in a radically different city. This made it possible to see a variety of different things, not many people can say they have been to Malta, but I can and I loved it.

Con: We did not get to see the nightlife in any city. We would wake up early and see as much as we could see before getting back on the boat. The nightlife on the boat consisted of “cheese” city. The entire staff of the crew was foreign, mostly from Indonesia and Nepal. I have no idea why or how people from Nepal were working on this cruise, they have come along way from Mount Everest to the Mediterranean. Entertainment consisted of Indonesians (sometimes the same ones that had just served me dinner) dressing up with backwards hats or Hawaiian shirts and singing Jimmy Buffet songs or a Nepal native attempting a magic show. It was amazing to watch how the crowd would cheer at each performance. It was corporate American brainwashing at its finest. I only went to the shows the first day when there were no stops, and I was almost prepared to hurl myself into the sea afterwards. The following nights I ate, made new friends (an American guy and Australian girl), read my book and hung out with my friends on the trip. This was much better and complemented our rigorous travel that we would do each day.

Pro: I did not spend much money in any town, as the boat would provide the essentials.

Con: The boat docked in two ports that were an hour away from both Rome and Florence. We had to find our own way in each city or pay a ridiculous charge to go on cruise excursions. This cut drastically into our time, but also added an element of adventure and exploring that is supposed to be part of college traveling. I saw Rome in a day for 14 Euro and was drenched by pouring rains, and it was an absolute blast. The cruise had hidden charges for nearly everything. This is why we got such a cheap ticket. Being aware and poor travelers, we managed to go unscathed by fees. Watching some of the totally unaware tourists we were with, I must have saved hundreds if not thousands of dollars.

In hindsight I had a fantastic time because I got to see all the cities we stopped at, and I could not have accomplished this any other way besides the cruise. I wouldn't do a cruise again anytime soon, but I was able to do my own thing both on and off the ship so I had a good time.

I also learned some things about myself. I like to travel raw. I enjoy skipping comfort for experience. I love Ireland (I'll get back to that one).

Cities:

Malta was incredible. In terms of weather, color schemes, and architecture it felt like I was in Egypt. Upon docking, our group walked to the main attraction: St. John's Church. We got there and mass had just started so we had to wait two hours and come back for a tour. My friend Thomas Joyce and I asked if we could go to the mass, as it had only just started. We did and the inside of the church was beautiful. We had communion with the Maltenese and then we were back on our way to explore the city. I decided to go back and take a tour of the church, which turned out to be a fantastic decision. Malta is a country straight out of a Dan Brown Novel, as the Knights Templar founded the country. During mass, little did I know that the floor was made up of 400 marked graves of knights from 500 years ago. The rest of the city was perfect (so was the 77 degree f weather). Geckos ran circles around me as I relaxed and explored this slice of exotic paradise.

Napoli was dirty and poor, or at least were the majority of the parts of the city I saw. We walked through neighborhood areas and tried to communicate with Italians. We ended up find back alleys to breathtaking views and lush parks. Jimmy Backus, Thomas Joyce, and I found an old castle on the Mediterranean that was simple, yet one of the best parts of the trip. We were the only ones there and we climbed to the top. See pictures. (Weather: 75 degree f and sunny= perfection)

Rome was a struggle to get to and our time was short there. We ran around in the rain and managed to see most of it. I wasn't too worried because I had already seen Rome. It reminded me of the T.V. show The Amazing Race. It was fun, but I was a little disappointed that I couldn't see my friends studying abroad there, but all in all it was a blast.

Florence was another struggle to get into to, and there was a threat of a train strike. Only three of us went and it was worth the risk. The city was walkable and scenic. The best part was waiting to see the statue of David by Michelangelo. The line was ridiculous and it was going to take all day to see the statue. We decided to skip it, but walking away I was astounded, no shocked within the point of a heart attack to see my friend Leah Palermo from high school. She is studying abroad in Rome but was traveling around with her family. This meeting boggled my mind; all I can say is that it truly is a small world. We talked for some time and parted ways, as we are hopefully meeting up with some friends in Dublin in a couple of weeks. It was crazy, I loved it.

Cannes was the last stop and the nicest day. Our group explored the city and spent the majority of the day on the beach. Perfect ending of the trip... but it turned out it was not the ending at all, because a rat race ensued trying to get back to Ireland the next day. I'll save this blog for later. Hopefully the pictures will fill in what I missed. Part two of the trip entitled “My Personal Struggle through Inferno” will come soon.

I went to the Cliffs of Moher today. I had totally forgotten this trip until yesterday, a testament to how amazing studying abroad has been. For example, as Minnesotans were dodging snow flakes the last two days, I was dodging jellyfish in the Atlantic Ocean. It was 70 degrees and sunny yesterday. Today started the same way, but soon we had ascended into the clouds: literally. I still am absolutely baffled by the roads over here. The first 30 minutes of our drive today was slow and uphill and I swear I could hear that clicking noise a roller coaster makes as it climbs the first big hill. It really does feel like a roller coaster because the road is no wider than the track of the Wild Thing. As soon as our bus hit the clouds, we blindly made a dramatic drop that was complemented with twists and turns until we were 700 feet above the ocean at the Cliffs of Moher. The clouds began to lift and the cliffs were incredible, with a special mysticism added due to the wisps of clouds, nay ghosts, flying down to the ocean. The Cliffs of Moher: It's a long way down or I survived the Cliffs of Moher are my two entrepreneurial t-shirt ideas. Another good day in Ireland.

Tomorrow is start of the 10 day midterm break. I will accompany seven fellow students from this program on a cruise on the Mediterranean. It sounds great, all I know is that there are seven restaurants on the boat I can eat ate for free and I will take warm showers. I will be taking a break from my pilgrimage and return to an American lifestyle. We were able to smooth-talk our way into a relatively cheap deal and it is an American company so we payed in dollars, not Euros, which makes a HUGE difference. I know people that are backpacking and staying at hostels that have already spent more money on their trips than the cruise. I fly out of Dublin on Saturday to Barcelona, were I will spend one night in a hostel and than board the Norwegian Gem at 5 in the morning on Sunday. This is my next week:

Itinerary

Day	Port	Arrive	Depart
Sun	Barcelona	-	7:00 PM
Mon	At Sea	-	-
Tue	Valletta (Malta)	8:00 AM	3:00 PM
Wed	Naples	8:00 AM	7:00 PM
Thu	Rome (Civitavecchia)	7:00 AM	7:00 PM
Fri	Florence/Pisa (Livorno)	7:00 AM	7:00 PM
Sat	Cannes	7:00 AM	3:00 PM
Sun	Barcelona	5:00 AM	-

I'll be off the computer until I return but I will update any followers I still have after my voyages.

Sailing new seas everyday,

John Murray

Class schedule:
Monday- 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. - Irish History
- 2 p.m. to 5 p.m- Irish Catholicism

Tuesday- 9 a.m to 10:30 a.m. - Study Abroad Seminar

Wednesday- 10:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. - Irish Literature

Thursday - 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.- Study Abroad Seminar

In Irish history we are currently discussing the Great Famine, or more accurately, the Great Hunger. It was no famine because as the Irish were starving to death boats overflowing with wheat and grains were leaving Irish ports daily for England. The professor in this class, Lawerence Marely from Belfast, covers hundreds of years of history in each three hour class and doesn't miss a beat. I have learned the most from this class and am able to make connections with every place we visit because of the historical background I have obtained.

Irish Catholicism is taught by an incredibly friendly old woman named Mary Clancy. Her goal is to give us as much information on the places we are going to so we can maximize our travels. She even spent the last class discussing points of interest in Europe in case we would visit them during our ten day break that starts this Friday. Unfortunately, I have learned very little about Catholicism except that it is dying in Ireland at a rapid pace. More to come on that later.

Study Abroad Seminar is taught by the professor from Saint John's, Julie Davis, and is focused on integrating experiences on excursions with a deeper understanding of Ireland primarily through writing and group discussions. This week I will start reading the book The Belfast Diaries in preparation for a trip in two weeks to Derry and Belfast in Northern Ireland.

Irish Literature is my favorite class, hands down. So far we have read in depth the works of W.B. Yeats and Frank O'Conner, and both have been fascinating. The class is discussion based but the professor Gerard O'Brien is another fascinating man that always has a new perspective or experience to add. Right now we are reading the play The Playboy of the Western World by John M. Synge. I have a part and we will finish the last act tomorrow morning. I look forward to this class.

Ten day break this Friday and I'm going on a cruise! More to come on that before I depart.

(My front yard)

Life at Park Lodge Hotel, Spiddal, Ireland:

The Park Lodge Hotel is in the middle of no where. It is 12 miles outside of Galway, hugging the coast and entrapped by rolling hills and small farms. Spiddal the town is 2 miles away and sits on top of a sandy beach, a stereotypical town made up of a church (mass is said in gaelic, not english), a butcher, a grocery store, and four pubs. The area we are in is beautiful. The ocean is a 5 minute walk and I make it daily to watch the tide change or the stars appear. Tonight the stars are out and the waves are calmly lapping against the rocky shore. As I walk back from the ocean, I cross the deadly two-lane street, thanks be to God there are no cars zooming around the corner tonight, and immediately see the front of the Park Lodge Hotel.

(Side View of Park Lodge Hotel... the pub is the glass rotunda on the left, wedding hall in the middle, class room on the far right, and hotel rooms on the second floor)

The Park Lodge Hotel is run by the Foyle family, with three of the seven Foyle siblings living and working here full time. The hotel consists of a large reception area perfect for the weddings that are held nearly every weekend here, or the weekly Wednesday Spiddal Yoga class led by Jimmy Fitzgerald. Turning the corner I see a group of students checking emails in the computer lounge (two computers, a flat screen T.V., and a couch). The classroom which I am in every Monday through Thursday is full of students using the wireless internet to Skype or finish homework. I'm still looking at the stars somehow defy the clouds while walking around the side, as the six cottages that the students live in and the director's cottage are tucked around the back of the Hotel, and I say hello to a fellow student walking to the lounge with their computer going to blog.

(My Cottage, front view)

I cross the parking lot that is in the back and make my way to my cottage, a stone's throw from the the main building. I chuckle a bit looking at the playground on the other side of the parking lot, seeing the basketball hoop set at eight and a half feet surrounded by a six foot area of cement, for those that don't know basketball thats less than half of the way to the free throw line. I walk into my cottage and think about taking a hot shower before bed, but decide not to because I haven't taken a hot shower at the cottages yet. The cottages are run on an energy machine powered by 2 Euro coins, and any leftovers of the 14 Euro weekly energy allowance is saved is split between the group. I'm used to cold showers, so I heat up some Tesco Ravioli in the microwave (valued at 35 cents) and hit the hay in preparation for the next day of classes...

Phoenix Park, Dublin. Site where Pope John Paul the Second visited 30 years ago. More than a million people gathered in the park, calling it the "best rock concert" Ireland has ever had.

Back from Dublin... and no stories to tell. The weekend excursion was fun, but was nothing more then spending time in a big city. I'm almost certain I haven't seen an Irish person in three days, and I just got out of the capital city with more than a fourth of Ireland's population. Lots of Gypsy's and bad Borat impressions will be my memories from the trip.

Our hostel was located right next to the Temple Bar area, which is notorious for "hen" and "stag" parties, the American equivalent being the bachelor party. To add to the mayhem, Ireland played Italy in Dublin for the World Cup Qualifiers on Saturday night. I would have considered buying tickets for the game (50 Euro for the nosebleeds or 70 American dollars) but our program had pre-purchased tickets to a play at the Abbey Theater. The Abbey Theater was developed by Irish intellects such as W.B. Yeats to promote the arts and Irish artists, and boy o boy did we see a piece of art. If anyone ever has a chance to see "The New Electric Ballroom", know that it has my approval. The play was actually in the Peacock Theater, directly below the Abbey Theater and it was absolutely bizarre. I made no sense of it and neither did anyone in the group. At one point a male private area (penis) was flashed and at another point a women wet herself on stage. As I looked around the small theater of 100 seats and saw all my fellow students grimacing in shock or horror, I laughed. And laughed. And continued to laugh for the remainder of the play. I wish my brother Joe could have been there for it, he truly would have gone bananas and probably would have been forcibly removed.

Prices in Dublin are unreal. 3.80 Euro ($5) is the price of any pint in Galway or anywhere else we have been thus far in Ireland. The cheapest pint in Dublin was 5.50 Euro ($9). I didn't get a pint... poor little me.

I did a lot of walking around Dublin, James Joyce style. People watching was crazy and I did see some sights, but the overall city is just a city. Nothing really separates it from New York or Minneapolis/St. Paul and there is no Irish feel to Dublin. Originally a Viking city, then the headquarters for 800 years of British rule, Dublin lacks the Irish spirit that fuels the craic (good times) on the west coast. I've also come to realize I'm not much of a city boy.

We did make a trip out to the Newgrange, a prehistoric pagan temple/tomb, which I was unable to do on my last trip to Ireland. It poured rain for the first time since we have been in Ireland. My favorite part of it was there was some farmer in working in his tractor about 100 yards from this 5,000 year old monument.

It was a fun trip, but really made me understand how magical the rest of the trip has been. I guess I was due for a mediocre blog or people would stop believing what I've been saying. I have also realized there is something about the Irish people, not the landscape, museums, tourist traps, and cities, that really makes this place special. I volunteered my afternoon Wednesday helping J.P. Foyle, one of the siblings that owns the Park Lodge Hotel, and was rewarded by eating a delicious home cooked meal of lamb and potatoes while sharing a bottle of wine with him. This was a better experience than Dublin.

Tomorrow I will try to blog about day-to-day life and classes here in Spiddal, Ireland.

Voyaging onwards,

John Murray