My calves hate me
Putting a towel around my shoulders after my shower just now, and failing to fasten it, my first thought was "Man, I wish I had a pennanular brooch!"
You know you've had an archaeology filled weekend when, huh? :P
Had an absolutely brilliant, but shockingly exhausting weekend which would take me years to tell you about. I'll try at a later date, I promise! But it's nearly 12 now, and I just wanted to log on and tell you that I'm alive and well and apologize for disappearing off the face of the earth.
We left at the crack of dawn Friday morning (no, literally, it was still dark when I left my apartment to walk to school) on our way to Dublin. Well, outside of Dublin really because according to my professor, you'd be "mad" to try and drive into Dublin on a weekday. A four and a half hour busride later, we'd arrived at Trim. Trim being a place, that lends it's name to a castle. Or maybe the castle lent it's name to the place, as the town sprung up around the castle. Hmm...
Er, anyway, we ate lunch (and listened to our professor try and explain to us what a panini sandwich is...because you know, it's so inherently Irish and all that :P ) And then it was off to Trim Castle! This was literally a 3 minute walk as the castle towers over the landscape. It's the largest castle in Ireland, as a matter of fact. Anyway, we got a tour of the castle by a very intelligent young man with a lovely accent. Of course, the fact that he was also quite cute in a slightly dorky kind of way didn't hurt at all. Then we got a lecture from one of Tomas's friends who also came on the trip. Tomas being out professor, who told us to call him by his first name since we all fail at pronouncing his very Gaelic last name.
After Trim we were off to Newgrange, the massive massive passage tomb built by Neolithic people 5000 years ago. After a short, but really awesome tour of that (in which James and Griffin, Tomas' friends/our guest lecturers made highly amusing comments when the lights went out) we were off again! I did get a brief stint in a giftshop for the first time in all the fieldtrips, finally, so I have some postcards. I need to write out :)
After Newgrange was Monasterboice Monastery with a MASSIVELY tall round tower and the most famous, most intricate, most beautiful wonderful amazing High Cross in all of Ireland. (Can you tell my professor did his doctorate on Early Medieval Monasteries?) It was intense though, standing in the cemetary as the sun is dipping toward the horizon, slightly overcast surrounded by massive grave markers and hearing dozens and dozens of crows cawing. They were SO loud, it was kind of hard to hear the prof! Very atmospheric though.
After Monasterboice we retired to dinner, then off to the hostel, which was GORGEOUS, as it's brand new. I think it only opened last month. Very swanky. We then caught a bus back into town and went to the local pub, where the archaeology department bought us all a round! :P It was Guiness though, which I find particularly icky so no worries (dad!) I didn't have much at all. I was very cross though, as the way it worked out I ended up at a big long table with my friends (yay) and also the most horrible annoying people in the class. They're totally ditzy barbies and asshole guys. At the other end of the room some other kids got to sit w/ the prof. and his lecturer friends! I'm so jealous! Still!
Saturday was Christ Church and the National Museum. Both very impressive. I got to see shriveled 3000 year old bog bodies! SO COOL!
And yesterday. Well, I've got to tell you all about yesterday some other time, because I need to tell it right. Let's just say there was an outdoor food market, traditional music, a crazy lady and lots of impromptu Irish dancing for hours. And now my calves are KILLING me. Seriously, they're pissed. :P
Alright, it's now after midnight so I really really must run. Night all!
You know you've had an archaeology filled weekend when, huh? :P
Had an absolutely brilliant, but shockingly exhausting weekend which would take me years to tell you about. I'll try at a later date, I promise! But it's nearly 12 now, and I just wanted to log on and tell you that I'm alive and well and apologize for disappearing off the face of the earth.
We left at the crack of dawn Friday morning (no, literally, it was still dark when I left my apartment to walk to school) on our way to Dublin. Well, outside of Dublin really because according to my professor, you'd be "mad" to try and drive into Dublin on a weekday. A four and a half hour busride later, we'd arrived at Trim. Trim being a place, that lends it's name to a castle. Or maybe the castle lent it's name to the place, as the town sprung up around the castle. Hmm...
Er, anyway, we ate lunch (and listened to our professor try and explain to us what a panini sandwich is...because you know, it's so inherently Irish and all that :P ) And then it was off to Trim Castle! This was literally a 3 minute walk as the castle towers over the landscape. It's the largest castle in Ireland, as a matter of fact. Anyway, we got a tour of the castle by a very intelligent young man with a lovely accent. Of course, the fact that he was also quite cute in a slightly dorky kind of way didn't hurt at all. Then we got a lecture from one of Tomas's friends who also came on the trip. Tomas being out professor, who told us to call him by his first name since we all fail at pronouncing his very Gaelic last name.
After Trim we were off to Newgrange, the massive massive passage tomb built by Neolithic people 5000 years ago. After a short, but really awesome tour of that (in which James and Griffin, Tomas' friends/our guest lecturers made highly amusing comments when the lights went out) we were off again! I did get a brief stint in a giftshop for the first time in all the fieldtrips, finally, so I have some postcards. I need to write out :)
After Newgrange was Monasterboice Monastery with a MASSIVELY tall round tower and the most famous, most intricate, most beautiful wonderful amazing High Cross in all of Ireland. (Can you tell my professor did his doctorate on Early Medieval Monasteries?) It was intense though, standing in the cemetary as the sun is dipping toward the horizon, slightly overcast surrounded by massive grave markers and hearing dozens and dozens of crows cawing. They were SO loud, it was kind of hard to hear the prof! Very atmospheric though.
After Monasterboice we retired to dinner, then off to the hostel, which was GORGEOUS, as it's brand new. I think it only opened last month. Very swanky. We then caught a bus back into town and went to the local pub, where the archaeology department bought us all a round! :P It was Guiness though, which I find particularly icky so no worries (dad!) I didn't have much at all. I was very cross though, as the way it worked out I ended up at a big long table with my friends (yay) and also the most horrible annoying people in the class. They're totally ditzy barbies and asshole guys. At the other end of the room some other kids got to sit w/ the prof. and his lecturer friends! I'm so jealous! Still!
Saturday was Christ Church and the National Museum. Both very impressive. I got to see shriveled 3000 year old bog bodies! SO COOL!
And yesterday. Well, I've got to tell you all about yesterday some other time, because I need to tell it right. Let's just say there was an outdoor food market, traditional music, a crazy lady and lots of impromptu Irish dancing for hours. And now my calves are KILLING me. Seriously, they're pissed. :P
Alright, it's now after midnight so I really really must run. Night all!