Slan!
Spring Break 2k23!!!!!! Our GCP group opted to take the first week of the 5 week period off and then work for the last 4 weeks.
Emily kindly agreed to show me her home country and on Monday we headed to Dublin! This marked the 20th country that I’ve had a chance to visit and let me tell you Ireland is all it’s cracked up to be. After landing in Dublin Em showed me her neighborhood and we grabbed some snacks before hitting the road.
Our first night ended in Cashel at the cutest little B&B. We found a nice little pub and enjoyed some pizza. The next day, the newly formed Team Rock headed to the Rock of Cashel, a very impressive castle in the town. We learned about friar energy and marveled at the architectural layout. "A note of optimism in an insecure world." After that, we hit the road again to head to Cork.
Depending on if you ask someone from Cork or not, Cork is the best part of Ireland. I do have to say it is quite beautiful. Our next stop on the trip was Blarney Castle. You bet we climbed that narrow and steep stairway to get to the top to kiss the stone. Anything for the gift of the gab. There was lots of laughter and I think we both walked away changed women. It started to rain so we didn’t explore much of the grounds, but it looked absolutely beautiful!
After kissing the stone, we stopped for lunch in town and explored their market. The food was so good. Next, we finished the trek and ended the day in Kinsale. We were staying at a spa and hit up the hot tub, steam room, and sauna. A nice treat to mark the end of Lent Term! Found a nice seafood joint for dinner and enjoyed mussels and chips.
Wednesday brought the trek back to Dublin for the tech trek. We left Kinsale after breakfast in order to do a nice hike around the ocean - saw a lighthouse and met the sweetest pup. As our journey continued, we ended up making a pit stop in a city called Cair. Emily wasn’t familiar, but their signs indicated they had food, petrol, churches, and a castle! Arguably the best pit stop I’ve ever taken. This little town was so picturesque and had the most amazing castle. We learned that this 13th-century structure is the best-maintained castle in all of Ireland, and let me tell you, it shows. We explored to our rock hearts' content. We were also told that there are two cannon balls lodged into the structure, was a fun game to try to find those.
We made it back to Dublin in time for dinner and met up with the group that came in for the tech trek. Emily and Karl planned an amazing few days for us!
Thumbs up for the astronaut only
On Thursday, we had the chance to visit the Google offices in Dublin. Two Judge alumni work there and were kind enough to spend a few hours with us sharing the Google experience and tips around finishing the MBA. After lunch, we went to an old pub and the history tour began. Everyone (but me) order a Guinness and the splitting of the Guinness logo count started. I think the count by the end of the trip was over 100 Guinness consumed between the group and 50-60 G’s split. (Someone feel free to correct me). After a pint or two, we went to the graveyard next door and learned more about the history of the Republic of Ireland and saw the graves of the folks who sacrificed their lives for Ireland’s freedom. Shout out to Karl for sharing the history.
After that Alanna and I explored the General Post Office and Trinity College in Dublin. We may have run into their business school just to compare buildings :)
That night Emily had made a reservation at a BBQ joint since all three Texans were on this trip. I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised with how good the food tasted! The night ended at Coppers and we danced like it was 2005. Too much fun.
"I never thought I could stay out this late, but the love between us is what got me through" - Codee
The next morning we headed to the Guinness Enterprise Center to learn more about the incubator and hear from three different founders. This was one of the highlights from the trek for me, it was really interesting to hear from the people who are doing the dang thing as they say. At the end of this a few of us headed back to Trinity College to try to see the Book of Kells in the library, what we didn’t realize was that tickets had to be booked in advance so we didn’t get to see it. Just means another trip to Dublin is a must! The group all met back up for a tour of the Guiness factory and to naturally have another Guiness. After the tour, I headed to the airport to fly back to London. Was nice to sleep in my own bed again, even if it is a crap college bed.
Saturday took me back to London for the Varsity (Cambridge vs. Oxford) rugby game. One of our own, Tommy, is on the team and we cheered for Cambridge as they BTHO GDBO. Love me some acronyms. (BTHO = beat the hell outta, from Texas A&M) (GDBO = g damn bloody oxford, from Cambridge). Was fun to have some school pride and yell about sports again! Went back to Cambridge for the night only to head back to London on Sunday afternoon for the Varsity rowing! Once again, Cambridge delivered! So fun to see this unique race on the River Thames.
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