A Sort of Pilgrimage - Bailey Callaghan

I can't believe we've been in London for over a month now. When we were sitting in Statistics class all day, the weeks seemed to drag by. But of course, spring break flew by, because the universe has no mercy.

Friday after our last Stats exam, my flatmates all left early for their fabulous adventures abroad. I decided to fly solo for the week, and stayed in London for a few days. I spent all day every day for the first part of the break in museums. The British Museum is more massive than you could ever imagine, and after two days there, from 10-5, I still hadn't seen everything there. I've still got some time left, though, so I'm sure I'll be able to at least make a dent in the museum before I leave.

On Tuesday, I set off on an adventure all by myself. I have deemed myself the anti-tourist, so traveling alone, and not in a huge group of people (not that I don't love my classmates and traveling with them) was a huge relief for me. I could take the tube and the train to the airport and, if you ignored my massive backpack, I could almost pass for a local. If I didn't open my mouth and speak.

I headed out to Ireland on a trip that I had always dreamed of taking. I'd planned to spend two nights in Dublin, one in Limerick, and one in Cork. Although I was excited to go to Ireland in general, I was most excited for the last leg of my journey, in County Cork, as it's said to be the part of Ireland where the Callaghan clan originated. (I'm Irish? Wow no way. With a last name like Callaghan, you'd probably never have guessed, I'm sure.)

St. Audoen's Church, Dublin

 The first place I stopped was Dublin. Although it was rainy and dreary the entire time I was there, I could still feel the excitement of the city. There were churches on literally every corner all over the city. I spent both days exploring all kinds of amazing cathedrals, shopping, and even touching real skeletons in catacombs. After two great days in Dublin, I got on a train and spent a few hours traveling to the other side of Ireland.

King John's Castle, Limerick

I got to Limerick in the afternoon, and I had some time to kill before I could check into my hotel, so I walked around and explored the city. Out on an island just a mile or so from the city center was a huge castle. It was surrounded by houses and businesses, just sitting in the middle of a neighborhood. Limerick is mostly know for having a large shopping district, so I spent the rest of the day and evening shopping at all kinds of different stores. 

 St. Fin Barre's Cathedral, Cork

After Limerick, I got on another train and traveled to the south of Ireland. I got to Cork, and for a few seconds, I saw the first bit of sunlight I had seen in weeks. Cork was a great city, and although I may be a little biased because it's the city were my ancestors are from, I thought it was the best city I had visited in Ireland. I walked around the city, checking out several beautiful churches, and tried to find anything in the town that had my name on it. I didn't find anything that said Callaghan, but I did find a rather large market to shop in, so I wasn't disappointed. After a great meal in a pretty fancy restaurant, (where everyone seemed to feel bad for me because I was eating alone on the night before Valentine's Day) I got ready to head back to London. 

County Cork, Ireland

I'm so glad that I decided to do something different for spring break and take a trip by myself. Although it was just a quick trip to Ireland, it felt great to be a Callaghan in the country of Callaghans. I can't wait to go back to Ireland for St. Patrick's Day, this time with my GLS family.