Leprechauns and Dangerous Cliffs

Week two really flew by. First of all, getting in to the groove of having class everyday and being busy really helped adjusting to life in Bonn. Sarah and I got more comfortable in our host home and you really start to feel like you're living like a local. Going to Cologne was an insane experience. The cathedral is unlike anything I've ever seen before and it is utterly impossible to explain how massive the structure is to anyone who hasn't seen it themselves. Surprisingly, the city of Cologne really felt very homey and welcoming, I could have spent hours just wandering around.



At the end of the week it was finally time to go to the place I was probably most excited to visit since booking it back in April--- Dublin. Ireland has always been on my bucket list to travel to and let me tell you, it did not disappoint. It was comforting to be around people who spoke English and the Irish accents made it even better. Everyone was so friendly and genuinely wanted us to have the best time and help us with anything we needed. The people there were so full of life and everything felt light hearted.
Our first day there a small group of us went to Howth and all I can say is wow. The little beach town vibe, the food, the environment, the views, everything was breathtaking and stunningly beautiful--and not just the landscape if you catch my drift. It was truly the most oddly emotional day (Sarah cried 5 times before we ever finished lunch).

After eating some of the most delicious seafood I've had, our waitress suggested we go to the summit house, but warned us it was a little bit of a hike to get there. We definitely underestimated just how much of a hike that really meant. We finally make it to the summit house, a cute little restaurant/bar at the top of what seemed like streets that could give the hills of San Francisco a run for their money. We see a sign that says "Dangerous Cliffs" so naturally we decided that was where we needed to go. However, I think we were all expecting to walk a little bit and be standing on the edge of a cliff....wrong. We began a trek, for what seemed like very advanced hikers, that led down to the most gorgeous cliffs looking over the ocean. I could have never even dreamt of this place, it was spectacular no matter which way you turned. Our short stroll to a restaurant ended up turning into a 3 hour hike that I will seriously never forget. We saw seals, climbed down the cliff to a beach, stood in the water, and really just took it all in. It was worth every second of struggling back up to the top and all the blisters and soreness we had later on. Howth is without a doubt my favorite place in the world now.