This Place sham(ROCKS)

This being the second week, it's only natural that things have slowed down and I have gotten into the groove of things. We traveled to Cologne and witnessed the immense Cologne Cathedral-easily one of the most beautiful structures I have ever seen. It look hundreds of years to complete and once you marvel at it in person you definitely understand why. Something I found interesting was the rivalry between both sides of Cologne (the city is split by the Rhine River). There are famous statues depicting the rivalry, which are quite funny. Many nights are spent hanging out with friends around Bonn. These people who I knew nothing about a little over a week and a half ago are quickly becoming my European family. I guess it helps that a group of 18 of us travelled to Dublin, Ireland for the weekend, too.

Ireland is unlike any other country I've travelled to. The people are wild, the sights beautiful, and the history astounding. The Guinness Storehouse is a fantastic experience and it helps explain the culture of beer drinking in Ireland, all of Europe, and the world. The Jameson Distillery showed the process of whiskey distillation and was a real-life application of the chemistry we've already learned. We learned the process of determining the legs of whiskey to estimate its alcohol content, or as the Irish call it "the tears of whiskey."

A small group and I took a tour of the Cliffs of Moher and observed the unparalleled beauty of 700 foot cliffs. The views of the ocean and of the Irish countryside took my breath away. On the tour we also visited two Irish castles, which I must say do not compare to the beauty of German castles. All of Ireland was amazing, and I must say, I fully understand the saying "If you're lucky enough to be Irish... you're lucky enough."

Until Amsterdam,
Matthew