the irish house party

we got lost on our way, it took us an hour longer to get there than planned, my feet are covered in blisters from the four mile walk in flats. but it was SO worth it. the irish house party was amazing. the four course dinner was yummy, but that wasn't the best part. the entertainment was in-cred-ible. there was a bagpipe player, a fiddler/singer, a celtic dancer/acordian player, and an acoustic guitar player/singer. they played authentic irish songs, danced orignial irish dances, got the audience involved, and really captured the mood and music of an authentic irish house party. even though no one was drunk at my table, we were intoxicated with laughter and the irish atmosphere. we had such a good time, laughing and singing and talking and clapping and dancing. it was the highlight of my time in dublin, for sure. you want to hear the kicker? i forgot my camera at the hotel. now, i'm really bummed that i can't share pieces of the night with you. but it was also a nice break from seeing the city and living the trip through the lens of a camera. without a camera in my hands i was able to really be there in the moment, rather than worry about capturing it for the future. so i let everyone else take pictures and videos while i enjoyed my front row seat to the show. i'll post them when people start putting them up. until then, isle be seeing you...

dublin! [day two]

the overarching theme of today: walking, walking, and more walking. i've been on my feet since 9am (it's now 4pm). but where has all that walking gotten me? well, lots of places. we went to the national museum of ireland, where we learned all about--you guessed it--the history of ireland. the building that the museum is in was originally known as dublin barracks where a lot of stuff went down during the rebellion. so much about ireland's history was displayed in this museum--clothing and jewelry, furniture and coins, planes and tanks (from the war), etc.--my brain could barely take it all in. after the national museum we walked all the way across town to the writer's museum. it had some neat things, like typewriters that belonged to james joyce and letters written between other irish authors. it was at least 10 times smaller than the first museum, with only 4 rooms. so after a quick look around at the writers museum, some of us took the bus (and a break from walking) to the guinness factory. we learned how the beer is made and the history of the brewery among other things, and finally made it to the seventh story where they serve a complimentary pint of beer. after last night, though, i opted for an orange soda instead. classy, i know. the view from the top was amazing; we could see a three-hundred-and-sixty-degree view of the entire city from there through its glass walls. here are some picture from the day:

the national museum of ireland
(we weren't allowed to take pictures inside)

the writers museum
everything in dublin revolves around guinness...on our way to the factorythe gravity bar (top floor of the storehouse)and the view

now we're back at the hotel, resting our feet from all the walking and our brains from all the learning. tonight we're going to the irish house party for dinner. karaoke may or may not be involved. until then, isle be seeing you...

"the drink"

i once read a quote somewhere that said, "the worst thing that ever happened to ireland was the drink." the irish do, indeed, drink a lot. it's a big part of their culture. walking around this afternoon, we already saw plenty of stumbling, bumbling, mid-day drunks. and everywhere you turn there is pub, after pub, after pub. tonight for dinner, a bunch of us went to one, and in the spirit of embracing irish culture (or, for some, in taking advantage of the 18-year-old drinking age) we all got a pint of guinness. now, i'm not a big drinker--as in i've never had more than a sip of red wine or beer--and after tonight, that still remains to be true. the first sip was gross, the second was even worse, and the third was my last. three drinks, that's all i could do. i am a shame to the irish. i have decided that "the worst thing that ever happened to my taste buds was the drink." you can quote me on that. basically, beer is not for me, but tomorrow i'm going to find out how it's made at the guiness factory. maybe i'll appreciate it more after that. until then, isle be seeing you...

dublin! [day one]

so, we got off the plane, hopped on a bus, dropped off our bags at the hotel, and headed out to the city! phew. it's been a crazy day. we went to trinity college and looked at the book of kells and the long room. the book of kells is a very old copy of the bible written and illustrated by monks way back when. it is sort of incredible; something out of the intro to a disney movie or some other sort of fairy tail. and the long room is, well, a long room. a long, magical room. it's filled with books and books and books. ancient, amazing books. it literally took my breath away, walking into that room. we weren't allowed to take pictures, which broke my heart a little bit, but i got some post cards. after that we went to get some euros and some lunch and headed back to the hotel.

walking through the city

dublin city halltrinity college

the harding hotel: home sweet home for the next two days

and the church across the street

anecdote: when we went off for money and food, we broke up into little groups. hallie, brittany, and i grabbed some pizza and hot dogs (also known as "sausage in a pastry") and ate in a little courtyard next to city hall. when we got back to the hotel to check in, hallie went to get her room assignment and the lady at the desk said, "here is your key, we'll save the other two for the other girls...you'll be rooming with alli and brittany." wait, what? we were the other girls! it was so, so random. you know that scene in parent trap, when those two girls help hallie get her bag out of the duffle pile, and the three of them are hanging out, and then the camp lady yells "hallie--arapaho!" and the two other girls go "that's what i am!" and they all room together happily ever after? it was the biggest coincidence ever, and it was exactly like that!

room mates & our room

so we got to our room, and i took a much needed shower. it was luke warm, but glorious nonetheless. then four of us--me, katie, hallie, and miguel--went out to see some more of the city. we be-bopped around and found some cool land marks and a castle. the buildings here are so neat. new buildings mixed with old ones in the mish-mash of bricks and architecture. there is a river dividing the city, and each bridge is different and unique. it's great. i love walking around somewhere knowing how much history there is behind it, knowing that thousands of year ago someone else was walking along these cobblestone roads too.

walking across the river liffey

the spire of dublin

cool buildings & cute pubsa lovely little park with a lovely little castle wall

after an hour or two of walking, we were all ready to rest our feet. i rested more than my feet. i took a nap, and it was wonderful. now we're getting ready to go out to dinner. until then, isle be seeing you...

one flight, two flight

one flight down, one to go. i started reading pride and prejudice, sipped some apple juice, and took a nap.

we flew over arizona and new mexico. shout outs to jess and claudia. it made me thing of you guys and miss you guys even more than i already did! also, they played "the tooth ferry" on the plane. i thought you might enjoy that, ceej.

landing in chicago for a layover. pretty city skyline.

the second flight was terrible. first of all, it was a red-eye. red-eyes are never fun. second of all, i did not have a window seat. i can only sleep when i am next to something to lean my head/body up against. right when i was about to try to sleep though, the giant man sitting behind me let out a giant snore. he did so for the remainder of the flight. literally. until we landed. the nice little asian man flight attendant was nice enough to give me some of his own ear plugs. but even that didn't really help. so, in summary, the bad news is that it was a long flight and i got very minimal sleep. but the good news? WE MADE IT TO DUBLIN!

where in the world is alli reinhardt?

this time tomorrow i'll be on my way to ireland! throughout the next few weeks i'll be going to tons of different towns and cities and places. and i won't always have internet access to update this blog and tell you all my whereabouts. that's where this handy-dandy map comes in. if you ever find yourself wondering where in the world is alli today? you can find the answer here. this map has my route for the whole trip. and if you click on the little blue nobs it'll tell you a little bit about what i might be doing and where i'll be staying...


View British Isles: Summer 2010 in a larger map

prayers! (for peace, productivity, and pyroclastics)

i can hardly even believe that i leave for the british isles in 3 days...but i do! i only just finished the last of my finals today and packed up my dorm room. now its time for unpacking and more packing, and then i'm off! needless to say, this will be a crazy weekend filled with time-crunching stress. but i am more than certain that it will all be worth it once i actually step foot in the UK. in the mean time, i would really appreciate some prayers. prayers that i maintain a healthy level of sanity, that i get everything thing i need to get done in the next 3 days, and that i feel prepared when the time comes to board the plane. also, it may sound a bit extraneous, but pray for the volcano in iceland--that he would take a three week long nap starting now, a break from all his huffing and puffing of ash and smoke. the volcano has caused some major flight delays and cancellations in the past few weeks, and they expect it to keep spewing stuff off and on for the next year. it's a beautiful thing, that volcano (watch the video and see for yourself). but it has the potential to put quite a damper on the trip. so, pray pray pray! thanks thanks thanks!

Iceland, Eyjafjallajökull - May 1st and 2nd, 2010 from Sean Stiegemeier on Vimeo.