Miles with Margaret

On Easter Sunday, when I was in Dublin with my Mom, and my brother, we attended mass at St. Theresa's. It was a beautiful mass, a breathtaking church, an angelic choir, and a perfect way to celebrate Easter together. After mass, we walked around the church for a bit, observing the many statues and areas it held. As I walked past some pews, I noticed a sign that read "The first thirteen Sisters of Mercy are buried in the crypt of this church." I got super excited, and felt more connected to my normal life back at hone, where I attend Mercyhurst University.  Mercyhurst University is known for being founded by some of the Sisters of Mercy, and they are a big part of the history and everyday life at school. I find the historical aspect of it super interesting, I guess you could say that I am "digging" like Heaney, reflecting on the past and the power of reflective looking. Even my boyfriend Nick thought that the nuns were the mascot of Mercyhurst, silly I know. It i...

This past weekend, me and my friend Paige made an impulsive decision to go cycling on the Waterford Greenway. Note: if you have not been there, I 100000% recommend, it was breathtaking. This is my second time traveling down the greenway, however the first time I went straight on, not really stopping to look at much. This time me and Paige went down every little road we found, we saw some cows, we went up to cliffs, and we biked down to the beach where we jumped into the water! The beach was only 2 miles down the coast from Dungarvan, it is called Clonea Beach. There were also saunas located right on the beach to give tourists comfort after jumping in the freezing cold water. We however were not lucky enough to get a spot in the sauna, but the sun dried us off well enough. As my last week in Ireland begins, I am determined to soak in every moment, and live every experience that I can. The spontaneous decisions made on this trip are the best ones, like cycling adventures on a Friday afte...

 As you know, I have been traveling around quite a bit, barely in my townhouse! I journeyed to Dublin, and spent time with my brother Joe and my Mom there this past weekend. There was a restaurant/pub I had been wanting to try for quite a bit, but have not gotten the chance to. It is called The Merchant's Arch, and it is located right on O'Connell Street, on the River.  Before you even enter the beautiful restaurant, you are promoted up a winding staircase, with the most stunning mirrors, historical photos of Ireland, and windows. Then you are let into the restaurant, which is equally stunning, photos and frames plastered on the walls and ceilings.  The food was grand, the beers were good, and the vibes were immaculate, I personally recommend the cottage pie to any readers who decide to embark on this journey. Once you are done eating however, you must head downstairs! The pub is the coolest place to hang around, not as busy as the Temple area, but still packed and bustli...

I believe that St. Stephens green is one of the more hidden gems in Dublin. Online, it is normally not listed as one of the tourist spots to hit when in the area. Even in the group study abroad trip to Dublin, St. Stephens Green was not even mentioned. I suppose it is tucked away in a corner of the city, all the way down Grafton Street.  I believe this park is worth the visit! The greenery, and blossoming trees are stunning, especially in the Spring. There is a pond located in park as well, occupied by all different types of animals. I saw a black duck, which was a first for me! I saw swans as well, which I have only ever seen in Ireland, never anywhere else in my whole life! It reminded me of Yeats' poem "The Swans at Coole", which highlights how mysterious and beautiful swans are. One comic observation I had was how bendy their necks are, they are always twisting around! Anyhow, around every twist and turn of the paths in the Green, there is a new kind of plant, tree, a...

Uh oh, another foodie blog post! I promise this one is worth a read. On my recent trip to London, my aunt put together an itinerary for our entire trip. On Sunday before me and Gianna caught our flight back to Ireland, I noticed she had written in "Sunday Roast." I assumed it was something food related, yet I still was curious about the contents of a Sunday roast. She spared details until Sunday approached and we dined at this beautiful joint hidden in the countryside of Essex. I ordered the mixed roast and received lamb, beef, and turkey. However, you do not just get meat, you also get potatoes, an array of veggies, cheesy cauliflower, and dessert. When all these dishes were brought out to us me and Gianna's eyes got super big. The waitress immediately asked us where we were from, seemingly knowing we were foreign (wonder how!)  I would 10/10 recommend getting a Sunday roast to anyone who is journeying to London AND having a glass of wine. Yeats wrote a short poem about ...

  I was lucky enough to catch a musical with my family while I visited London. My aunt took us to see Moulin Rogue , and among the packed theatre around us we were nothing short of dazzled. The story was about a poor writer falling in love with a dancer, while she is obligated to love a rich duke. As the lovers meet in secret, the dancer hides her fatal sickness from both the poor man and the duke until it is too late. It was one of those shows were you truly believe in the end that the main character won't die. As I sat there, watching the dancer, Satine, feel very ill, I figured the "Kiss of true love" or some cliche was about to happen. However it did not, and it left me feeling rather bewildered. I think it was one of this endings where you think, wait it is actually over? I would give the plot of the movie a 6.8/10. The ending just felt rushed, and the middle dragged out, focusing on the love story.  As far as the acting, dancing, and singing, it was truly enjoyable....

  I know what you all are thinking: Margaret what else did you do in London? I ate food! There were too many places to count over the few days that I journeyed to London, but one place I will never forget was the Borough Market, which was located north of London. Picture thousands of people, unimaginable queues, street performers, rich smells of food, and people from all over the world. It was more than just what I ate, it was a while experience to have. Once I took a full stroll around the market, I kept seeing this salted beef sandwich in everyones hand. It was made with pickles, salted beef, mustard, sauerkraut and a chipotle sauce of some sort. I rate this sandwich a 8/10, it was so salty but so good. The next thing I ate at the market was these delicious chocolate covered strawberries. People online describe these as a "Tourist Trap" and although they totaled 11 pounds, it was 100% worth it. These were possibly the best strawberries I have ever had, topped in the richest...

  This past weekend, I had the pleasure of visiting my aunt and cousins in London. My cousin Alex led me and my friend Gianna on a tour through London, visiting famous tourist attractions like Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, and Buckingham Palace. Throughout our day, we ended up waling 40,000 steps which was crazy, but so fun.  As we rounded a corner in part of the city, my cousin randomly pointed out that Shakespeares globe was on our left. It was rather comical, as he did not expect me and Gianna to have such a thrill to be able to see it. He further explained that this was not the original and that the true globe fell apart a while ago, due to a fire. However, this was a pretty close remake of the globe. I took a look online, reading more into the story, seeing that the thatched roof can easily catch on fire, making me ponder whether or not thatched roof are less inclined to catch fire that are made now vs. hundreds of years ago? When I was web surfing about the globe, I looked...

I have been trying to embark on some more solos adventures, not outside of town, but walking to new places. Experiencing nature by yourself is so power. I enjoy just being in nature alone with my thoughts. This sunset pictured above was so beautiful, I walk down the street form where we are staying, round the corner, and sit on the wall next ton the water and watch. Sometimes I bring my headphones and listen to my music, sometimes I just listen to life instead. However, taking walk too far can prove to be a bit scary. You might be thinking to yourself, Margaret what did you encounter, a kidnapper? A robber? A stranger? No, I encountered a dog. This was a stray dog who looked extremely hungry, his mouth hanging open and drooling. I made the executive decision to turn around and begin walking at a steady pace back to my house. I crossed the street even. I thought I was getting away, but I turned back around and he was crossing the street as well. I almost started to run, and as I ran I l...

  Life update for you all: I got my first (technically) real tattoo. I have gotten a stick and poke tattoo before, and believe it or not I thought the real tattoo hurt even more. How did I decide to get a tattoo you might ask? Well, me and my friends decided to go to a sop right by where we were staying. Excitedly running to the shop, we realized it was closed that day. Still on our adrenaline rush from deciding to get tattoos, we spontaneously hopped on a bus to Cork. We walked into a tattoo shop and they thankfully had room for me and my two friends to get tattoos. I was the first up to get my tattoo. I was in so much pain I didn't know what to do with myself. Thankfully "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable" by The Smiths came on, my favorite song, and that was the only thing that got me through those 40 minutes. My tattoo is pictured above, a post stamp with the Cliffs of Moher on it. After we all got tattoos we ran to grab tacos (best tacos of my life y'all) before hop...