Dublin, Ireland (Irland) - November 17 & 18When I decided to visit two friends who were studying abroad in London, I figured it would be wrong to not throw Dublin into the mix as well. I have wanted to go to Ireland since I was very young. Being half Irish, it is the European country that I feel the strongest connection to. I booked my flight and was prepared to go alone because I wanted to go that badly. But after telling a few friends about the trip, my friend Heidi decided to go with me, which was super comforting for my parents. After a cancelled trip due to an airline strike, my friend Sean decided last-minute to join us. The first thing I noticed about Dublin was that it was the most diverse place I had been in months. The next thing I noticed was how friendly Irish people are followed by how much cheaper everything was than in Norway. Dublin was grimy, gray, and gloomy, but I loved it. It was full of people having the time of their lives and it was refreshing to share laughs with strangers. Where we ate: Blu Apple Cafe, Pablo Picante Where we went: Guinness Storehouse, Trinity College, The Book of Kells, Temple Bar, Gogarty's, Dublin Bay, St. Stephen's Green Little things I loved: bar hopping our first night, the advertising display in the Guinness storehouse, being able to lean into the wind by the Dublin Bay because it was so strong, hearing live traditional Irish music in the pubs London, England - November 19, 20 & 21I can't even explain how excited I was for this trip. I never thought I'd go to London while I was studying abroad. It just wasn't at the top of my list of places to visit. But having two friends studying there, one of whom's sister (one of my best friends) and parents (who I've known since pre-k) were visiting at the same time made this trip a must. Two and a half days is barely enough time to scratch the surface of London, but I am grateful to have seen this beautiful city. I experienced a little bit of culture shock when I first arrived because I had spent the last three months living in a city of one million people with six subway lines. London is overwhelmingly large, similar to NYC. Each day I'd go off and do my own thing for a few hours and then I'd meet up with my friend Sarah who I was staying with and we'd do something touristy. On Friday night we (me, Sarah, and our friends Jennie and Annie) met up at a club and danced all night, continuously in awe that we were all together in London. On Saturday, I was lucky enough to have dinner with Annie, Jennie, their parents, and Jennie's best friend/roommate Erin. I have known the Morris family since age four so the brief, but incredible memories we made together in London are something I will cherish forever. Where we ate: Wahaca, Wagamama, Shoreditch Grind, Cafe on Primrose Hill Rd., O'Neil's in Chinatown
Where we went: Platform 9 & 3/4, Soho, Drop Dead, Abbey Road, Primrose Hill/Regent's Park, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, the London Eye (didn't ride it), Oxford Street, Regent's Canal, Shoreditch, Spitalfield Market, Leicester Square, Joyriders Little things I loved: being reunited with my beautiful, amazing friends, old style taxis, seeing Big Ben at sunset, my first time riding The Tube, taking photos at Abbey Road
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