As a college student on a budget, I was a little worried about the expense of buying groceries for the first time on my own. It was all the harder when I did not know the prices of food in Limerick. I needn't have worried.
Our first shopping trip took us to Dunnes, which is pretty much the Walmart of Ireland. Later, I made a trip to Aldi's, another store for the economy shopper.
Like America, every food product has the knockoff brand. At Ron's Castle Foods, the grocery store I work in, we have Our Family. Others of you might recognize Roundy's or Good Flavour. At Dunnes, the off brand is cleverly named Dunnes. These brands are college gold, as they allow you to save a few Euro every shopping trip.
I was pleasantly surprised to find some food is cheaper here than in the States. I can get a loaf of bread for 75 Euro cent here. This is advantageous because bread here molds really quickly. You need to consume an entire loaf within a week and a half, or lovely green spots start to appear.
Yogurt and milk are also fairly cheap. Apparently, the Irish love to consume tea and biscuits. Much to my delight, "biscuits" are actually cookies. Dirt cheap, delicious, chocolatey cookies. And I thought I would loose weight here. Oh well.
Meat, eggs, and cereal are all much more expensive here than at home. It costs about two euro for six eggs. I have reverted to yogurt and 15 euro cent bagels for breakfast. Still delicious.
Apparently, very few people bake their own cookies here. Cookie, cake, and muffin mix are all terribly expensive and are smaller in size. I have been unable to find relish or parmesan cheese.
I hope everyone in the States relishes their relish and savors their cookie dough. I will be eating
my bagels, yogurt, and "biscuits" and hoping the walk to class will get rid of most of those calories.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Monday, January 25, 2010
The Tour of Limerick
Being a directionally-challenged American, I decided that a free tour of the city and the surrounding area would be a good idea. We set off on the "Paddywagon" to see the sights.
Downtown Limerick reminds me of the twin cities, only more picturesque and less built up. There is a substantial amound of graffiti around as well, enough to make me wary of wandering around the city at night. Limerick is nice enough to have pedestrian only streets, which makes daytime wandering that much easier.
Limerick differs from Minneapolis in that it has its own castle in the city. King John's castle was apparently never the residence of King John, but it still qualifies as a castle, and certainly looks like one. Limerick is also home to the treaty stone, which ended the fighting between the English and the French in Ireland, in exchange for the safe passage of the French soldiers to their home. Unfortunately, the rock later became known as the "Broken Treaty" stone because the English subsequently killed off all of the French soldiers after they surrendered their arms.
We left Limerick to visit the very small village of Adare. Adare is a tourist trap, but then I am a tourist. I was charmed. They have a beautiful city garden and cute little cottages and overpriced souveniers. I ate my first hot sausage roll, which was delicious.
We returned to Limerick, where our guide was kind enough to point out the pubs that have special nights, where ladies and international students can get in free. While I probably won't take advantage of these deals, many of the other students seemed appreciative.
On the whole, I find Limerick and the surrounding area charming. The countryside reminds me of Hobbiton, and who doesn't love green grass, cottages, and castles?
Downtown Limerick reminds me of the twin cities, only more picturesque and less built up. There is a substantial amound of graffiti around as well, enough to make me wary of wandering around the city at night. Limerick is nice enough to have pedestrian only streets, which makes daytime wandering that much easier.
Limerick differs from Minneapolis in that it has its own castle in the city. King John's castle was apparently never the residence of King John, but it still qualifies as a castle, and certainly looks like one. Limerick is also home to the treaty stone, which ended the fighting between the English and the French in Ireland, in exchange for the safe passage of the French soldiers to their home. Unfortunately, the rock later became known as the "Broken Treaty" stone because the English subsequently killed off all of the French soldiers after they surrendered their arms.
We left Limerick to visit the very small village of Adare. Adare is a tourist trap, but then I am a tourist. I was charmed. They have a beautiful city garden and cute little cottages and overpriced souveniers. I ate my first hot sausage roll, which was delicious.
We returned to Limerick, where our guide was kind enough to point out the pubs that have special nights, where ladies and international students can get in free. While I probably won't take advantage of these deals, many of the other students seemed appreciative.
On the whole, I find Limerick and the surrounding area charming. The countryside reminds me of Hobbiton, and who doesn't love green grass, cottages, and castles?
Friday, January 22, 2010
First-Timer
First time in an airport. First time packing. First time flying. All of these pretty much describe my experience getting to Ireland.
I have always wanted to go to Ireland. The landscape has always looked gorgeous, and from the very little I have seen, the actual countryside does not disappoint. All of the people I have met have truly been as friendly as the stereotype suggests. It is a small, wonderful country with an amazing culture.
Getting here, however, was quite an experience. I began packing with every intention of bringing only one bag, fully stocked, for an entire four months. I thought it might take half a day to pack. Five days later, I was freaking out and making multiple trips to walmart. I did manage to pack everything into one bag, but my closet here is sadly understocked. I will simply have to shop and buy clothes here. Oh, what a shame. ;).
Getting to the Chicago airport was not as easy as I had hoped. Mapquest failed my boyfriend and me (or perhaps the navigator-namely me- was simply too directionally challenged), and we circled the airport at least three times before we found the entrance. Security was a new experience as well, and upon reflection I should have worn pants that did not require a belt with a metal buckle. Lesson learned.
The airplane from Chicago to Newark was much smaller than I imagined, and the plane ride a lot faster. I didn't think airplanes were made that thin. The airplane from Newark to Ireland was a lot bigger, and I thought it was a luxurious ride. I spent a total amount of three hours playing bejeweled.
We were driven from Shannon airport to our villages on the university campus. My first view of Irish countryside was amazing. It is a charming mix of rolling hills, older farmhouses, and new cars. So far, I love it.
More later,
Rachel
I have always wanted to go to Ireland. The landscape has always looked gorgeous, and from the very little I have seen, the actual countryside does not disappoint. All of the people I have met have truly been as friendly as the stereotype suggests. It is a small, wonderful country with an amazing culture.
Getting here, however, was quite an experience. I began packing with every intention of bringing only one bag, fully stocked, for an entire four months. I thought it might take half a day to pack. Five days later, I was freaking out and making multiple trips to walmart. I did manage to pack everything into one bag, but my closet here is sadly understocked. I will simply have to shop and buy clothes here. Oh, what a shame. ;).
Getting to the Chicago airport was not as easy as I had hoped. Mapquest failed my boyfriend and me (or perhaps the navigator-namely me- was simply too directionally challenged), and we circled the airport at least three times before we found the entrance. Security was a new experience as well, and upon reflection I should have worn pants that did not require a belt with a metal buckle. Lesson learned.
The airplane from Chicago to Newark was much smaller than I imagined, and the plane ride a lot faster. I didn't think airplanes were made that thin. The airplane from Newark to Ireland was a lot bigger, and I thought it was a luxurious ride. I spent a total amount of three hours playing bejeweled.
We were driven from Shannon airport to our villages on the university campus. My first view of Irish countryside was amazing. It is a charming mix of rolling hills, older farmhouses, and new cars. So far, I love it.
More later,
Rachel
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