Phoenix Park and Crepes Galore

This morning we had Irish history class which was packed full of information! We continued to learn about how different people/events have shaped the country! Let me educate you in ten seconds or less! 1.) People have been living in Ireland for about 10,000 years. 2.) About 2,500 the Celts came to Ireland. 3.) Dublin (Dubh Linn) means Black Pool and was originally a Viking settlement. 4.) St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland he brought converted the monotheistic Celts to Catholicism. 5.) The Anglo-Saxons invaded in the 12th Century caused a history of religious and political differences between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. 

After class Elise F., Sarah and I walked around shops in the city, and I found a used book called War and Peace In Ireland. This will be great reading for my history seminar, and also for my personal library! After walking around and poking our heads into more cute shops with adorable European clothing just screaming to be worn, we headed home and the girls took siestas while I browsed my course options. Tomorrow we are registering and I am trying to craft the perfect schedule that allows me plenty of free time, but also maximizes my credits. I will need to take some communications electives, and I'd like to get my business course out of the way! Hopefully I'll take event planning or tourism management as well. We shall see!


This afternoon the girls and I headed to Phoenix Park, which is the largest enclosed park within a European capital city! Within the walls is lots of green grass, playing fields, trails, the Dublin Zoo, monuments, a cross from the Pope's visit, the President's house and US Ambassador's house. Obviously I loved it because it's called Phoenix Park, which is the mascot of my beloved Elon! Note to self: Don't even graduate from college. One of the first things we noticed was a pond with lots of ducks and swans! My previous experience with swans is that they are fussy animals and mean! They hiss! We have several at my school, and the pair who lives in the pond by my old dorm do not welcome visitors. These swans, however, were quite the opposite! I'm sure they've been fed bread and been spoiled by visitors, so my friends and I have decided to come back soon with bread that's too old for us. 

Phoenix Park...just a hop, skip and a jump from our apartment!

Being Phoenix  in the park! EU...U KNOW!

Friendly swan!

We also climbed a huge monument which is visible from where we live...I'm not sure what it represented exactly, but that will be my homework assignment for myself. I know it said India on one side...but that's it! Our last little activity was furthering our walk it the park and hunting for the deer that have lived within the walls for as long as the park has been around! We vowed that we will not leave Dublin until we see the Fallow Deer...sorry Mom and Dad.

The deer hunt is on.

 When we came home Mathilde our lovely French roommate said she had a surprise for us...tonight we were learning how to make crepes! YES!!! Mathilde gave us a cooking lesson which was excellent, and we mixed our eggs with flour, then added milk and butter. We whisked everything together and then poured it on the hot frying pan. She told us in France when people sunbathe they say "let's do crepes," meaning turn over on either side every so often so they don't burn. I love that and am going to adopt that saying! This was the first time we three American girls had really flipped anything in a pan, and I'm pleased to say nothing landed on the floor!

Step 1: Mix

Step 2: Flip 

Step 3: Fill with yum yums

Step 4: Dream about crepe perfection

Step 5: Slather with Nutella for the best dessert known to (wo)man.

After dinner we went downstairs to another apartment where more of our friends were making crepes! Cecilia, another French student, was showing them! Oh we Americans sure do love anything yummy and that can be filled with meats and cheeses or stopped with sauces, jams, syrups and fruit! Anyway, it was Cecilia's birthday tonight, so we celebrated! Happy birthday, Cecilia!

Mathilde and the Birthday Girl, Cecilia!