Roaming Rome!

What do you do when you have worked (relatively) hard all year towards completing a Masters?? Go on vacation (again) of course!

My sister Laura and I headed to Rome on May 22nd to eat pizza and pasta, drink wine, soak up some rays and do a lot of walking. In the end we did all these things especially eat pizza, but upon our arrival we were a bit doubtful about the rays. Seems that the Irish weather followed us and there was a thunderstorm our first afternoon. The weather was only slightly warmer temperature-wise than Ireland, but the difference was made up in humidity. I was brave enough to wear shorts for a couple days and I really sunburnt my nose!

We covered a lot of miles in Rome. The old, Mediterranean style of architecture makes the city centre fabulous to explore by foot if you are keen like us. The city is very touristy and has tonnes to offer so we were never short of things to do. After the rain cleared on our first day we set out to see sights. Our first stop was the Trevi Fountain, the most well-known fountain in Rome. The massive Baroque fountain was originally designed by Bernini, but was not built until 1732 when the project was taken over by Nicola Salvi. At the center of the fountain stands the marble statue of mythological Oceanus, commander of the sea. Interestingly the fountain is still fed by an underground aqueduct which dates back as far as 19 BC. It is estimated that tourists throw in 3000€ worth of coins into the fountain each day!

Not far away from Trevi fountain rise the Spanish Steps which ironically lead to the French church
Trinita dei Monti. The name however is derived from the Spanish Embassy that shares the adjoining Piazza. The steps were built in the 1720s, consist of 135 steps and are still the widest in Europe. At the base of the steps rests Fontana della Barcaccia or "Fountain of the Old Boat" which was built in the late 1620s by Pietro Bernini, father of the famous Lorenzo Bernini.

The Spanish Steps is obviously a busy place and therefore draws many street performers and artists. I was very impressed with this pair... not so much that one seems to be supporting the other, but the fact that they can sit still all day long with their legs folded. I can't imagine I would even last five minutes.

If you continue north from the Steps you reach the large Piazza del Popolo. This square borders an ancient set of gates to the city and a couple churches. The center sports a tall Egyptian Obelisk which was originally brought to the city in 10 BC by Augustus. I had not expected to see Egyptian relics, but there were several obelisks around Rome which showcase the wealth of the ancient Empire.

At one end of Piazza Popolo, you can climb the Pincian Hill to get fabulous views of the surrounding area. The top of the hill hosts lovely gardens, but unfortunately we did not spend much time at the top due to an incoming thunderstorm. I did not like the idea of standing upon one of Rome's highest landmarks, underneath trees and holding an umbrella. We snapped a few pictures and moved on.

 In the picture on the right you can see St Peter's Basilica rising above the horizon.

 

We celebrated our first evening with a meal of traditional Italian pizza. The toppings included eggplant, artichoke and egg. The pizzas are the size of a large plate and have a thin crust, not like our thick North American version. No Euro was ever wasted as I never left a pizza unfinished!

Either than the rain, we were off to a fantastic start in Rome.
Till next time, Ciao!
Shannon

 

Term Two Wrapped Up

This past week was the last full week of University of Limerick's academic year. It feels a bit strange to already be saying goodbye to some of my friends who are heading home, especially because I plan to stay a few more months. It is true that time whips by when you are having fun. My last assessments went well, but I cannot celebrate for too long as I need to jump into planning trips and completing job applications. Oh yes, and somewhere I need to fit in my summer assignments... I have two projects left before my Masters is done and dusted.

This spring also marked the end of my time playing in the University of Limerick Orchestra (ULO). Over the year I have had a great time playing with this group and meeting its musicians. The best part of playing in a community-based orchestra is that you always feel welcomed and appreciated. Plus it helped me maintain my classical repertoire.

The ULO ended its season with a big gala concert at the University Concert Hall. We collaborated with the Limerick Choral Union to provide a diverse range of repertoire; highlights included Sibelius's Finlandia, Berlioz's Symphony Fantastique, Orff's Carmina Burana, Bohemian Rhapsody, and medleys honouring John Williams and the Beatles. In addition, the orchestra accompanied Mozart's Piano Concerto No 23 played by David Szabo, a talented Hungarian pianist studying at the University.

Here are some pictures of the concert. Can you spot me? I am in the first desk of the violins.

 

 

Our gala concert was on Saturday and on Sunday we loaded onto buses to play a charity concert in the small town of Killmalock, about 45 minutes outside Limerick. We performed in a fabulous Cathedral, or at least I thought it was fabulous until we were warned about the "bird" problem. Apparently there are nuisance birds who reside up in the rafters of the vaulted ceiling and have the tendency to defecate on the altar. I was less than excited to be sitting directly underneath one such rafter, but it all turned out fine as I did not have to sport any white on my performance black. I think it was the threatening sounds of John William's Jaws which scared them away, or perhaps the thunderous applause (haha!).

 

 

 

Well I am a bit sad to see the end of my rehearsals and classes, but I am looking forward to my summer travels and projects. There is always plenty to keep me busy, it is just a matter of finding time to fit it all in!

 

All the best,

Shannon



End of Term Syndrome

I am suffering from end of term syndrome. There is no denying it. Since I handed in my assignments on May 2nd my brain has switched to vacation mode, despite the fact I still have assessments in the upcoming weeks. Tomorrow I have a fiddle jury and next week I have a workshop and presentation before an external examiner, worth 40% of my summer term grade . . . hmm, when I put it that way it is a bit unnerving. I better get my brain out of "la-la" land, but first I will finish this blog!

This past weekend was a bank holiday weekend in Ireland so it was a prime opportunity for merriment! On Thursday night, my classmates and I celebrated the submission of our work by going to dinner together. My sister joined us as she was in town so there were plenty of Canadian stories being shared. We had a couple pints in a pub called Mickey's and were joined by a very friendly cat making his rounds to all the tables. This cat was rather rotund, making us wonder how often he gets to share pints. Back home we called my sister the "cat whisperer" because she has had a mysterious bond with felines all her life. Apparently this skills works just as well in Ireland, as the cat made a bee-line for her across the room and settled on her lap.

Limerick celebrated the long weekend by hosting a River Festival and the Great Limerick Run. The Festival consisted of a variety of activities throughout the weekend cumulating in the marathon-length Run on Sunday. We headed downtown to see the fireworks on Saturday night. Although I was not keen to venture out in the rain, the fireworks exceeded my expectations and I had a much better view than I did on New Years in London. I even got some neat pictures, despite the odds of an old camera and poor photographic skill.

I caught a heart in the sky. Must mean I love Ireland!

 

Did you know that it was the Greek celebration of Easter on Sunday? Who knew I would learn so much about Greek culture when I moved to Ireland?  The perks of having a Greek roommate I suppose. George treated us to a traditional meal of lamb and for his efforts I made him a chef's hat. Laura and I contributed a delicious dessert suitably named Death by Chocolate. Admittedly this dessert is not Greek in any way, but we devoured it nonetheless.

 

 

I realized while writing this blog that this is my 50th BLOG POST! I am actually rather impressed with myself and I am very thankful to everyone for taking the time to read them. My regular blog has become a rather fun part of my week and an excellent way for me to document my year. 50 blogs is a big achievement, however I am nowhere near the end (for better or worse). Recently I have booked tickets to Rome and Spain so prepare to have a summer filled with more travel stories!

 

Ciao for now :)

Shannon

Irish Spring

There is nothing quite like the refreshingly clean smell of Irish Spring. The world is scrubbed clean of winter's damp and glistens in welcome sunny showers . . . I am talking about weather you know, not some kind of body wash.

I happily welcomed spring and have especially been enjoying the sunshine now that the majority of my schoolwork is completed for the term. Today it reached a lovely 17 degrees Celsius and there was not a drop of rain. Spring weather has been mostly dry, but I have had to re-friend my umbrella on a couple occasions. Not surprisingly it is still broken like the last time I used it. I should really buy a new one. Often in Ireland umbrellas are not practical because of strong winds. On these days I sometimes brave the weather in my rain coat and come home looking like this:

In spring, I always love seeing the leaves come out and flowers bud on trees. Some of them look good enough to eat! The yellow of this shrub, called Gorse, appealed to me until I realized that its attractive flowers conceal multitudes of long thorns. Sneaky plant...

The University of Limerick has quite expansive grounds and many people use its walking paths to get some exercise. With this nice weather there have also been fly-fisherman and rowers on the river, and the sports teams are racing around in their shorts. Even the snails and slugs are back out and about, walkers beware!

Over the last couple weeks I have also been graced by the presence of my sister. Honestly, we are getting along better than I expected! Plus she sometimes makes me supper and washes my dishes so I shall not complain. One day she got adventurous and baked Guinness Bread.  This bread defied our expectations as it was sweet and delicious with butter. Here it is half eaten with some daffodils we "borrowed" from the campus grounds.

This past weekend I had a very enjoyable birthday celebration. I baked myself the most delicious strawberry swirl cheesecake, which I shared with my friends who came over to play a big game of Rummoli. Great games, great food, great people, what else could I ask for??

I'd like to share one more story before wrapping up this blog. I've been teaching a weekly violin class in Limerick to girls aged nine to eleven. Today we used the on-site recording studio to record a song that we wrote. As we were sitting waiting to play, one of the young girls points to some of the sound equipment in the room and says, "That looks like an old-time radio." After a slight pause she added, "from like 1998." I suddenly felt very old.

Happy Spring to all!
Shannon