Easter at Home!

Two weeks ago I went home to Massachusetts for Easter. It was really nice to see my parents, my sister, and my pets. The last time I was home was at Christmas, so it was cool to see the house without tons of unopened boxes and actually painted. 

I flew in the Friday before Easter and left Easter Sunday in the afternoon. Saturday I went to see Emma ice skate, went to Legal Sea Bar for lunch, got my nails done (yay!), and dyed Easter eggs. 

Saturday night was our "Easter dinner" with lamb, raita, hummus, and naan. Emma and Mom decorated the table and drank champagne with our fancy dinner.

How cute is this!! 

So good!!

The next day we went to brunch at Bambara in Cambridge. It was a buffet, which was good but not great. The Easter bunny who was taking photos with the kids was scary. Maybe it's because I'm not a kid anymore, but that costume was creepy. I avoided the bunny when I could. I wanted to try a little bit of everything. But my favorite was the waffle that I topped with whipped cream, fresh berries and honey. It was super yummy!

Berries with greek yogurt, a sausage patty, bread and cheese

Eggs Benedict and roast pork loin with apple butter

My waffle creation!

After brunch we went to Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market before I had to get to the airport. We wandered around Urban Outfitters, Ann Taylor and Quincy Market (where I had a fantastic latte).

It was sad to leave my family, but they are coming to Washington, D.C. in a week to take a lot of my stuff home. It's crazy to think that my freshman year is almost over!! It has gone by so fast. 

See you next time!

Kara

Northern Ireland Day Seven: Our Tourist Day!!

Wow! This is my last Northern Ireland post! And only three and a half weeks after I went . . . Sorry about that.

Our last day in Northern Ireland was a lot of fun. We went to Carrick-A-Rede rope bridge, Giant's Causeway and saw where some of Game of Thrones is filmed (and who is excited for Sunday's premier?).

On our drive up the scenic Causeway Costal Route, we passed by the Carrickfergus castle. At the castle there was a life size statue of King William III, who was actually quite short. In all of this other paintings in Belfast he is pictured on his horse so he is much taller.

We passed some amazing views of the Northern Irish coast, although I wish that it had been sunnier. We went through small towns and a few other castles.

Sheep Island

Then we made it to our first real stop: Carrick-A-Rede rope bridge. There is a half mile walk from the parking lot to the bridge with amazing views. When I saw the bridge that I would have to cross twice, I started freaking out. It was quite windy so the bridge was swaying a bit. I was shaking before I stepped on the bridge, while I was on the bridge, and after I made it to the other side. Then I realized that I would have to cross back!!

About to go on the bridge!

Our group crossing the bridge!

My friend Anna and I!

Right by the parking lot for the bridge is one of the filming locations for Game of Thrones. It is where Renly Baratheon's camp is in the second season. The first photo is the shot from Game of Thrones and the second one is my photo.

http://www.titancon.com/images/photos/renlys_camp.jpg

So the location is right around the wall on the right!

The next stop on our tour of the Antim Coast was Giant's Causeway. We had lunch at the Nook, which is right next to the tourism center for Giant's Causeway. Apparently you have to pay to get into the official gift shop and tourism center, but close to it is the Causeway Hotel where there is a gift shop. 

Briggitte, Sam and I were the "trifecta" roommates on the trip!

I had an amazing time in Northern Ireland and I learned so much. I would love to go back to Belfast, Derry-Londonderry, and visit the places that we were not able to go to. Since we went on the trip, our class has been compiling the research, collecting data from surveys, and making a video showing our trip/research. Now I am off to see the cherry blossoms!

Thanks so much reading!

Kara