What a weekend!

Thursday:
Finished up midterms and enjoyed an afternoon of freedom with some friends! We stopped in at Ormond's Cafe and had some tea and a scone, which are to die for. It was really nice to be able to relax- no classes or schoolwork for almost a week and a half.
We also got to go horseback riding Thursday afternoon! Eight of us in total traveled to stables that are outside Waterford, got a quick lesson, and got to ride for about an hour. The views were really amazing, including a walk along a quiet, peaceful lake. Afterwards we all had our best cowboy walks going, but there were smiles all around.
Thursday night was a great time. Some of the girls organized a surprise going away party/potluck for Dr Reed, our Irish lit professor who was only with us for the first half of the term. I think (and hope) the surprise aspect was pulled off well, and it was nice to have everyone working together on something. Dr Reed managed to squeeze a 3 credit class into less than 4 weeks time, so he definitely deserved a hand by the end of it.
Friday:
We had a nice quiet day at home, and worked on planning an American themed party! James and Ricardo (the ridiculously outnumbered boys in our group- 30 girls and 2 of them) hosted Friday night, which was a blast. The Mercyhurst kids got decked out in their best red, white, and blue/patriotic outfits, and got to show off for some locals! It was really nice to meet some people from the area who are our age, and we had a lot of fun comparing Ireland to the States. The short walk home across the parking lot didn't hurt either.
Saturday:
We had a fantastic "Tom Tour" that took up most of our day, and included some exciting sights. We started at Mt Melleray Grotto, which is the site of an apparition of Mary to some young Irish people back in the 80's. It was a gorgeous spot, and the sun came out too! We also saw two Butler castles, and got to tour them. Later in the afternoon we toured some caves as well. They go on for miles, and we got to see fossils that were millions of years old. Really exciting stuff. It was a jam packed day and we learned a lot, got to see some beautiful sights.
Sunday:
My first Easter away from home! I walked to mass this morning with some of the girls and heard a nice service, then headed back home and got a bit more sleep. It was a really quiet day, but that's fine by me. Tomorrow morning we're headed to Berlin! It's my first time traveling to Germany/mainland Europe, and I'm so excited to get into the culture. We've got an early start (as in 3am early), which means I probably should have been in bed hours ago. It will definitely be an adventure!