Maymester 2007 – Travel Advice

by Hubi Secreast 

      Make sure you bring your notebook everywhere! I didn’t always write in my journal the way I was supposed to and did not always bring it everywhere. Journal entries are especially important when typing up final project Research Logs. You won’t remember everything so write it down!

IRELAND:

•         Centras are little grocery stores and are great for getting odds and ends, coffee, sandwiches, candy bars, and bottles of water.

•         In Galway our hotel was close to one of the most popular night clubs in Galway. Try a Blaumburg’s Cider: it’s apple beer and oh so delicious.

•         Spend time exploring the downtown area. It was so fascinating seeing the buildings that were hundreds of years old mixed in with the new stores.

•         Have raingear with you.

•         And a notebook (especially in Galway on the tour and at the Barnacle House. There is so much I wish I had written down, but didn’t).

•         Walking shoes.

•         Sweatshirts.

•         It may be cold and wet so make sure you dress warmly.

•         Camera and Charger.

•         Common sense.      

ITALY -- Florence:

•         Practice some sort of story or quick excuse for sleazy guys who try to pick you up. (Two guys said they would wait for Anna and me outside a purse store. We waited about fifteen minutes inside and sneaked away when they weren't looking. Another time, we were in the market area and this Indian guy in an Italian suit and slicked back hair tried to get us to talk to him, but none of the hotties you would expect/hope for).

•         Bring a raincoat/rain jacket--it rained most of the time we were in Italy and by the time the umbrella man comes around, you will already be soaked.

•         Bring walking shoes.

•         Make sure you get a camera charger for Italy--batteries always die at the best possible picture opportunities.

•         Sunglasses; Sandals; Shorts.

•         Stick to hand luggage. There is a 13 or 14 euro fee for checking bags on the plane, plus you really don’t need that many clothes.

•         Remember too that pretty much everything you need can be bought at a drugstore there and the same goes for Ireland. We made daily trips to Centras in Dublin and Galway, and there are similar places in Florence.

•         You have a lot of free time in Florence and it really isn't even worth the trip unless you can see everything!

•         Get to museums early. I mean when they first open in the morning so you can be the tenth in line and not the ten thousandth (there is always a line).

•         Eat cheap and always haggle with the market merchants to get the lowest price on souvenirs.