Corcomroe Abbey | Ireland

Deep in County Clare lies a beautiful 13th century abbey.
Legend says that it was commissioned by King Conor na Siudane Ua Briain.
After it was completed, he had the five masons in charge of the project executed because their work was so beautiful he was afraid they would build churches more extravagant elsewhere.

The site of Corcomroe Abbey is remote. Our bus stopped at the abbey on the way to the Cliffs of Moher, allowing us 20 minutes to roam around. We were the only visitors there, making the abbey quiet and eerie. 

I could have easily spent a day here. There was so much to see, and the site was just so peaceful.

Happy Wednesday!
xoxo

Life of a Graduate Student

I came to the realization the other day that I have never dedicated a post to my student life.

Yes, I mention school and dissertation stuff from time to time, but I have never sat down to tell y'all about my day to day life as a graduate student. 

So here we go!

The biggest misconception about being a graduate student is you have a lot of free time. 

Yes, I only have class twice a week.

Yes, I spend a lot of time on the internet.

No, I do not have all that much free time.

As a history masters student, I spend most of my free time reading, writing, or researching. If I'm not volunteering at the museum, I usually wake up and head straight to a cafe (it's so much easier to concentrate with food and coffee in your belly). On a typical day, I'll spend about 3-4 hours sitting in a cafe reading or writing.

So what am I reading or writing? At the moment I'm writing two 5,000 word essays and preparing for a dissertation presentation. I try to force myself to write everyday, even if it's crap. Editing will come later. As far as reading goes, I've buried myself under a ridiculous amount of books on Henry VII (my dissertation topic). Seriously, I know this guy better than I know myself at this point.

Once term is over (May 19th), I will be spending the entire summer writing my dissertation. It sounds like plenty of time, but it's not. I'll be spending most of my time either researching in archives or reading secondary literature.

Moral of this post?
There aren't enough hours in the day.

Happy Wednesday!
xoxo

DUBLIN IN PICTURES

Happy Monday!
xoxo

The Cliffs of Moher | Ireland

For the first time in six days I'm actually able to sit down and catch up on internet life!
If it seems like I've been absent from the blogging world these past few days, it's because I have been.
My college roommate, Meagan, came to visit for the week. In the six days she was here we spent time in three different cities and two different countries.
As you would expect, I'm exhausted.
Since I haven't given y'all any juicy travel post in a while, I thought I'd share my favorite part of Meagan's trip: The Cliffs of Moher in Ireland!

Since both Meagan and I had never been to Ireland, we wanted to make the most of the trip and see as much as possible. We booked a day tour with Paddywagon (which I will review in a separate post later on) and headed off to the Cliffs of Moher.

Located on the Atlantic Coast, the cliffs are a 3 and a half hour journey from Dublin. The views however, made up for us being stuck on a bus for so long. When we finally got there I was disappointed to see there were railings preventing you from getting too close to the edge. Understandable, yet not great for the photo ops I wanted. As Meagan and I walked further along the cliffs, we found the railings stopped and you could climb to the literal edge.
As much as it freaked me out, the blogger in me was determined to get some amazing photos. 

The Cliffs of Moher were absolutely breathtaking.
 If it wasn't so chilly I would have thought I was somewhere in the Caribbean! When the sun came out the water was a beautiful blue, stretching for miles and miles, uninterrupted.
Yes, it's quite a far journey if you are staying in Dublin like we were, but completely worth it.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Easter weekend!
xoxo

Book Love | Winter King

Henry VII is my thing. 

When I picked Henry VII as the focus of my dissertation, I immediately ordered every book I could find on him. 

Some, I have to admit, are pretty dull. 

Others, pretty fascinating.

Winter King by Thomas Penn falls into the 'fascinating' category. 

Non-fiction books have a tendency to state dates and facts, allowing little interpretation for the reader. I never considered the possibility that a non-fiction book could be suspenseful and thrilling. Thomas Penn's writing creates a fuller and deeper story to the life of Henry VII. He captivates the reader with the drama of early Tudor history without creating fiction.
I would suggest this book to anyone who enjoys real life soap operas or Tudor history.

Other titles similar to this book include:
Hilary Mantel Wolf Hall
Philippa Gregory The Red Queen and The White Princess

There will be no Thought's From Abroad post tomorrow as I just got back from Ireland. Expect lots of amazing Irish posts soon!

Happy Thursday!
xoxo

Bristol At Home | April

Recently I was introduced to Bristol At Home, a Public History project documenting life in Bristol. 

As a history postgraduate student, I understand the importance of leaving evidence of daily life behind for future generations.

Here's how it works:

Every month @BlaiseMuseum will announce a theme. All themes pertain to daily life, such as your kitchen or favorite outfit. Take a picture of the month's theme and use the hashtag #BristolAtHome. Your picture, along with everyone else's will be collected for future historical research. Some photos may even end up in Bristol's Public History Collection!

THIS MONTH'S THEME: BREAKFAST!

Tweet a picture of your breakfast with the hashtag #BristolAtHome to contribute to future generation's historical research!

My breakfast: Buttermilk pancakes and bacon. 

Questions? Visit Bristol At Home's website for further details about the project!

Happy Monday!
xoxo

Queen Square | Bristol, England

In the past few weeks I've spent countless hours reading about Henry VII. 

I practically breathe early Tudor history. 

Becoming familiar with secondary sources on the topic you plan to write your dissertation on is essential.

Although my love for Henry VII and Elizabeth of York grows with every book, I do find myself occasionally reading a page only to realize I hadn't really paid any attention to the words. 

I've discovered the environment in which you read is almost as important as the reading itself. Changing the scenery every now and then helps you focus and, well, keeps you sane. 

The weather is slightly warming up, meaning reading outside is an option. I find myself on Brandon Hill or College Green often, but never really ventured far from Park Street for my afternoon reading. 

Growing bored of my regular spots, I decided to finally give Queen Square a go. 

Stepping into Queen Square is like stepping into 18th century England. I had walked through Queen Square on many occasions, but never really stopped to sit on one of it's many benches. It's beautiful, green, and most importantly, quiet. The perfect reading spot. 

Needless to say, I had a very productive afternoon. 

Happy Saturday!

xoxo

Throwback | Boston

I'm attempting to organize my life.

And when I say life, I mean the 'Travel' page of my blog. 

Most of the countries I have visited were pre-Bristol in my Pocket. I thought long and hard about how I should include some of those travels, and it dawned on me: Throwbacks.
So grab a cup of tea and enjoy the lovely pictures of me in my awkward years.
____________________________________

Boston, Massachusetts
March 2013. 
Age: 21

As a history major, I quite enjoy vacations that involve historical activities and sites. As I was a senior at university in 2013, my parents let me pick the vacation spot for Spring Break.
I chose Boston, a city I had never been to but always wanted to visit.
I absolutely fell in love with Boston. The atmosphere and architecture in Boston is like nowhere else in the US. We stayed at a beautiful bed & breakfast a few blocks away from the Boston Common. Unfortunately, we were the last guests to stay before it closed down!

On our first full day in Boston we attempted to walk the Freedom Trail. While we managed about half of the trail no problem, we eventually gave up due to the weather! Us Texans are not used to snow!

Our second day we made a trip to Plymouth Rock. While the town of Plymouth is absolutely beautiful, the rock itself is a bit... underwhelming. Once again, we were defeated by the weather and ended up driving back to Boston for food and warmth.

The weather for Salem seemed to be on our side. Before our trip, we had spent a substantial amount of time trying to decide which museum to go to in Salem. We ended up picking the Salem Witch Museum. While the museum was very theatrical and touristy, we were provided with the history of witchcraft and the background story of Salem. We wandered around a bit before driving to Cambridge to visit the Harvard campus.

Our last day we wandered around in the morning before hitting up a tour of Fenway Park. I am not a huge baseball fan, but do enjoy the atmosphere of baseball games. I absolutely recommend doing a behind the scenes tour of the stadium as you get access to places such as the locker room and the seats on top of the Green Monster!

No trip to Boston is complete without a little trip to Fenway Park!

Happy Sunday!
xoxo

Thoughts From Abroad | Part 25

Welcome to Thoughts From Abroad, a weekly recap of the simple things going on in my life! I decided to reformat my Thoughts From Abroad posts as I was getting bored with the 1-10 theme. Let me know if you like it!

• I can't believe this is my 25th Thoughts From Abroad post! When I started this series it was mainly to keep my family back home updated on my shenanigans abroad. For some reason though, it has turned out to be some of the most popular posts on my blog! Thanks for reading y'all!
• The sun is shining! The birds are singing! It has been a beautiful week here in Bristol! I've actually been able to turn off my radiator and keep my window open without freezing to death! I love Spring!
• I finally opened a UK bank account. Only took me seven months.
• My boyfriend and I had an argument as to who was the most popular Spice Girl growing up. He says Ginger and I say Baby. Was it different in the UK than in the USA? Thoughts? Also, if you want a 90s throwback, click here. You're welcome.  
• My love for pomegranates is ridiculous. 
• I can't believe Taco Bell has started serving breakfast and I can't even try it!
• That being said, eating out in the UK is absolutely amazing. Cafe eating is the life. 
• The Walking Dead season finale. OHEEMGEEEEE! HJVBUJHBDHG!
• Want to have your face at the bottom of one of my Thoughts From Abroad posts? Check out my Sponsorship page! It's cheaper than a cup of coffee and super easy to do!

Happy Friday!

xoxo

Go Aloft! | ss Great Britain

Well hello there wonderful readers!
It's English Tourism Week!
That being said, I wanted to share with you a fun new activity being held at the ss Great Britain!

For those of you who don't know, the ss Great Britain was designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel and finished in 1843. At the time, it was the world's largest ship, as well as the first ship built of iron. It has made countless journeys around the world, carrying passengers, soldiers, and cargo.
171 years later, it is now a museum and major tourist attraction in Bristol.

I was given the opportunity to trial the ss Great Britain's latest attraction, 'Go Aloft'! Go Aloft allows you to climb 26 meters (85 feet) up the rigging of the ship and, if you dare, climb across the main yard.

By the time it was my turn, the sun had completely disappeared and it started to hail. Typical, right? Despite that fact, I was pretty determined to not back down. By the time I reached the top the sun began to peak through and I got to enjoy the absolutely breathtaking views.

I wouldn't call myself an adrenaline junkie, but I do enjoy an occasional activity that gets your heart racing. I felt completely safe the entire climb and the crew were absolutely amazing. Go Aloft opens up to the public on April 5th for £10 per person.

Sorry for the crappy iPhone photos, y'all! 

If you're in the Bristol area this Easter break, stop by the ss Great Britain and give it a go!
For more information on Go Aloft!, click here.

Happy Wednesday!
xoxo