Guinness Storehouse

INDOOR ACTIVITIES

Hi everyone! On our last post we talked about outdoor activities but in this opportunity we are going to talk about indoor activities.

On Sunday morning we took the bus and went to visit Guinness Storehouse located in the heart of the St. James's Gate Brewery.

There we went on a self guided tour and we learnt many interesting facts such as which elements are required to make beer, what the process involves, and why Guinness beer is unique.

 

We enjoyed it very much! It was super didactic and dynamic. Of course, since we were there, we wanted to try some beer but we couldn’t 😕.

After that we went to Moyle Park College to have lunch all together, and to watch the final of the World Cup: France-Croatia. While we were waiting for the pizzas, which arrived later than expected, we played “pica-pared”, did some climbing and we played cards. Finally, when the food arrived, we devoured it and rushed to the chapel to watch the match on a humongous screen with some Spanish people who arrived for the second half of the game.

When it was finished, we took the bus to go back home to have dinner. Later, around 7.30 pm, we went to the green to relax and play some games: football, volleyball, cards as well as listening to music. 

As usual, we had a lot of fun and did many interesting things; we are having a great time here and enjoying ourselves a lot everyday!!!

CORNEO & CUMIANO

Carlingford

CARLINGFORD ADVENTURE CENTER:

KAYAK - SKYPARK

Hi, Everyone! The adventure continues in Ireland! Being our first weekend in this wonderful country, we went to the town of Carlingford located on the border with Northern Ireland. There the company Carlingford Adventure Centre would wait to guide us to the following activities: Kayaking and the SkyPark.

KAYAKING

On Saturday morning, around 6:00 am, we were waking up to head for Carlingford. At 7.10, we were already on the bus. After an hour and a half of travel, we arrived at our destination where we met the people of Carlingford Adventure Center, an entertainment company that offers a great variety of activities such as: the aforementioned SkyPark, Kayaking, Archery, FootGolf, among others.

Once in the place, we went to the changing rooms to put on wetsuits. Many said they looked like The Incredibles because the suits were too tight. Once we were ready, we started to paddle along the bay. We were paddling for about 15 minutes around the place until one of the instructors proposed a game we already knew – Stone, Paper or Scissors. However, this activity came with a change: if you lost a point, you had to kneel on the kayak; if you lost two points, you had to stand up; and if you reached 3 points, you had to jump into the water. Believe me, at first, most of us wanted to get out of the water very fast because it was freezing, but afterwards we truly enjoyed playing in it. It was delicious! Then, the instructors told us to go to a small platform where a trampoline was waiting for us. Once there, we got the chance to jump and do several pirouettes (backflips, silly salmon, etc.). We also had a lot of fun pushing each other off the platform.

Once all the groups had finished, we headed towards the land; there, we played three games. In the first one, a person had to cover their eyes and one of the instructors selected a student to dance while the rest copied him/her. The ones that had covered their eyes had to guess who the leader was. In the second, we formed three teams of 8, and we played a race where we had to do a lap, pass under our teammates and touch a backpack that was lying in the middle of the three teams. Finally, the third game was also a race but this time in the water; the teams had to reach a certain point in the water and there they must do ten laps on their axis. It was great fun! Once the three games were over, we went to the changing rooms where we took the equipment off, and then we went to eat.

SKYPARK

After eating a delicious dish of chicken nuggets and beans, we got on the bus that would take us to the SkyPark. Once there, the instructors of the place gave us the order to put on the equipment and go to the “Practice Zone”, where we learned about safety measures and how the harnesses were worn. Once that was finished, we could choose between 2 circuits: one of them was easier than the other; the second one was longer and had more difficult obstacles. We finished the circuit and headed back for Tallaght.

We believe that it was an amazing experience; we all had a wonderful time doing outdoor activities! And if anyone has the opportunity to travel to Ireland, do not hesitate to visit this wonderful town and perform the various activities offered!

FABIANI, LUGONES & VILLANUEVA

Dublin - Part II

ST. PATRICK’S CATHEDRAL, TEMPLE BAR,

HENRY ST. & GREYHOUNDS RACES

In the next lines we are going to describe our last Thursday in Ireland.

After having lunch in Moyle Park College, we jumped onto the bus and headed towards downtown Dublin.

Our first stop was the famous Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, where we had a self guided tour. We learnt that it was built around 800 years ago, and that the religion practiced there depended on the King’s religion, after Henry VIII initiated the English Reformation in the 16th century, when Ireland was still part of the UK. We were all in awe by its Gothic architectural style and its historical value.

We later passed by The Temple Bar, the oldest pub in Ireland, crowded with people who seemed to be having lots of fun. The area, which carries the same name – Temple Bar – is full of bars and restaurants, and is ideal for having something to eat. Then we went across the Liffey River (which runs through the city), and ended up in Henry Street, a very fancy pedestrian street with lots of shops. There we had two hours of free time, in which we went shopping, dining, and walking through the city.

At 6:00 p.m. we gathered at our meeting point, which was Trinity College, to take our bus to the Shelbourne Park Stadium.

When we arrived, we got into the main hall. In there we could buy food and drinks, and stands to bet could be found there as well. At first most of us were very shocked since dog races in Argentina are not very well seen, and we couldn’t understand how Irish people could do that to dogs and think it was OK. A few of us were very reluctant to bet due to the fact that we were against these kinds of events and stepped aside, but others tried their luck wagering on the dogs. There were many kinds of bets, but the most common were to choose the dog you though would end in the first or second place.

It was really fun overall, especially in the end, when some boys won a considerable amount of money. It was also very enjoyable the talk some of us had indoors while eating, discussing about astronomy and gravity.

And that’s how our day finished: we got onto the bus, and everyone went back home after a lot of fun and excitement.

PEDRO CARAVELLI & NICOLAS BONAN

Highlights

HIGHLIGHTS

Hi everyone! It's a pleasure to remind you of what we were doing these last days. This weekend was amazing! We visited England for the first time, in particular Chester and Liverpool. As you know, we also went to a town in Wales that has the longest name in the UK: Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch. Crazy name, right? 😉

We began our journey when the disco finished (22:00). We ate pizza, nuggets, and chips. Then the bus arrived to the school (00:00) and we got into it with all our staff.

Ferry to England

The bus parked in the ferry at (2:30) and we all run up to search for a place to sleep. We were all very tired. Our “accommodation” was not as comfortable as we thought it would be, but it wasn’t terrible after all. Quite an adventure!

Chester

It is a beautiful old city with a lot of history. The sightseeing from the cathedral was fabulous; however, the tour through the building wasn't that good... Nonetheless, later on we enjoyed the city tour although we were tired from the boat. Some of the things that we appreciated were the Eastgate clock, and the walls that the Romans built a long time ago to protect the city.

Liverpool

We arrived at 4:15 in the afternoon and had some free time until 8:00. We ate and did some shopping around the city centre. Next day in the morning, we had a guided tour around Liverpool. We saw the pub where The Beatles started to play; we also saw the town hall, the first train station in the UK, and the picturesque river. What is more, we visited the Anfield stadium. It was an astonishing moment for all of us! Seeing such a place made us very happy. In the free time we had, some went to the biggest Anglican cathedral in England, others to the museum of The Beatles, and another group to eat and do shopping. At night we went bowling and had some chips and burgers. We had a great time smashing  all those pins!

Wales

We arrived to the town at 11:45 in the morning and we stayed there until 12:25. During this time, we were able to see a beautiful old train station — as we were standing on the bridge, we even saw how the train passed by underneath our feet — and the typical houses from there. They looked wonderful!

Disco

This was great! It has improved from the last one: the DJ has accepted our recommendations and therefore the music is better. They are playing more songs in Spanish than in English and that's excellent. We are also chatting more with the boys and girls from the other countries. We made lots of new friends. Great, right?

Classes

Although we are usually very tired in the mornings, all our mates are satisfied and very happy with their classmates. Despite the fact that we only have 3 hours of class a day, we are learning a lot and we are improving our speaking skills quickly. In the afternoon, we also have activities: sports & arts. We are very happy because we are doing really well in the competitions (check out our performance in the following videos).

We really enjoy these moments together and we make the most of them: it is incredible to have made so many new friends in such a short time. for example, we met a lot of Spanish and Italian people with whom we interact all the time. We had great fun all together. Who could ask for more?

We hope to hear from you soon. Keep in touch!

BALICE, CANIL, GERIA, AND ROMERO FERNANDEZ

Liverpool

LEARNING A WHOLE NEW CULTURE

IN A SINGLE WEEKEND

Last weekend our group travelled to Liverpool and a Welsh village that has the longest name of all the United Kingdom: “Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch”. Yeah it’s long, we know. And now we’re going to tell you how was our experience.

Liverpool 

   After visiting Chester we roamed around the famous city of Liverpool, where we stayed at the Britannia hotel. Our first impression of the city wasn’t at all what we had expected before going there. When we arrived, we were shocked to see how different the city was from what we had imagined. Fortunately, after spending some days there, we were able to create great memories and learn many new things we didn’t know before. 

   Our first activity there was a city tour that included some of the most famous and important places of the city such as The Cavern – where several important bands played –, and Saint George’s Hall. While visiting the city we were able to see magnificent buildings and learn whole new historical facts. What is more, we had a great time with our tour guide who made the visit far more interesting and fun that we had expected.

   When we arrived at The Cavern, we all felt excited for what we were going to see. Some of us couldn’t even believe the we were about to be were The Beatles had played years ago. Inside it everything was dark, and it was full of pictures and instruments from former musicians. It was just wonderful!

   After being in this wonderful place, we went to the riverside. There we could see the entire other side of the river and many beautiful coloured boats. As it was a sunny day, we could enjoy every part at its best. Then we went out for a lunch and headed towards the Anfield Stadium.

Anfield Stadium

   After the city tour we went to the most popular football stadium in Liverpool: Anfield Stadium. We were all very excited because it is a very big and important place in the city where some of our favourite world class players get to play.
   It was a stadium full of red seats, flags and also the spirit of football. We started the visit with an excellent tour all around the stadium, visiting every corner of it. We even visited the entrance to the soccer field. What is more, we went into the players dressing room, which was amazing! In it, each player had his own throne made with soft leather. What’s best is that each of us got the chance to sit in the place where the most famous players in the whole world prepare before a game. Moreover, there was an enormous television in which the coach could personally show to the players what they wanted, or not, for the match. 

After that we moved on to see the visitors dressing room, which was completely the opposite from the local one. This was very simple, almost as it was just a normal changing room with a tv and some showers.

   After all of this, we finished this incredible tour by taking some pictures in the rooms where the stars are interviewed after the match. In our opinion, this was one of the best moments of the trip in which all our expectations were exceeded and we had a wonderful time.

   To finish the day, the teachers decided to go to an arcade where we bowled with our friends, and we also ate a delicious hamburger with French fries. We had a really great time over there and we are really thankful for the opportunity.

 Welsh village 

   On Monday, we thought that we were coming back to Ireland, but the teachers told us that on our way back we would visit a Welsh village with the longest name in all the United Kingdom (Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch). When we arrived, the first thing that we wanted to do was ask a local how the name was pronounced and if it was the largest name in the world or not. So we found a shop assistant who told us that the town with the largest name in the world was a little town in Australia. We found the name so funny that we tried repeating the name out loud but it was impossible. Can you do it?

GIANNINE, PEREZ SOUTS, SILVEIRA

Chester

CHESTER

We are going to explain what we did from Friday 6th to Saturday 7th.

Disco (Friday, 20:00-22:00)

     For every disco on Friday we have a different themes; this one was wearing black and white clothes. Needless to say, not all of us followed the trend; we think that it is better not to follow it in order to be different and stand out. We had a great time, but the music could have been better (we prefer Latin music).

Pizza’s at college (Friday, 22:00-00:00)

     After the disco, we went to the staff room where we ate some pizzas and nuggets. It was very tasty! While eating, we talked about several topics such as the importance and difference between personality and physical appearance in life. We got to the conclusion that the attitude is the most important one without a doubt.

Ferry (Saturday, 2:30-5:30)

     After eating, we went to a big and modern ferry in which we travelled for about 3 hours till we arrived in Holyhead. Our leaders told us that we should sleep, but unluckily it was impossible for some of us. It was very strange: people were sleeping on the floor and the crew was nowhere to be seen… It seems like a “zombi apocalypse”.

Chester (Saturday)

     After a hard trip, we arrived in Chester, a picturesque city. There we had a tour guide through the imposing cathedral. After that we had another tour, but this one was around the city. To tell you the truth, many of us were very tired and it was really hot; however, we had a great time anyway because to visit many places in that city. For example:

       

           Cathedral: the cathedral is awesome! It is magnificent with its Gothic aspect. To get to know it better, we had two guides: the first one wasn’t all that great because she was an old woman who spoke slowly and weirdly, and the second one was an interactive man with a nice attitude who showed us the highest part of the cathedral. From there we could appreciate the beautiful view.

           The Walls: they were built in the roman era and they are still in good conditions. we          were surprised because of how old they are: 1500 years! Can you imagine that?

           East gate clock: it is the second most photographed clock in all Europe. It is beautiful, with many details and bright colours. We think that not enough people were able to appreciate it since we were tired by then… but we surely reacted to those strong colours. Marvellous device!

GOMEZ LUCYSZYN, GRILLO, MARTINO O’ROURKE

Dublin

National Gallery - Trinity College - Grafton St.

Hi everyone! It’s an honour to be able to tell you some details about what we have been doing lately. For example, tbe day before yesterday was a very special day for us, because we made our first visit to Dublin’s downtown, a few kilometres away from our “temporary houses” in Tallaght.

The day began in Moyle Park College’s playground. We were finishing our lunch at around 13:20 when our bus to Dublin arrived. At 13:30, we got on it, and we set off for our destination, which was “30 minutes away from us”. When we arrived in Dublin, we “jumped off” the bus and walked down the streets to the National Gallery, an arts museum which has lots of paintings and sculptures. Take a look at what we’ve seen.

National Gallery: We had a tour all around the building. We were splat into 2 groups (12 students and 2 leaders in each one) and we began our adventure. We saw lots of sculptures and paintings from lots of artists, such as Joe Walsh, Jack B. Yates, Harry Clarke and Francisco Danvi. Some of them were very interesting for us and some others were not as entertaining.

 

Trinity College: When we finished our tour, we wandered through the streets, until we reached Trinity College. We have very little information about this place because the tour was very expensive and we thought it wasn’t worth it. But, we found a way to take advantage of this place: by using it as a “Meeting Point”; so we actually got to walk round it and admire its buildings. Beautiful!

Grafton Street: This road was our main reference on our free time because it had lots of shops and places to keep us amused. When we started our “Shopping Time”, we discovered that the street was full of people. There were also some artists around there who entertained their spectators. They played wonderfully! All in all, it was a great and friendly place to be in.

Summing things up, our day was full of interesting things. We had a wonderful experience and, luckily enough, it’s only the beginning.

JUAN PABLO GALLO & TOMAS DONCEL