Endlich wieder reisen! Die 3BHW Klasse war zu Besuch in Irland – Michelle Kronbichler und Liliane Holly nehmen uns in ihrem Tagebuch auf ihre Reise mit …

Day one

Dear Diary, today it’s Sunday. We went by bus to Munich. There we went through security checks and waited for our flight. We flew for only 2 hours. The flight was very relaxed as there was no turbulence. When we got to the airport, we picked up our suitcases and took the bus for 45 minutes to Bray. When we arrived in Bray, we waited for our host family. We were very excited. Our host mum called Priscilla, picked us up with her 2 children Alannah and Luca. Alannah is 6 years old, and Luca is 3 years old. They welcomed us very kindly. They hugged us and we drove home. Priscilla showed us our room, which was very nicely decorated. We quickly unpacked our suitcases and then we drove with them to the beach. The godmother of the children was already waiting for us there. She also wanted to meet us. We went for a walk together to get to know each other better. During the walk we met a funny Brazilian woman. She is a friend of the family and had 4 dogs with her. She talked non-stop which was really amusing. Later we went for an ice cream, which our host mum paid for. The ice cream was very good. We sat down on a bench at the beach and talked. Of course, we immediately took a photo with our host family. When we got home, we had tea with Priscilla and the children. In the meantime, she explained our way to school to us. We are only 9 minutes away from our school, which is great. For dinner we got pasta with tomatoes and feta. The food was fantastic. After dinner we played briefly with the 2 dogs named Max and Dexter. Afterwards we went to our room and watched Netflix. Then we went to sleep.

Day two

Today is Monday. We got up at 8 o'clock because we had to get ready for school. We had breakfast with the children, and we met Jamie. Jamie is our host dad who works as a bus driver. He usually comes home quite late, so we only met him in the morning. He is very nice and told us a lot about himself. At 8:30 a.m. we went to school. On the way to school we saw many students, all wearing school uniforms. When we arrived at the school, we met our teacher called Dave. He was very friendly and taught us many things about Ireland. We played games and sang Irish songs. At 12:15 p.m. we all went on a little tour of Bray together. Dave showed us a few interesting places there. After that we went to the train station. We drove 45 minutes to Dublin. When we arrived in Dublin, we visited many different sights, such as the Spire or the Temple Bar district. The Spire rises almost 122 metres into the sky. It was very fascinating. As we walked through the town, we saw many different coloured houses. We really liked the architecture and took many photos. After the tour we were allowed to go shopping in Dublin for 2 hours. Before we went home, something embarrassing happened. I (Michelle) had to go to the toilet. When I wanted to leave the toilet, it didn't open. I was locked in the toilet. Luckily, Lilly freed me. It was a very funny experience for both of us. Afterwards we went home and had a porcini risotto. It was very good. We talked about our day and laughed a lot. The children danced in the kitchen, and we had tea together with Priscilla. It was a very nice evening. Later we went to sleep.

Day three

Today is Tuesday. We got up at 8 o'clock because we had to get ready for school. At breakfast we talked to Jamie about our day ahead and left for school at 8.40a.m. At school we learned something new about Ireland again and sang a few songs. It was a very great day at school. At 12.15 in the afternoon, school was over for the day. As there were no programmes, we were allowed to spend the afternoon as we wanted. First, we went to Lidl to buy something to drink. We also bought two stuffed animal bunnies for the children and a farewell card for the family. We will give them this card on the last day. Afterwards we went to the beach. There we took lots of photos and bought very good crêpes. We also went for a cliff walk. It was a very beautiful view.
For dinner we had homemade pizza. Jamie and Priscilla made the pizzas in a pizza oven. We were allowed to choose how the pizzas were topped. The pizzas only took 3 minutes to make and tasted fantastic. They were the best we have ever eaten. Afterwards we made a chocolate pizza, which was also very good. At about 8.20 p.m. Priscilla drove us to the bowling alley with her daughter Alannah, as she didn't want us to take the wrong bus. It was very nice of her. In front of the bowling centre, we waited for our classmates and for Mrs Zischg and Mr Karrer. We bowled 2 rounds and we had a lot of fun. At 10.20 p.m. we took the bus home. Priscilla wrote down exactly which bus we had to take to which bus stop. When we arrived home, we had a short talk with Jamie and then went to sleep.

Day four

Let me tell you a little bit about day 4. Wednesday was a long but still beautiful day. We had a lot planned today. We went to the Powerscourt Gardens and Glendalough. We met at 9 a.m. at Lidl and waited for our bus. The bus arrived a little bit late, but it was okay. Our first stop was at the Powerscourt Gardens. And let me tell you, the Powerscourt Gardens are one of the most beautiful places you will ever see. When we arrived at the mansion, our teacher handed us the tickets. Before we were allowed to go in, we had to watch a short movie about the history of the Powerscourt Family. It was very interesting. After the film we split up into small groups. We had 2 hours to look at the gardens and we took advantage of them. When you step out of the mansion you are immediately in the Italian Gardens and have the perfect view of Sugar Loaf Mountain. You can also get a perfect overview of the gardens from there. Don't be fooled, there's still an incredible amount hidden in the woods. From there we started our walk through the most beautiful gardens in Ireland. First, we visited an animal cemetery. For generations, the ancestors of the nobility have been buried in this cemetery. After this detour we decided to visit the Japanese Gardens. And that was my absolute favourite part of the gardens. Quiet and peaceful like nothing else can be. Next, we visited a tower. It looks like a real fairy-tale tower. In fact, that was the last thing we looked at. Then we went back to the mansion. There were a few shops where we bought something.

Back on the bus and off to Glendalough. Once there we had to realize that the weather meant it funny with us. First rain, then sunshine and then wind again and so on. When we got there in the museum, we first watched a film again. This one was also very interesting. Afterwards, an employee gave us a lecture about the history of this place. In Glendalough we walked around and looked at the landscape. It was very impressive. We didn't stay in Glendalough that long. Then we made our way back. But the bus ride was really nice, our bus driver stopped once to show us typical Irish flowers. Back in Bray, most of us made our way back to the host family, including myself and Michelle. When we got back, we rested a bit. In the evening we sat with our host family and ate dinner with them. Priscilla and I had veggie burgers and the others had meat. For dessert we made biscuits which turned out very well. It was such a nice evening.

Day five

Now we come to the most boring day, Thursday. On Thursday we spent the whole day at school. After all, we went to the Lidl during the lunch break to get some snacks. In the afternoon we played something in class. In fact, the class went by incredibly quickly. Michelle and I decided to go to the Lidl after class and get some more snacks. When we got home, we decided to pack our bags. We spent the rest of the evening with Priscilla and the children. After dinner she put the kids to bed and we spent some time with the dogs. After a short time, she came down and we talked a bit and she prepared some snacks for us. Then we all went up a bit to rest. Michelle actually took a shower while I chose the more comfortable method and stayed in bed watching Netflix. At midnight we took a taxi to the meeting point for our bus. Unfortunately, we could only say goodbye to Priscilla as everyone was delayed and Jamie still had to work.