Fulbright Gang

Here are some shots of the various Fulbrighter Scholars and the Fulbright staff. We've had some reporting out presentations and dinners. We took a trip up to Belfast and had a chance to meet some of the spouse here on a visit too. I'll try to get some additional shots as I can as well!

Brussels

Here are some shots from our trip to Brussels to visit with my friend Mauro and his wife Francesca--I had not seen Mauro since our graduation from Cornell in 1984! We picked up right where we dropped off and hope to have another visit before another 25 years go by. You'll see Laura with a baby duck that had been abandoned--she was in heaven helping out! She went with Francesca to a rehabilitation center to help with the animals. You'll see some shots from the city, a nearby park, castle, etc. The visit went pretty quickly!

Laura--Cricket

Laura is on the Wesley College Cricket team. She is liking the sport and learning the rules. Having never played baseball, she hasn't had to unlearn that sport, but also has not had experience with batting--that basic hand-eye coordination. She got to play on the varsity team this week--hence the traditional all white outfit. I found the match to be a bit like watching paint dry--but I'm still learning the rules. Much time is spent on the sidelines when you are not one of the two batters up.

Laura--Bio trip to the Burren

Laura's biology class went on a field trip to the Burren in West Ireland. They had a series of field studies to conduct, with Laura's favorite activity just walking and finding things like the pregnant crab above. The hats at the gift store were a real treat. You need to be pretty hardy on this side of the island--this is May 7th and you can see how bundled up everyone was!

NUI Galway

I did a set of interviews at NUI Galway for my research on college partnerships. Here are a few shots of the campus. The walk to the campus was quite scenic, though the weather variable. I started off one day in the sun, only to be rained on and then to get hail! You can see by the one shot by the Galway Bay that it is a windy place! In a chat with one of the people I met, I noted how there were sun dresses for sale in the shoppes and wondered how it ever got warm enough to wear one. She said they go by the calendar and that if it is summer, you wear a sun dress regardless of the temperatures! They actually just had an article in the paper noting the increase in skin cancer in Ireland--despite the lack of much sun the UV rays are still quite damaging. Good to note with all my white skin!

Edinburgh Castle

Here are some shots of Edinburgh Castle. The views were just amazing. What I really liked about this castle was how it really was a small town inside the walls. There was a chapel, lots of smaller buildings, etc. We got to see the Crown jewels, but you couldn't take pictures. I know that my nephews would really like all the swords and cannons. This was certainly a high point of our tour. The restaurant, The Witchery, was located outside the gates--one of Sarah's friends works there.

Edinburgh--Scenic Shots

Here is an assortment of pictures from Edinburgh. As you might guess from some of the signage on the pubs--the one was the sight where hangings occurred in the square and the other the end of the city during medieval times. Laura and I are in front of the fountain in the park at the base of the castle. It was put there since it was a gift that was not well liked and is now one of the most photographed spots according to Sarah. One of my favorite pictures is of the van which was selling cheese! I've never seen such a thing--ice cream yes, cheese-who knew!