MIC International Student Ambassador Rie talks about her journey from Frankfurt to Limerick
My journey to Limerick started in the early morning of September 2nd. With a suitcase full of warm jumpers, raincoats and hiking boots I thought myself very well prepared for my stay in Ireland and was all the more nervous and excited when the day of my departure from home rolled around. Waking up at 3 am, I was on my way to the Frankfurt Airport with my now flatmate, Zara. Since our plane took off at seven, we had ample time to get our bags tagged, going through airport security and finding our gate. While we chatted about our upcoming Erasmus+ semester, as well as hopes and expectations for our stay in Ireland, the terminal started to fill with people till we were ready to board.
From there on we flew for roughly two hours to Dublin. Leaving Frankfurt and Germany’s sunny sky and familiar landscape behind, we crossed the English Channel, parts of England and the Irish Sea till we landed in a – very foggy and cloudy – Dublin. As if to prove the stereotype right, it also started to rain fairly soon. The small (smaller than Frankfurt at least) airport proved easy to navigate and made our stay there enjoyable, marking a straight path from the terminal to the exit. There we had to wait for another two hours for our next means of transport; the bus directly to Limerick via the Citylink bus line. The two hour ride was filled with chatting, sleeping and admiring the view: green hills and valleys, small patches of forest, little cottages and houses as well as sheep flocks and cow herds which were visible even from the highway.
Getting off the bus at Arthurs Quay in Limerick we had a nice view of the river and King John’s Castle while waiting for a taxi to take us to our accommodation. This served as a bit of “sightseeing” as well, as our route took us through the streets of Limerick and showed us the city, its ample shops, cafes and pubs along the way.
My first impression of Ireland, and Limerick especially, is very good: the people are all incredibly nice and helpful, the countryside proved to be beautiful and Limerick promised many interesting spots to go to and spend time at. Though the weather was a bit grey, everything else was just so lovely that I didn’t even particularly care about it. With so many places to go to and explore I am sure that my stay here will be fantastic.
-Rie Menche, Universität Gießen, Germany
