Excursions I Experienced with CEA CAPA While Studying Abroad in Dublin, Ireland
One of the best things about CEA CAPA is all the amazing excursions they take us on throughout the semester. The CEA CAPA program is absolutely filled with all sorts of different experiences that are well worth the time. All of them are included in your program fee so there is no extra cost to them which is always a plus. The only thing you have to worry about paying for on these excursions is food, but other than that you can just sit back and enjoy the ride! Also, they are optional if you don’t feel like leaving the city that day or are planning a different trip altogether. But, as mentioned before, they are already included so why not spend the time exploring your host country?
Sometimes mounds are a lot bigger than they seem from afar.
It’s important to stop and appreciate the scenery sometimes, even if you’re freezing on top of a hill.
The Hill of Tara used to be the seat of the High King of Ireland and there is a standing stone on top called the Lia Fáil which is the coronation stone. Back when Ireland had kings and high kings, they would use this site as a way of determining the next high king of Ireland! CEA CAPA arranged for a tour guide to tell us all about the site and give us a brief history leading up to the modern day. It was a little windy but it was definitely worth the history lesson.
The Lia Fáil is the stone at the inauguration sight of the High King of Ireland at the Hill of Tara that is said to give out a loud roar when the next High King touches it. Unfortunately, I am not the next High King.
CEA CAPA offers many opportunities to see different sights around your host country and meet new friends.
Newgrange is a 5000-year-old passage tomb in the Boyne Valley and it’s older than Stonehenge and the Great Pyramids of Giza! It was quite the sight to behold and I never would have known about it if it weren’t for CEA CAPA arranging our visit.
Finally, we went to Trim Castle in, you guessed it, the town of Trim. We were given a full tour of the castle and we even got to go to the top and admire the view of the town from above.
These are the old ruins of a monastery in Trim. Trust me, it reaches a lot higher than it looks.
There’s something about a medieval castle being lit from behind that just gets me every time.
This castle and the area itself was interesting because it was used in the movie “Braveheart.” That was an interesting tidbit and rather unexpected given that “Braveheart” takes place in Scotland. It was a beautiful castle and it just reinforced my love of history and stone architecture.
On our way to Trim Castle!
This ancient graffiti was found at Trim Castle. What do you think it says?
CEA CAPA also has other excursions lined up for us later in the semester, like a trip to Inis Mor and one to Belfast! They really make sure you are never bored and make an effort to get you out of your host city even if you can’t afford to travel too much. The team here is wonderful and I always feel well supported by them which makes the experiences all the more fulfilling.
This is where CEA CAPA puts all the misbehaving students.
You can’t really beat this view from the top of Trim Castle.