Meanwhile With Madeleine in Dublin, Ireland

Published 8:30 am Wednesday, March 22, 2017

By Madeleine Fuselier

 

Hi there! I am a life-long Orangeite who is currently living in Paris. I am spending this year teaching English, improving my French, and exploring France (and some of its neighboring countries) before heading to college this fall. Keep reading to find out what’s been going on “Meanwhile With Madeleine.” Thanks for allowing me to share my adventures with you!

My mom and brother came to visit over spring break! It was so nice to see them, and we had a great time exploring Dublin, Prague, and Paris together.

Our first stop was Dublin, where we met up with my mom’s childhood friend, Reece Smyth, who is currently serving as the Interim United States Ambassador (Chargés d’affaires ad interim) to Ireland. It was really interesting to meet him and to hear about his work with the State Department. His job has taken him to some pretty incredible places! Because Saint Patrick’s Day was just around the corner, his schedule had been packed for the time leading up to our arrival, and he had meetings and events in The States just after we left Dublin, but even with all that he had going on he was so kind and welcoming. He took us on a fun tour of the Guinness Storehouse, allowed us to see his office at the US Embassy, and arranged for us to take a hike through Wicklow Mountains National Park. He even invited us to stay as his guests at the (insanely beautiful) American Ambassador’s Residence!

Wicklow Mountains National Park was breathtaking. We beat the crowds and were mostly alone as we walked through an ancient monastery and took in the impressive scenery. Our day took a scary turn when Izzy, Mr. Smyth’s dog, ran after a pair of rams. She chased them to the top of a cliff, and when we were finally able to find her, she was stuck on a tiny ledge with one of them. The ram tried several times to knock Izzy off the ledge, but luckily Mr. Smyth and my brother were able to get there in time to pull her back to safety.

Aside from that incident, our time in Ireland was relaxing and fun. The people were friendly, the food was delicious, and there was an interesting piece of history around every corner. Thank you to Mr. Smyth for being our guide and for introducing us to the wonderful country of Ireland!