On Friday the 4th of February, I met up with Wibke to spend the day in the City Centre of Limerick. (They spell “center” differently here.)

Wibke is my friend I met while trying to attend my Inclusive Education lecture. As a study abroad student, I did not need to sign up for classes right away. The first week I could attend any lectures I pleased and decide which to take later. I understand how this could be helpful to avoid the chaotic “drop/add” period that we have at my school. There is no need to drop the class or sign up for a new one because no registration has happened. One down side to this method is that a potential student does not have full access to the class material. (They don’t call them “classes” here, they call them “modules”.)

I walk into the room for my Inclusive Education module lecture and the room is empty. I stay strong and wait. I check the room number. I am in the right room. There are only five minutes until the lecture is supposed to start and a door opens. A gentleman walks in. I give a little wave and inquire if he is here for the class too. We sit and talk for a few short minutes before Wibke walks in and another gentleman sits down in the back of the room. We decided we were all in the right place. Wibke checks to see if the lecture is online. From there we move to the front of the room and watch the lecture on Wibke’s computer. Needless to say, Wibke is a very good friend to have.

Wibke and I met up not long before noon. She knew the way, so we walked to Limerick. While we were walking, it rained on us three different times. It would rain, then the sun would come out, then it would rain, the sun would come out, it would rain, and then sun would be out again. It made for an entertaining walk. We were ready for a warm drink by the time we arrived. Our first stop was Gloria Jean’s. I had never heard of it, but there are locations in the United States. So much for eating local. It was really good though. Wibke had hot chocolate and I had a Caramelatte.

We shopped at Penneys for a few items. It is not the JCPenneys from the United States. It is an Irish store called Primark in other countries. I purchased a throw blanket, face wash, curl cream, and a wallet that would suit my needs better. We walked over to the post office to mail postcards and buy some stamps. After those successful ventures, we ate a late lunch around 2:30pm. We went to Hook & Ladder where we ordered potato soup and for a little something sweet, we tried their scones.

After good food and conversation, we stopped by one of my favorite stores in Europe, Søstrene Grene. They sell some home decor, a few craft supplies, and overall cute products.

We took the River Walk back to the University of Limerick to conclude our day. It was exactly what I needed: a friend, food, and a foot trail.