Hi my name is Lizzie Spisak. I’m a sophomore Broadcast Production and Media Management major. I’m currently a member of the university TV station, U-View. I’m from Glassport, PA. I have never been out of the country and am excited to have this awesome experience!
Pre-Trip Blog
I’m writing this on April 28th, 2017, so there are about 15 days until we leave for Iceland and Ireland. I am very excited and nervous, because I have never been out of the country, or flown over an ocean. I made the mistake of reading about trans-Atlantic flights on the internet, and found that there is a bunch of turbulence that you experience. I have flown to Florida a couple times before, but I have never been on a plane for more than 2 hours, so this should be an interesting experience. I am definitely excited though for this trip! As a broadcast major I’m most excited to see BBC Northern Ireland and see the differences and similarities of their productions. It will be cool if I can bring back production ideas to use at U-View.
Iceland Day 1- Reykjavik
Today was our second day traveling, but our first day out of the country. The flight to Iceland was a little bumpy in the beginning, but overall was not as bad as I had been anticipating. I fortunately had a window seat, so I was able to see everything. My favorite view from the window was while we were descending and seeing the coastline of Iceland. I was very impressed with how clean the airport was, especially the bathrooms that had really cool sinks with hand dryers built into the faucets. From the airport we rode on a bus where Helga, our Icelandic tour guide, told us about different cultural customs of Iceland, and what we were seeing outside the bus windows. We were able to stop at a couple different places to take pictures. One of which was the President of Iceland’s home, which is completely different than the White House. Compared the President of Iceland has far fewer security measures outside of his home, and it’s much more modest compared to the U.S. mansion.
Unfortunately, our initial bus was having mechanical issues, so we ended up having to switch buses. After that was resolved and we stopped at a few more places we had free time to explore the city and eat. It was really cool just seeing the buildings and architecture of the largest city in Iceland, especially compared to the larger cities of the U.S. There are no skyscrapers, and its very similar, in my opinion, to the South Side of Pittsburgh. It’s also neat to see how the different aethstetic all work together, and without one seeming like it was out of place. Some stores were designer, and then a door down you had a punk shop and it all seemed cohesive. I also really enjoyed all the artwork and murals that were everywhere.
For dinner we went to this cute little restaurant that was a little bit down the road from our hotel. We had three courses consisting of; cauliflower soup, a pork tenderloin dish with vegetables and potatoes, and ended with a chocolate lava cake with whipped cream and berries. It was all delicious!
I would say, other than being exhausted from traveling, the first day was pretty great! And I can’t wait for the Golden Circle tour tomorrow!
Iceland Day 2- Golden Circle Tour
Monday May 15th, 2017 was a very exciting day. We went on the Golden Circle Tour which was breath taking the entire time. From the scenery on the drive to the stops we took, everything was so beautiful and picturesque.
Our first stop was at the national park called Þingvellir. Here is the largest lake in Iceland, and where the end of the North American Tectonic plate is. We were actually able to touch the rocks where it ends, and walk in between the fault. Walking through reminded me of driving on the turnpike towards Somerset where you can see the sediment lines on the blasted rocks from construction.
Our next stop on the tour was a geothermal area that had geysers. The most active one called Strokkur erupts about every 5 minutes. What I thought was cool, was it looks like a balloon bursting when it erupts. Having never seen a geyser before, that was not how expected it to happen. Here there was also a really pretty blue pool of water, that occurs naturally from the different bacterias and organisms in the water.
Our last stop on the tour was the Gullfoss waterfall. This was my favorite stop of the day. I think what i liked most about it, was the grandness of it all. It was just so large and powerful, I loved it. We were also able to get super close to it, which was incredible and nerve wracking watching people lean on the singular rope barrier trying to get a good selfie.
We finished the day with a meal at hotel restaurant in Reykjavik, that had a beautiful view of the water. Again our meal was delicious. We had grilled scallops as an appetizer, chicken with some type of gravy and a barley chorizo side dish, and ended with a lemon tart type thing for dessert. I’ve been very impressed with all the food on this trip so far. As someone who is a picky eater I’ve definitely branched out and tried things I normally wouldn’t.
Tomorrow is our first day of media visits. We are going to Promote Iceland and Reykjavik Grapevine.
Iceland Day 3- Last Day
Today was our first day of media visits. Our first stop was at Promote Iceland. This was my favorite of the two stops. Promote Iceland is essentially an ad agency thats main goal is to get tourists to come to Iceland and experience their culture. They want the tourist to immerse themselves in the country and not just in popular tourist attractions. Also something that really blew me away was the fact that after Iceland had experienced a volcanic eruption back in 2010, European airspace was closed indefinitely. This meant that no one from those countries could go anywhere, and everyone assumed that Iceland could not accept any flights in or out, however, flights from the Western Hemisphere were still possible. It was Promote Iceland’s job to get the word out that Iceland was still open for business. This was mostly done through social media, and without it they never would have been able to afford other communication mediums. It’s just really astounding the way social media has changed how the world operates and the power of it.
Our second visit was to The Reykjavik Grapevine, which is an Icelandic cultural magazine. It is written in English and its goal is to allow tourists to be part of the conversation. It tells about many events that are happening in Iceland, and what places are good to eat at. I really enjoyed the staff of The Reykjavik Grapevine. They were just cool and laid back, and they really just spoke honestly about their goals and their content.
Tomorrow we leave to go to Ireland. I’m sad to be leaving such a beautiful and unique country, but I’m very excited to see Ireland, and experience such a historic country!
Ireland Day 1- Dublin
Our day started quite early in the morning, as we had to get up a 2 A.M. to leave at three to catch our flight to Dublin. Our flight wasn’t so bad until the landing. I’m not exactly sure what the issue was, but we very swiftly touched down and no sooner did our wheels hit the tarmac, we were up in the air again. I briefly panicked thinking something terrible had happened, but the captain came over the speaker and said the first landing was so good and that they just needed to approach it again.
After finally landing and picking up our luggage from the baggage claim, we met Joe our Irish tour guide. We were supposed to see the Book of Kells, but because our flight had been delayed and our interesting landing we had missed our reservation. After seeing a few sights from the bus we had some free time to eat lunch and explore the city a little. We ate at the Blarney Inn. It was your typical image of an Irish pub, and probably my favorite place we have eaten at so far. I had the shepherd’s pie, which was very good.
We all eventually met back up, and Joe took us on a short walking tour of the city to show us some of the historical buildings. We then went to their House of Parliament and had the opportunity to see a party meeting in the chambers, and tour the building and learn about how this location came to be the house of parliament.
Once the tour was finished we were able to check into our hotel, which is really an apartment, and one of the nicest places I’ve stayed. We have two double bedrooms, a bathroom, a full kitchen, living room, and (my personal favorite) a balcony that has a great view.
For dinner we went to the Brazen Head, which is the oldest pub in Ireland. There we had salad, bread, Irish stew, and chocolate cake for dessert.
So far this trip has been amazing! Even though it is exhausting, it’s really worth it in the end. It’s incredible the cultural experiences we have been able to have, and just to be able to see these beautiful countries!
Ireland Day 2- Media Visits
Another exciting, early, day here in Dublin. Our agenda for the day included a lecture at Dublin City University, and Harmonia Publications.
At DCU we were able to experience an Irish classroom, which size wise was very similar to Point Park. We then heard a lecture by a professor there about the Republic of Ireland media. We were informed about its history and censorship, the different mediums which it is delivered, its content, and where it is heading. Here is where we also ate lunch in the university dining hall, which was similar to your typical American college dining hall.
After some free time we went to our next stop. Harmonia Publications is Ireland largest magazine publisher, with about 4.4 million copies sold annually. They have several different magazines that all fit in some demographic, from young adult to foodie. We were able to hear both the creative, and business side of the publishing process. Both visits were very informative.
We were on our own for dinner so a couple of us went to a pub a little ways down. Today I had roast beef, mashed potatoes, and vegetables. I think by the time we leave Ireland I’ll have gained at least ten pounds from all the potatoes! I’m definitely okay with that though!
Tomorrow is another day of media visits. We go to Heneghan PR and the Press Photographers Association of Ireland.
Ireland Day 3- Pub Crawl
Heneghan PR and the Press Photographer’s Association of Ireland(PPAI) were our meetings of the day. Unlike the other visits we met with them in a nearby hotel conference room.
I was very impressed with Heneghan PR and the knowledge they have, not only of their business, but of their clients. I’m sure you could ask any of them specific questions about their clients and they could answer it without having to look at any notes or papers. I was also really impressed that with met with Nigel Heneghan, the managing director. His father is the one who started the business in 1990.
I also really enjoyed the PPAI presentation as well. Michael Chester, who i believe is the president of the association, was a very lively character with many fascinating stories about his career. The images he showed us that members of the association took were truly incredible.
In-between meetings we went on a coffee hunt for a Starbucks. We didn’t find one, but we did find the U.S. Embassy, where I took a picture with one of my Terrible Towels. (I brought three #YinzerForLife) I think thats one of the cooler pictures I’ve taken on this trip, mostly because Dan Rooney (RIP) was the U.S. Ambassador to Ireland.
After our media visits were done for the day we went on a literary pub crawl. I can’t say I’m really a big fan of literature or that I know much about it, but this was a good time. The leaders of the crawl acted out short skits from works of Yates, Joyce, etc. It was very entertaining and very cool to see different historical pubs through Dublin.
Tomorrow is a free day so I plan on sleeping in a little.
Ireland Day 4- Free Day
Well I slept in a little longer than I would have liked to, but the rest did me good. I also had a horrible sinus headache for most of the day so I didn’t end up going out until later in the day. I did watch some T.V. which is so different from American television. I watched part of a game of hurdling(I think that’s the name). It made absolutely no sense. Some times they carried the ball some times they whacked it with a stick. It was just complete chaos. I also watched the end of a game show, where basically you answer questions to gain time. Then once the question portion is over you run around the store to pick up the most groceries and whoever spends the most gets a chance to win 2,000 pounds. It was really entertaining to watch them run around the store like a bunch of chickens with their heads cut off.
We then went to dinner. We went back to the Brazen Head. I ordered bread, a coke, a bacon cheeseburger, and chocolate cake. To my surprise the waitress had thought by me asking for a plain burger that I only meant the bun, cheese, and enough bacon to feed an army. No burger. Now I like bacon as much as the next person, but this was just too much. I, however, bucked up and ate it because it was just a communication error and I should have been more clear, and I was starving and didn’t feel like waiting for a new one.
We also did our group project where we had to interview Irish people about Donald Trump being President. It was very interesting to hear people’s, who aren’t American, responses.
Tomorrow we leave to go to Belfast for a couple of days. We are going to the BBC here which I’m most excited for!
Ireland Day 5- Belfast
Today we left Dublin to go to Belfast, Northern Ireland. We left our hotel at about 9 to depart for our 10 o’clock departure time by train. I had never ridden a commuter train before so it was a new experience I was excited to take. We all were supposed to have assigned seats, but apparently the registration system was down and our seats were taken by the time we boarded. However, I ended up in the bar car with a couple other people from the group, and we made friends with a guy sitting next to us. I don’t remember his name, but he was from Chicago on business. It was cool to hear about his experiences in Ireland.
From the train we were able to see really amazing views from the country, as well as some of the coast line. The 2 hour train ride seemed to go fairly quickly and by noon we were in Belfast.
We had a tour bus that took us to the center of Belfast where we stopped for a bite to eat. We were also right across the street from City Hall and were able to go in and look around. It was just an incredible building. They also had an exhibition on The Troubles, which was really solemn to see and read people’s testimonials of what happened to them during that time.
After a break we hopped back on the tour bus and drove around to the different sites in Belfast. We drove passed the Titanic museum and where they film Game of Thrones. We also got to see the Parliament building Stormont, which somewhat resembles the White House. My favorite part was Belfast Castle which just had an incredible view of the city. We also saw some of the Peace Walls, and were able to get out and sign our names on one.
We were able to check in to our hotel, and then went out for a group dinner at McHughes. Unlike our other group dinners, we chose our meals. For my appetizer I had spicy chicken wings, that really were not spicy, but still good. For my entree I had a chicken breast, boxty, and two different sauces. And for dessert I had a sticky toffee cake with ice cream, which was my bien.
Tomorrow are our media visits to BBC NI, and The Irish News. I’m really looking forward to going to the BBC and seeing how they operate.
Ireland Day 6- BBC NI and The Irish News
Our morning started off a little later than it has been, because our first stop of the day was not until later in the morning.
We walked to the BBC offices, where we were given a badge, and then escorted by reporter, Dan Stanton to a conference room. The first person to talk to us was Kathleen Carragher, who is the head of all News, radio, TV, and digital media. She just gave us a brief history of the company, and told us about their current operations. We were then provided with lunch by the BBC and watched a short video of what working for the BBC was like during the Troubles.
After we were split into groups, some TV, some Radio. My group got to see the control room, which was just mind blowing! They had so many different screens with different things on them. It was just amazing to see them put on a live broadcast in person. And it was inspiring to see so many females in the control room. it was also cool to kind of compare and contrast what I was seeing, with what I know from U-View. We were also able to go down into the studio to see the set and talk with the anchor. I loved looking at the cameras and was surprised at the fact that they use ENPS, which is our writing system that we use at school. It was definitely my favorite visit.
When we were done at the BBC, we made our way over to The Irish News. We met in their cafeteria due to our large group and space limitations. They were very hospitable and gave us drinks and snacks. I was very impressed with how well they had prepared their presentaions. They were our largest line-up of speakers. We met with basically every important member of staff, from editor to advertising to journalist, we talked to them all.
After that meeting we were free for the night. We ate at a little fish place called Fish City which was a cute. Everything Belfast closes really early, but this place was open. I had a bacon cheeseburger with barbecue sauce and french fries. I definitely needed a little taste of America. They also had Heinz ketchup there, which automatically made it a winner in my book.
Speaking of Pittsburgh, I was able to take my third and final picture with my third Terrible Towel at City Hall. I just need one more at the Cliffs of Moher and I’ll be a happy yinzer.
We leave for Galway in the morning, and have three days of visiting left before we leave Friday.
Ireland Day 7- Galway
I slept until about 6:30 this morning. I got up, took a shower, packed my things to head to Galway. I also ate some breakfast the hotel provides for guests, and took some bread rolls for our 5 hour journey.
We headed to Galway by coach bus, which was going the scenic route. We made our first pit stop in Kells. (yes where the books originally were written) Most of us needed coffee at this point and found a cute little book shop cafe. After about an hour we began our journey again. I’ll be honest it wasn’t that great. Most of us got carsick from the curves and hills of the road. Our second stop had mixed feelings of if we should eat or not, because it all might just come back up. But, we did eat, which made a feel somewhat better.
The last leg of our trip was done by motorway, and we were only in the bus for maybe another hour. Once we arrived in Galway we checked in our hotel and met back down in the lobby to have a group meeting about our time in Belfast.
We then set out on foot to make our way to the City Center, and to see the cultural part of Galway. This is definitely my favorite place of the trip so far. It’s what I pictured Ireland to be like. It’s populated and lively, but not all the hustle and bustle of a major city like Dublin.
Tonight we had a free night and we ate at a place called The Spanish Arch restaurant. I had shrimp scampi with french fries and cheesy garlic bread. After dinner we got gelato for dessert. I really enjoyed the streets with all the food places and shops. Everywhere looked inviting.
Tomorrow is our last media visit at Galway Bay FM radio, and our last day in Galway. We have two more days abroad.
Ireland Day 8- Galway Bay FM
Today was interesting to say the least. Our media visit was at Galway Bay FM. Compared to the BBC it is a lot smaller, but still has the all the same capabilities. We were split into two groups; one to go in the studio, and the other to tour and then switch. So we did our tour and it was my group’s turn to sit in and observe the broadcast. It was really hot in there and I passed out. Looking back it’s actually kind of funny just hearing the story from everyone else about how I fell. Apparently I did this turn and then fell, which I think someone said was the most gracious fall they ever saw, so my years of dance classes weren’t wasted! Luckily I am ok! I hit my head, but other than a headache and bruise I am fine. Another girl who is certified in concussion training(if thats what its called) checked me out and said I was fine, but to just watch out for other symptoms, none of which have happened. I usually don’t like to draw attention to myself when I don’t feel well or if I am injured, but I am truly grateful for the concern everyone had for me, and the help everyone offered!
After this happened and I collected myself, the CEO of Galway Bay FM met with us and talked about the operations of his company, and its history.
We were then on our on for the rest of the day. I had a headache so I took some Ibuprofen and decided I just wanted to go chill out for a little. So I walked down to the Spanish Arch and sat by the water for awhile. It was just really calm compared to shopping area some yards back. I was hungry so I went back and ate at this place called Fat Freddy’s. It was a really great combination restaurant. It reminded me of an Italian restaurant, but not food wise. I had a mexican wrap, which had chicken, peppers, red onions, and cheese. It was great and probably one of my favorite things I ate during this trip.
After I walked back to the water, but to the other side where you could see the bay. It reminded me of being at the beach and I just sat there for like an hour and relaxed and took in the view. Galway is definitely my favorite place we visited. It’s what I imagined Ireland to be and I’m glad it met my expectations.
When it started to get chilly I decided to head back and do some shopping. I ran into some other girls from the trip in the store and we just walked around and ate. I think now I have all the gifts I need,unless I see something good at the Cliffs of Moher tomorrow.
I’m sad the trip is ending, but I’m ready to be back on American soil, and see my family!
Ireland Day 9- Cliffs of Moher
Today is an exciting day. We are leaving Galway to make our trek to Shannon, so we are closer to the airport. On our way we stopped at the Cliffs of Moher. This was absolutely my favorite part of the whole trip. It was just so beautiful to see that. I got my final picture with my Terrible Towel there. It was really windy and the path was somewhat narrow so I was irrationally afraid of being blown over the edge. We checked into our hotel which was very cool. It was also probably my favorite hotel even though we only stayed for one night. For dinner we went to Bunratty Castle and had a medieval dinner. It definitely reminded me of the first two Shrek movies. I loved the whole thing. People dressed in costumes, and sang songs. It was a thrill.
Tomorrow we leave for the airport. I’m really excited to get home and see my family. I’m also really glad to get back to eating american food again. Not to say that I didn’t enjoy the food here, I just really want some good ole artery clogging fast food!