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Independent or Not, Students Enjoy Ireland Extra Eloquent? Lexie Brown kisses the Blarney Stone at Blarney Castle--twice! (Video by Kala Larson) By Kala Larson and Jamie Willhelm Harlaxton College Web Design Students Thursday, February 14, 2008 After 16 hours by bus, ferry and bus, and a long climb up slippery, narrow, winding stairs, Lexie Brown found herself hanging upside-down and face to face with the Blarney Stone. The only thing keeping her from plummeting to the ground below was a gray-haired Irish man, who sat beside her and held her firmly around her hips and the grab bars she clutched above her head. She puckered up and gave the stone a kiss, and the Irish man helped her out of her backbend and back onto solid ground. It was over in an instant. As the legend goes, Brown’s efforts will be rewarded with the “Gift of Eloquence” and seven years good luck. “We walked up about 100 stairs and kissed the stone right away. The whole thing took about three minutes, but it was still a good time,” said Brown, 20, a sophomore from Mount Vernon, Ind. Sam Maas, 20, a sophomore from Bowling Green, Ohio, also kissed the Blarney Stone later that day. Though they were both in Ireland at the same time there were definite differences in their travels. One difference between Brown and Maas’ experiences was that Maas’ journey to Ireland from England only took a total of four hours compared Brown’s 16-hour trip. Maas took a train and an airplane to Ireland while Brown’s voyage involved 12 hours on a coach with a four-hour ferry ride in the middle of the journey. “Even though we had to sleep in the airport on the way back, I think traveling independently on this trip was worth it,” Maas said. While planning trips for the semester, Maas decided to take a commercial Paddywagon bus tour while Brown opted for the school-organized trip.   “I had nothing planned for the weekend and it just seemed easier to book the trip through school and I had friends going, too,” Brown said.   Maas had heard through the grapevine that Paddywagon tours were a lot of fun and less expensive than going on the school trip. Maas later realized after getting lost in Dublin looking for her hostel and sleeping in the airport, that even though she saved money and had just as much fun on her independent trip, that it would have been much less stressful book the trip with Harlaxton.   Erica Calder takes in the view from atop the Cliffs of Moher. (Photo by Ben McElwee) “It’s so funny how so many people have had trouble with their travel plans so far,” said Erica Calder, 21, a senior from Orlando. Calder traveled on the Paddywagon tour with Maas, although they planned their trips separately. Calder’s only issues with traveling independently were delayed flights and not booking hostels early enough. Even though Calder had trouble with her flights, she did not mind because her trip ended up being cheaper and she did not have to spend 30 hours on a bus.   The long trip did not bother everyone, however. “I really liked the trip. Even though we were on the bus for a really long time, it was totally worth it because of all that we saw. I’ve traveled independently in Germany. It would be hard to compare them because they are two totally different trips and because of that I really liked them both,” said Brittany Kittleman, 20, a sophomore from Covington, Ky. Although people had good times on their trips, there were things they would have liked to change. “If someone would have asked me, I would have rather gone to see the Cliffs of Moher instead of [the city of] Dublin,” said Bill Weiss, Ph.D.   Even though she had a great time on her trip, Maas said she would have liked to spend more time at Blarney Castle to explore the grounds. “If parts of the school trip could be combined with parts of the independent trip, it would have been amazing,” said Brown.   Both trips were good experiences, but for some people the school trip might have been the better choice.   “I don’t think independent trips are good for people who can’t stand on their own two feet. If you aren’t interested in research and planning, independent travel isn’t a good idea. Flexibility is really important when planning your own trips. Things are not always going to go as you plan them,” Calder said. Whether or not they traveled by air or land, both Maas and Brown were hanging upside down kissing a stone that was placed at Blarney Castle 600 years ago during their excursions to Ireland.