Land of the Little Green Men--Aliens, Perhaps?

That's right folks. Yesterday was St. Patrick's Day in Ireland. What an experience! As St. Patrick's Day is a public holiday in Ireland, we were excused from class for the day.

We Bennies and Johnnies started the day early (and by early I mean at 10:30) with a brunch for the whole gang. Matt made eggs with peppers, onions and bacon, and our apartment brought fresh fruit. After the lot was fed and sustained for the day, we headed over to Grand Parade, the main street through Cork's city centre and got a spot to watch the spread. We got there a bit late to get in the front, but we managed a fairly good spot anyway. There were so many people! Nearly every block had a stand selling Irish souveneirs--everything from orange and green sparkley cowboy hats and Irish flags to Ireland hats and noisemakers.

The theme of this year's parade was the Year of Astronomy. There were the usual bands and police officers, but a few surprise twists. One of the first people to walk through was a NASA astronaut! There was also a huge float that looked like the Loch Ness monster. It was definitely the biggest float of the parade. Other highlights from the parade included a guy that cracked a whip, some aliens on stilts, a UFO and a huge robot. Most of the other walkers were children from local clubs, or international societies, such as the Polish Association in Ireland, etc. Part of me wished that there was more Irish culture in the parade, but there were plenty of authentically Irish people around me.

After the parade, we went out for one of the Bennie's birthdays. We just so happened to go to a Chinese restaurant. That's right, another conundrum--Chinese food on St. Patrick's day in Ireland. Unusual, yes, but good? Absolutely. It's definitely a place I'll go back to again. Unfortunately I called it quits after that, in order to study for an exam I had today.

I hope you all were paid a visit by the little green men, too.