June 8, 2008

DUBLIN, IRELAND - The George Mason women's lacrosse team has embarked on a nine-day trip to England, Ireland and Scotland, touring the countries together and competing against some of the world's best teams. Cristina Maurizi recaps the Patriots trip to Dublin.

On June 7, we took our coach to Conwy, Wales, a small town along the water. We walked through Conwy Castle and along the outskirts of the castle walls. Afterwards, we went to the heart of town and witnessed a "Stone the Crows" ceremony. Fifty performers were dressed as crows with bells on their legs and their faces were painted black. Some of them danced and played rhythm sticks, while others played musical instruments.

After two hours, we continued down the road to the Stena Line ferry. We said goodbye to our good coach driver and trustworthy friend, Steve. The ship was two football fields long and could hold up to 2,000 passengers. It contained a restaurant, casinos, a shop and lounges.

We pulled into Dublin around 5:30 in the afternoon. It was there we met our new guide Joe. Joe took us around O'Connell, the main street in Dublin. Our last destination was our hotel. There we ate dinner and relaxed the rest of the evening.