Luck of the Irish: Dublin

Day One

Okay, I’m going to let you know that I’m tired, but I felt it necessary to write about my day before I embarked on a new adventure. So, here I am! In Dublin! This riverside capital city is just beautiful, charming, and elegant in its own right.

Dublin!

We arrived early this morning and immediately immersed ourselves into the pulse of the city. Our hostel (Abigail’s) is in a great location – Temple Bar – full of bars, restaurants, entertainment, and a great majority of Dublin’s nightlife.

Temple Bar

Upon our arrival, we ate lunch at a traditional Irish pub and ordered traditional Irish food. My dish? Dublin Cobble: it’s this stew made of sausage, carrots, onions, and potatoes. DELICIOUS!

Dublin Cobble

Then, it was off to this free walking tour we heard about from a brochure. Result? Fantastic! The tour guide walked us through the city center dramatically telling us countless stories of Ireland’s rich past – its triumphs, its sorrows, and its unyielding hatred of the British. A little secret he told us – the whole “luck of the Irish” thing really isn’t luck at all! For some reason they usually come out on the bad end Well, anyways, went everywhere, from City Hall

Dublin City Hall

to Trinity College where the famous Book of Kells is held.

Trinity College

The 3.5 hour tour was well worth my time and I recommend it to everybody; just tip the tour guide at the end.

our tour guide

After that, it was time for rest and then dinner, where I had beef and vegetable stew (oh my goodness I’m just LOVING the hearty food here in Dublin! they just don’t make it like this in Paris -wink- ) and fish and chips while listening to live entertainment from the band downstairs. Today was a great day! I can’t wait to see more of this country tomorrow when we travel to the countryside for scenic adventures.

Day Two

I <3 Ireland! We took a trip out to Wicklow mountains and Glendalough today and it was absolutely GORGEOUS!

Irish Hills

On the hills of Ireland

We saw the locations from scenes in P.S. I Love You and Braveheart, tons of beautiful green grass, sheep, 6th century monasteries, and just got a big old dose of nature at its best.

Ruins of part of the monastery

At one of the lakes in Glendalough

I totally fell in love with this place. Our tour guide was awesome too. Came back and listened to music in Temple Bar – GRRRREEAT Irish band was playing in the street.

Great Band!

Can you believe I still haven’t had a Guiness??? lol I had to forfeit the trip for the day trip to the country and the walking tour yesterday. Maybe the drink’ll happen in the next 30 minutes or so…

Well, the volcano has struck again! My flight is cancelled right now, and Ryan air is a *****, so it’s an early trip to the airport in the morning to figure out what’s going on.

All in all it’s been a great trip – and I would LOVE to stay in Dublin, but on different terms. This is finals week for me, so I really need to get back.

Day Three

Officially S-T-U-C-K. We went to the airport this morning only to find out that the next available flight to FRANCE (not just Paris, but the country of France) is Wednesday morning. pooh. So, looking on the bright side, we hung out in Dublin some more today, buying books and taking leisurely strolls. Discovered some delicious bargain food and watched American television. In other good news, the hostel was available for the next two nights. AND I finally had my Guiness! I shared it with Diana and Ariana though – I’m not a beer drinker, just wanted to taste the famous brew in the country of  its origin. Tomorrow is a trip to the factory and whatever else I can find to amuse myself in the city.

Day Four

lol It’s crazy how I have spent two more days in this city than intended. Unfortunately, though a beautiful city, you can discover and do all in Dublin in 2 days – Days 3 &4 were wholly unnecessary. Anyhoo, today we took a long walk to the Guiness factory and just spent most of the day watching tv and movies and having great conversations about life and its craziness.

At the Guiness Factory

A great way to spend the day – and with great people! So, today is my last night in the hostel, and tomorrow our plane is SCHEDULED to leave at 6:25am. Still having some complications scheduling my makeup finals but, we shall see how it all goes! I loved this city, I loved the people, and I’m ready to get back to Paris to finish exams, spend time with Niki exploring the city, and do all the things I’ve put off in Paris until now. Hopefully the weather is warmer Au revoir Dublin!!!!

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