I said see ya later to the United Kingdom, and I spent Friday night, Saturday, and half of Sunday in the land of leprechauns, potatoes, and Guinness. Dublin is my last major trip for the semester. I was extremely excited not only to see a new country, but also to see one of my best friends from home! Erin (whose name ironically means Ireland if you didn't know already) is studying in Dublin for the semester. This trip was different from my other ones because I was able to skip out on a hostel and just stay comfortably in Erin's dorm. I also wasn't too concerned about visiting the big tourist attractions in Dublin (there are not very many anyways). Instead, I spent time catching up with Erin and doing a few activities in Ireland.
Although I stayed with Erin, I flew into Dublin with four of my London friends: Lindsay, Suzanne, Allie, and Paige. Our flight was a bit stressful. We were on a time crunch and ended up sprinting to our gate. Fortunately, gate closing time apparently means when you start lining up, not when you can no longer board. Live and learn.
My friends went off to their hostel while I took a bus straight to Erin. She is living and taking classes at University College Dublin (UCD), located about 4 miles outside of the city's center.
After a glorious reunion, we ate a quick dinner at her dorm, hung out with some of her friends, and then took the bus into the city. Our first stop was Messrs Pub, where of course I had to try a Guinness beer. That drink is practically a meal, so rich and filling. I can only happily consume about a half pint of it.
Then we headed over to Porterhouse, a multi-story pub and another one of Erin's favorite nighttime haunts. The usual entertainment was present: a crowd-pleasing guitarist named Woodsy.
We stopped by one more bar but it was practically empty. Turns out Trinity College students usually populate that particular venue. However, Trinity's annual ball was taking place that night, as evidenced by all the finely attired girls and boys walking around the city. It was a great night, made even better by the fact I was with Erin!
The next morning, we got up bright and early to meet up with my London friends. The six of us took a day trip to Howth, a beautiful fishing town about a 30 minute train ride outside the city.
The town was absolutely breathtaking! I couldn't believe the scenery: looming cliffs, endless water dotted with sailboats, rolling green hills, and cute bed-and-breakfasts. We hiked up the little mountains and took in the fresh air. It was nice to get in an outdoorsy experience, since most of my trips involve city sights.
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| The whole group |
Once again, I was mostly just happy to spend time with my best friend. Since we go to different colleges and tend to spend our summers interning away from home (Erin's working in Uganda this summer!), we're apart more than we're together. Yet somehow, we're still as close as ever! Don't you love those friendships?
Anyways, enough of the sappy stuff. On to the fishy stuff! We stopped for lunch at Beshoff Bro's for some quality fish and chips. Gotta have some fresh seafood when you're in a fishing town!
I parted with my London friends, and headed back to UCD with Erin. Her study abroad program had gotten tickets to a rugby match, and Erin was able to snag an extra one for me! Funny enough, it was the Irish team (Leinster) versus the British team (Leicester). I followed the crowd and rooted for Leinster (don't tell the Queen!).
The game took place at Aviva Stadium. It was massive and completely packed.
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| Did I mention that we had SECOND ROW seats? |
I had never seen a rugby match before, but I loved every second of it! It's a combination of football, soccer, and wrestling. The players had massive, muscular legs, and all had scratched, bloodied faces by the end of the game. Intense.
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| Cool pic, right? |
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| Scrum |
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| That's gotta hurt. |
One of my favorite parts was when a kick took place. The entire stadium would go silent (with a few idiotic yells being shushed by the serious crowd), and then explode into cheers when the ball flew through the air. My video below contains clips of the home team entering the field, the silent kick, and a cheer: "G'wan the boys in blue!"
The game was thrilling until the very end, when Leinster came out victorious. After the game, Erin and I caught up over dinner, and then headed back to UCD for a good night's sleep.
Sunday morning, the weather was glorious. Seventy and sunny! I took the bus into the city on my own, met up with my London friends (sans Lindsay, who was too sick--boo Mono), and headed over to the famed Guinness storehouse! On the walk there, I saw some more of the city. Dublin is very small, especially compared to London, but the buildings are charming and the people are SO friendly.
Arthur Guinness signed a lease for the St. James's Gate Brewery in 1759, claiming ownership for nine thousand years. A bit excessive in my opinion. The self-guided tour was really fun! The storehouse is divided into several different floors, supposedly shaped like the world's largest pint glass. We learned about the ingredients, brewing process, advertising, transportation, and technique for pouring the perfect pint.
The top floor's Gravity Bar offers awesome, panoramic views of the city.
Once the tour was over, Erin met us in the city to drop off my luggage and say goodbye. On the way to meet her, we stopped at Queen of Tarts bakery for some delectable chocolate chip scones! And you thought you could get through a blog post without hearing some mention of a sweet treat ;-)
We arrived at the Aer Lingus terminal very early in order to avoid another stressful run through an airport. The weekend went by so fast, but I had a fantastic time! I may even go back one day. After all, I didn't make time to go to the Leprechaun Museum...
Side note: Tomorrow is my last day at my internship! Time flies! My co-workers kindly took me out for a goodbye lunch, and presented me with a Thank You card, Royal College of Art tshirt, "I love art" tote bag, and a sketchbook. I really couldn't have asked for a better internship placement!
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