This weekend I took a quick trip into Dublin. It was a bit of a last minute excursion, and I was more than a little ill-prepared. I had some trouble securing a couch, and was ready with hostel informtation, but at the last minute (literally- I was boarding the plane), I found a friend of a CS friend that had a spare room. Phew!
So after my RyanAir jaunt toward the Atlantic, I set my clock back and headed into Dublin. I met up with Marco from CS and his friends Marcello and Danillo. Three very Italian men in the middle of Ireland. Whatever.
So after spending some time in Marco's friend's living room debating the best way to get to the soccer match, I met back up with Danillo, who had gone home to tidy up a bit before I came to throw my stuff in his spare room. I should mention that I wasn't a jerk- I specifically told him not to worry about cleaning, but I'm not complaining. I was very thankful to have a place to sleep. Danillo went to meet some friends and I was off to tour the city center. It basically constists of a few main areas. There's O'Connell Street, which is a shopping area with this fantastic fast food place called Supermac's. Yes, I know...why did I go to a McDonald's-esque stop when I was in Ireland. Because. I did. It's in my comfort zone, I like chicken sandwiches, and most other places were closed. Plus they had some fun looking ice cream sundaes. Yum!
After "dinner", I headed over to the Temple Bar section of town. Temple Bar is an actual bar, and from it a whole bar neighborhood sprung up. There are street performers and people soliciting shows and, of course, tons of alcohol. There were also several hen parties. This is the equivalent to bachelorette parties, but everyone wears something to with a theme, I'm pretty sure some type of head piece is required, and the drunk and disorderly conduct is not limited to the bride-to-be. I saw sailor girls, 70's afro-wearing girls, leprechaun girls, and girls dressed as different versions of Madonna- all in one night. Danillo met me in Temple Bar and we went to meet up with some friends of his at [insert random bar name] for a going-away party. As my facebook status said: Katie was "surrounded by Italians in Ireland." We had a few drinks and headed to one of their houses for an after party, which ended up being a lot of fun. A few interesting events occured at said party. 1) An adorable Brazilian explained how to work the manual function on my American camera so that I could take better pictures of a Frenchman that we coerced into singing Spanish music in the Irish backyard of an Italian. 2)I was offered absinthe. 2b) I announced that I am not someone who gives into peer pressure and turned down the absinthe. 2c) I realized that I can be anyone I want here. And I should be able to be anyone I want when I get home. So even though I'm a people pleaser, and sometimes that's not a bad thing, sometimes it IS a bad thing. I realized during the alcohol pushing situation that I waste so much time and energy on things that cause me ulcers and don't need to. Like, why is it my responsibility to fix every problem in my relationships with other people? I am not always the sole cause of these problems, so why do I take most of the blame? It's not right, and I'm not going to do it anymore. So there. [Background theme to that last few sentences is choose-your-own-adventure-style: For a punked-out-Feminist-rock anthem, go to page 67. For "We're Not Gonna Take It", go to 42.] Home to yummy late-night hamburgers courtesy of Danillo, then to a much needed sleep.
Sunday morning Danillo offered to take me to Bray, which he said would better meet my idea of what Dublin was "supposed to be". Thus far I had been relatively unimpressed with the city, so I was a little pessimistic about what I would see at Bray. Basically all I wanted to see was a rocky cliff jetting out into the water covered in leafy greenness. Luckily, Bray was just that. The weather was gross, but it was Ireland, so I was actually ok with that for authenticity reasons. We had slept late and missed lunch, and were both starving, so we headed into a nearby pub to grab a quick bite before heading off into my photoshoot. And this is when Ireland was redeemed.
I have no idea if Ginny, Veronica, or Amy read this, but these three lovely ladies have all been part of a few of my fabulous trips to New York for gift shows. Basically it's an excuse to have basically the best girls' weekend ever, and we get to see some cool stuff while shopping for Sandpiper (the shop I work at when I stay in NJ). On our first trip, Ginny, Veronica, and I met Ginny's neice in an Irish pub called Stout for lunch. We all know I am not always the most adventurous eater, but I decided on Shepherd's Pie, which I had never heard of before. It is basically heaven with potatoes. On the same trip the next year, I convinced Veronica and Amy to go back so I could fulfill a year's worth of cravings. Well I am here to tell you, the real deal is even better! I didn't think it was possible, but the Stout Shepherd's Pie has been trumped! I had what they called Vegetable Beef Pie with mash, and ate pretty much every bite. There are before and after pics in the album. Try not to drool on your keyboard.
So after the best lunch ever, we headed to the rocky cliffs of Bray. The wind was freezing, but once we got to a brisk walk, it wasn't as bad. I convinced Danillo to be my personal photographer and had him take more pics that I usually have from my trips, since I usually travel alone. It was really nice to see all the natural beauty without obstruction from skyscrapers or random statues. After climbing as many rocks as we could before the windchill finally defeated us, we headed back to the train station to return to Dublin. Funny side note: The trains were absolutely crammed with people because of a Bruce Springsteen concert :) Made me feel good to be Born in the USA! haha- yes I am a cheeseball :)
After returning to Dublin, I was ready for some solo sight seeing, so I politely excused myself from my Italian tour guide and headed on a self-tour of the churches and political buildings in Dublin. The Christchurch Cathedral was beautiful, but Dublin Castle was more than a little disappointing. It must be under construction (like everything in Europe), because it was painted all different colors. Not cute. Irritating. Please see pics for backup. Also, it took my about an hour to find St. Patrick's Cathedral, so by the time I got there it had closed. I did get a few between-the-fence-railing pictures, but it was still a little disappointing.
This morning was basically an entire day of traveling, and that was my trip to Dublin. Overall, kind of a dull trip--although it may just have been worth it for the yummy goodness of my lunch in Bray. Mmmmmm.
I did pick up some great books at the airport on the way back. One was really interesting and I literally read the whole thing between the airport and arriving at my house. Walking down Dutch streets while reading is a little dangerous by the way. Anyway, it's called One Red Paperclip. It is a true story about a guy who was unhappy with his life and the job prospects on his horizon. He started a social experiment based on a childhood game called Bigger and Better. "The One Red Paperclip guy" (Kyle MacDonald) started with a paperclip and traded with people for bigger or better things. He went from the paperclip (which was holding together his resume when he got the idea), to a fish pen, to a smiley face doorknob, to a camping stove, to a generator, to a keg and Bud neon sign, to a snowmobile, to some other things including a recording contract and a day with Alice Cooper, until eventually he traded a KISS snowglobe for a glorified-extra role in a movie for A HOUSE! It is a really cool story about someone who not only changed his life and became a homeowner, but who also refused to give up until he met his goals. Really inspirational and a great read. I highly suggest it. Two thumbs up. Extra kudos. Whatever. Just read the book, or go to oneredpaperclip.com.
Oh- and the answer to why Irish eyes are smiling? Because they are happy drunks :)
Anyway, as usual everyone...
Fin, for now.
Katie
