When in Dublin...

Sorry if I have not posted in the last couple of days you all!  We have had an absolutely wonderful time here in Dublin, and I didn’t want to ruin this great experience for any of my fellow classmates who are not here yet.  I am super sad to depart from Brian tomorrow, but like he told me, 

“You deserve this time Kara, and it is something you will never forget.  Me and the Scootman will just see you when you get home.”

So, here are some of my most favorite things here that we have done, segmented by day.  I will try not to go too much into it all, as to again, not give away too much for my classmates.

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

This began our trek through Dublin, after experiencing London.  After checking into the North Star Hotel and being upgraded room-wise complimentary (YAY!), we walked to the restauarant/pub downstairs and met the three kissing Irishmen.  Later, we had dinner at a pub called “O’Shea’s,” where Brian tried fish and chips, and we listened to some pretty good musicians.  We enjoyed clapping along with everyone, and watching the older couple in front of us have a full on make out session for about 30-minutes. 

It just serves to show that you can still be in love and show it when you get older.

Our first pub in Dublin

Thursday, May 24, 2012

We woke up early this morning and jaunted out to explore all of Dublin.  Literally.  We walked over ten miles at least this day, and my poor legs actually chafed from all the walking.  We saw so many different artifacts, and people.  Musicians played instruments in the streets like the saxophone , guitar, and even a harp.  Some musicians also would sing songs while playing an instrument out in the street.  This day we walked near Trinity College, Christ Church Cathedral, St. Patrick’s Park (where a fella decided to urinate on a structure).  

The park at St. Patrick's

We also took in Starbucks (heehee), and went near the Temple Bar area.  Temple Bar is a mecca for pubs and nightlife, and such a melting pot of people. 

It is a glorious area, with people milling about. 

We ate at the Temple Bar that day, where they also had a pretty sweet duo of fellas that played the guitar and banjo.  There is a lot of history about this pub, and I have a feeling that I might go here again, so I will leave more information on it for a later post.

That evening (after our walking marathon), I showered, and caught a glimpse of my legs.  On several areas, there were these horrible red patches all over them.  They are much better now though, thank goodness. 

We walked so much my legs chafed! For realsies. Gross.

Friday, May 25, 2012

Enjoying the fantastic weather so far in Dublin, we headed out today again and bought the hop-on, hop-off pass for the Dublin bus tour.  We went shopping first at a place called “Penny’s,” and I found a dress and blouse that are gorgeous!  Plus, they have such good prices, I couldn’t pass it up.  We also went down to Grafton Street, which has so many shopping options.  From Hermes and Chanel to Accessorize and H&M, there is a little something for everyone.  Next, we hopped on the tour bus and looked at many of iconic and historic locations throughout Dublin, and went to Guinness Storehouse. 

Oh…my…goodness. 

At Guinness Storehouse

I will have to talk more about this venture later as me and my classmates will be doing this tour as well.  However, here is a snippet of our experience at the very top of the storehouse below.  The music made us feel at home (Van Morrison's "Brown Eyed Girl").

I know, my video recording skills will make the viewer dizzy.

That evening, we travelled to a lovely town called Howth, which is situated right near the ocean.  The views here are breathtaking.  I will talk more about his place too in a future blogJ  It was warm that day, and many people were out eating ice cream and enjoying fish and chips.  Families were out enjoying the weather and children played in an area with play sets. We had an hour wait to eat at a restaurant on the pier (some of the other restaurants were fully booked the rest of the night), so we grabbed some drinks at “The Bloody Stream” and then finally at a delightful meal at “The Oar.”  I had a roasted pepper and aubergine (eggplant) soup that was to die for! 

Brian in Howth

On our way back on the tram, I had a great conversation about the healthcare system in Ireland versus the U.S.  The man I spoke to has a daughter studying abroad at Boston University, and he was asking my expertise about the U.S. health system.  It was a great conversation.

We got back near 10:40p and I am telling you, I could still see the sunlight.

We came back and visited a few pubs here in Dublin.  The first place was like an old boys club…literally…I was the only girl in there.  However, they were very kind, and even taught me some gaelic.  I garnered lots of kisses and learned how to shake hands. Back at our hotel, we met two people from Sweden, and they were awesome.  We were up late talking with them, and we really just gained a better understanding of each other’s country and way of life.

Saturday, May 26, 2012

We woke up and took the bus tour again and saw Kilmainham Goals (an old Irish prison), but we were unable to tour itL  Hopefully, I will be able to in the next few days since my study abroad program has us here in Dublin for five more days.  We also saw (didn’t go in) the Old Jameson  Distillery, O’Connell Street, the Spire,  Dublin Castle, National Museum of Ireland, Irish Musuem of Modern Art, Heuston Rail Station, and the Dublin Zoo.  Near the Dublin Zoo, I asked Brian if he wanted to rent bikes and travel though Phoenix Park.

This was one of the best experiences of the trip!

We biked for an hour and it was so totally worth it.  Such beautiful scenery, and the weather was incredible—the best of the entire trip!   Brian and I even had the opportunity to watch a game of cricket!

Brian biking

We then walked back to O’Connell Street after getting back on the tour bus and during this little journey we were looking at the nice buildings towering above us when all of a sudden something falls down in front of me and explodes.  My first thought was that pigeon from the first day in London came to wreak havoc on me again.  But oh no, that is not what exploded.

What was it?

Water balloons. Being thrown AT me. Soaking me.

Some teenagers hanging out the window of a building had them quite the laugh, and you know, I decided to just laugh too.  It was a warm day and I didn’t mind…too muchJ  We then went looking for a place called “Insomnia,” which we kept saying the entire trip that we would go to, since the coffees there looked ah-mazing.  Well, after searching for one for about 45-minutes, we came to our destination.

Closed destination.

Haha, oh well!  So we finally headed back to the Temple Bar area for dinner.  The actual Temple Bar was far too crowded (it was a Saturday evening, though).  We ended up at this really nice restaurant called Farringtons.  It was upstairs overlooking the Temple Bar area, and enabled us to do lots of people watching.  The windows were all open, so a nice breeze came through and it was just so relaxing after a day filled with walking and biking.  We tried the fried brie wedges which I-have-to-learn-to-make once I arrive back to NC.  It came with a cherry preserve topping and small salad that we both shared.  Brian had “bangers and mash” which was interesting looking, and I had tomato basil soup.  Ahhh…wonderful evening.

Heading back to our hotel, we decided that we needed to retire early, but not before finding a chocolate a crepe shop so we could get some Rocky Road fudge.

Sweet heavens.

We retired early this evening to catch up on our business (yes, we still have to work some everyday to ensure orders process and ship and that customers have a way to still contact us via email).  It also gave us a chance to spend some time together before we depart tomorrow.

So, more to come tomorrow as I meet my classmates and Professors.   Keep checking back in, and I will make sure to update the blog every two days, if not every day!

Cheers!

Kara

My Shamrockin’ Fact:  Trinity College is located here in Dublin, and was founded by Elizabeth I in 1592 and is the location of the Book of Kells.  I will be visiting this site on Monday/Tuesday and will have lots to write about then.