Weekend in Dublin Part Two

Although we went to bed quite early, before 10, we still didn't get up until about 8:30. There really wasn't any reason to get up any earlier, as very few places in Dublin appear to open any earlier than 9. We had a light breakfast provided by the hostel, when you're hungry toast with butter and jam can be a spectacular meal.

At about 9:30 Maddy and I were off, we headed straight for Trinity College, to see he Book of Kells and the Trinity College Library. The Book of Kells was beautiful, but if will admit that I was much more interested in the library. This will come as no surprise to anyone that knows me very well of course, I would be happy to live in a library forever, and certainly one as beautiful as the one at Trinity College would be no hardship.

We had decided the night before to plan out our day a bit better and so, in keeping with our schedule, we headed to the National Gallery next. Some areas of the gallery were a bit unnervingly empty, but the exhibit on European masterpieces was pretty cool. They had a Rembrandt and a Picasso, but my favorite was probably either the Four Seasons by Simon Vouet or possibly one of the several gorgeous landscapes.

We also went to see the exhibit on Yeats that was currently on display at the National Library. I really enjoyed seeing handwritten examples of his poetry, even if I am utterly incapable of reading cursive (even when it is not particularly illegible I find it a difficult task).

After looking around the shops for a bit, Maddy was particularly looking for Aran sweaters, which are also known as fisherman's sweaters and are characterized by complex stitch work usually associated with traditional meanings (such as the standard cable pattern standing for success and good luck). We stopped for lunch (both because we were hungry and because we wanted some time to consider our purchases). Sometimes you just want a burger, and Bobo's was definitely a good choice for that. Although we had no say in how our burgers were cooked, which was a change from home where they always ask, they did have proper "skinny chips" (more importantly they were pre salted).

After finishing our lunch we were still suffering from a very important craving, caffeine. We stopped next door for some coffee (for Maddy) and chai (for me). We also got some sweets, because the bakery looked so tempting.

By the time we finished our caffeine break we were ready to make some shopping decisions. We returned to some of the shops we had visited earlier, where Maddy purchased Aran sweaters for herself and her parents and I decided on a tartan shawl that I had been considering. For the regard, it turns out we've been using the term plaid incorrectly in the US. Plaid actually originates as a reference to a type of clothing, similar to a blanket or a shawl, while tartan is the correct word for the pattern.

Afterwards we didn't have very many more set plans, so we wandered around the city. We started with a stop by Dublin Castle, which seems like more of a hodgepodge of buildings than an actual castle (but I still like it). We sat in the courtyard for awhile and just enjoyed the view.

The we found our way to a few shops on the side streets, including a shop that sold vintage goods and a really cool independent bookstore. I definitely considered picking up a few books, but decided against it for practicality's sake (although I did note a few titles for later perusal).

At about 6:00 we arrived at John's Lane Church to attend mass. We were a bit early, so we had some time to look around the church and take a few pictures. The construction of the church began in the 1860s, but it actually opened in the 1870s and the construction wasn't fully complete until the 1890s. The church was really beautiful, especially the stained glass windows.

We walked back to the hostel so we could drop off a few bags, before heading out for dinner at an Italian restaurant that was pretty nearby. We were just in time to take advantage of their "Early Bird" menu which allowed a starter, an entree, and a glass of the house wine. I really enjoyed the restaurant, and it had some nice paintings of Italian landmarks on the walls (some of which I will be seeing in person not too long from now).

That was basically the end of our Dublin adventure. We left the hostel at about 11 on Sunday morning and ended up waiting for the ferry for about three hours. The ferry itself was significantly less pleasant than the one on the trip to Dublin, although it was shorter. We suffered very rough waters for the entire trip, and my ability to sleep in most circumstances came in handy because I avoided the worst of the seasickness. We made a couple of food stops on the way home, which were definitely needed, as the trip felt as though it lasted forever. We made it back to Exeter a little after midnight, and I was very glad to be back in my own bed.

And that's the end of my weekend in Dublin, but I'll be heading back to Ireland again sometime after my exams are over.

Weekend in Dublin Part One

So, I have finally crossed another city off my list of places I want to travel someday. If you weren't already aware, this is because I spent this past weekend in Dublin!

Maddy and I booked onto a trip with the Exeter History Society, so we didn't know anyone, but we were all at least students and it was nice to travel with a group. We left from the St. David's train station in Exeter at around six and spent the next twelve hours traveling (first on the coach for seven hours, then on a ferry for about 4 hours, and then the last leg on the coach again). We arrived at Isaac's Hostel at about 6:30 in the morning and, suffice to say, we were all pretty exhausted. I got about four hours of sleep and, compared to some of my other traveling companions, that was quite a lot. Luckily, although we couldn't check into the hostel and get some well deserved shut eye, we could leave our luggage in a locker (so no one had to lug around a suitcase all day, not that I brought a suitcase for a weekend trip).

We lounged in the common area for awhile, because of course nothing was actually open yet, and finally left at about 8. Maddy and I decided to stick with the others, at least for awhile, so we could get our bearings a bit more. We stopped for breakfast at O'Brien's, which was a lovely little cafe across the street from the Trinity College campus, and I had an amazing raspberry scone and some hot chocolate.

Afterwards we walked around the Trinity College campus, which is absolutely gorgeous by the way, but we didn't stop into any of the buildings at that point. We did, of course, stop to take a couple of group pictures, before walking over to St. Stephan's, a nearby park. the park was absolutely beautiful, it helped that it was quite sunny out (though unfortunately also rather cold). 

We then wandered back towards the college campus to visit the Archaeology branch of the National Museum of Ireland. The museum was really cool, lots of interesting old jewelry that was simply listed as being found in a "hoard" which I suppose makes sense considering Dublin's rich Viking history. Unfortunately we were not allowed to take pictures inside the exhibits, so all I have is a pictures from the atrium (which was still quite pretty).

We then walked to yet another park, this one with a memorial to Oscar Wilde. I personally think the statue of him looks rather smarmy, but that might just be me. The other two statues which had quotes written on them were very cool however.  On our way out of the park we passed by the house in which Oscar Wilde lived on Merrion Square.

We walked into the Temple Bar district around lunchtime. The district is right on the edge of the river and many of the buildings have some pretty fantastic graffiti/art painted on them.

Maddy and I wandered for a bit, before eventually joining some of the other members of the group for lunch at a pub called the Porterhouse. I got Traditional Irish Stew which, to my dismay, came with a leg of lamb which was somewhat difficult to manage. It was delicious, so definitely worth the work.

We then walked over to the Christchurch Cathedral, which I personally preferred (aesthetically speaking) to St Patrick's Cathedral (which we came across later in the day), before splitting off from the group in order to head over to the Guinness Storehouse.

Even if you don't like Guinness, which I have discovered that I most certainly do not, I would have to highly recommend the Guinness Storehouse if you are ever in Dublin. The museum is located in the St. James' Gate Brewery, where at one point they performed the fermentation process involved in making Guinness. The first thing you see after buying your ticket and entering the museum portion of the building is the 9000 year lease on the brewery signed by Arthur Guinness for the building (yes I did say 9000, so he was certainly in it for the long haul). Also the central section of each floor of the building (which is like an open glass atrium all the way up) is apparently designed to be the largest pint glass in the world and, if filled, could hold 14.3 million pints of Guinness (or, more pints than there are people in Dublin)

There were lots of other cool things too: portraits that started to move and talk when you stood in front of them, examples of different advertising from different time periods, a set up where you could take a picture that made it look like you were featured in a vintage Guinness add, and a tasting room where they taught you how to properly drink Guinness in order to taste the four flavors. 

After finally making our way up to the 7th floor, where there was a bar with amazing views of the surrounding city, we got our obligatory pint of Guinness. I suffered through about half of it before admitting defeat, Guinness is much too bitter a drink for my tastes.

Afterwards Maddy and I wandered around the city a bit, getting somewhat lost in the process (and it was at this point that we came across St. Patricks), before eventually figuring it out. After finding our way to Grafton Street, which is the main shopping district in the city, we went in search of dinner.

We ate back across the river at a place called the Epicurean Food Hall, think a more upscale food court, where we settled on Mediterranean for dinner. I had a falafel sandwich, plus the essential of Irish food, chips (ie. potatoes).

Finally we made our way back to Isaac's only a little before 7:30, where we decided to relax for a bit before calling it a night. It was certainly a long and busy day.

To be continued...

(I've always wanted to do that) 

But seriously, I'll post the second half of the trip soon, it seemed like a bit much to make into just one.

Trivia: Let's Take (Another) Quiz

So I'm sure by now everyone has noticed the upswing in fun quizzes, usually from Buzzfeed, being shared on Facebook. I've certainly posted my fair share of quizzes, and taken quite a few more than that. Who doesn't want to know which Disney princess they would be or what career is perfect for them?

Frequently you get results that don't make any sense to you, like when the What European Country Should You Live In quiz told me I should live in Romania. Yeah, no. I don't think so.

Sometimes you take a quiz and you get a result which you love, even if you are completely perplexed by how the random questions could have possibly created that result.

And sometimes you get a result that totally makes sense to you, but still isn't the one you wanted.

Sadly no Lizzie Bennet for me :(

And then of course, there are the times where you go through the quiz consciously thinking about which responses are most likely to lead to the result you want, or when you give up completely and just retake the quiz with new answers until you get the right result. Or when you answer questions on a quiz and you wonder whether you're being completely honest, or if you're just picking the things that you wish were true about you.

Regardless, it's always fun to take a quiz just to see what will happen, especially if you can compare your results with someone else's. In preparation for this weekend's trip to Dublin I found the perfect quiz for the occasion: How Irish Are You?

The problem with this result of course, is that not a word of it is true. I had to look up what "What's the craic?" means (for your information, it's basically slang for "what's up?"). And I definitely don't know the words to the Irish National Anthem or The Rattlin' Bog. I do think that a Tayto sandwich (or a potato chip sandwich) sounds interesting, so maybe that's Irish enough.

I'll be leaving for Dublin this Thursday evening, and I won't be back until about midnight on Sunday, but I'll post about my Ireland adventures when I get back.

Kiss Me I'm Irish (?)

So, I have finished yet another awesome week in Exeter. It's still really hard to believe how fast the time is going, before I know it exams will be over and then I'll only have a couple weeks left before I return to the US.

Among the fun things I did this week was an expedition out to High Street on Monday with Maddy, Charlotte (one of Maddy's flatmates) and Charlotte's brother. We had a later lunch at an Asian buffet, called Buffet City (very creative I know), which strangely included crepes among its dessert options.

I also had a performance for Take Note on Wednesday. We visited an elderly care home called Eaton House in the afternoon to perform our repertoire of five songs (Blackbird, Downtown, Lean On Me, Yesterday, and a mash-up of What Makes You Beautiful and Just The Way You Are). We got a wonderful response and ended up singing almost every song a second time. Interestingly, one of the residents asked us to repeat "that lovely song that talks about the little things that matter that you don't always notice" in reference to the song he like, but didn't recognize. After some confusion, we realized he was talking about our One Direction/Bruno Mars mash-up, I will admit lovely is not the first word that comes to mind when describing One Direction's music (fun maybe, sometimes irritating, almost always catchy). Afterwards we stayed for small talk, tea, and biscuits (cookies for those of us from the US). I learned, from one women originally from Wales, that I apparently sound Irish to some. Immediately after I spoke she asked which part of Ireland I was from, I chose to take it as a compliment, although I do not think American and Irish accents sound even remotely similar. Later Kathy, who is actually Irish (from Northern Ireland, but in this case Ireland is the operative word), told me that people have also mistaken her accent for American, so I guess the accents must be more easily confused than I would have thought.

On Friday I finally trekked out to Maddy's flat, which is about a half and hour to forty minute walk away,
to socialize and pregame a bit before going out. We braved Arena, for the second time in my case, and while we had an okay time dancing, we didn't stay for long. The dancing is definitely different in the UK, I didn't notice when we went out on Valentine's Day because we were all international students, but apparently girls here dance as if they don't actually have hips because apparently that type of dancing is considered overly sexy. It was a bit disappointing, because no one wants to feel uncomfortable with themselves on the dance floor. The best part of dancing, in my opinion, is feeling confident in yourself, even if you are not actually an amazing dancer.

Anyway, a few of us left and grabbed burgers and chips at a food truck outside Arena. The burger was definitely different from what I might expect to find at home, I would describe the texture of the burger itself as more like meatloaf. All in all it was a bit strange, but at least I have already found a restaurant that makes burgers that are more to my taste (Hub Box, where I have already eaten twice!).

In more exciting news, I'll be in Dublin this coming weekend and I can't wait!