Ireland

To describe the country of Ireland in two words: beautiful and expensive.

To begin with, the traveling went a lot smoother this weekend. We arrived at the airport and the flight took off with minimal delay. We then got a taste of true Irish friendliness when our cab driver carted us to our hotel. He explained to us the hot spots of Dublin, and pointed out the Gaelic stadium (which is apparently a cross between soccer and rugby). He said that stadium holds 86,000 and some games are even bigger than the Super Bowl.

We arrived at our hotel, which was very nice and about a 15-minute walk from the center of the city, and met my mom and then immediately decided to go get some food. We wandered around the city, ask some friendly Irish folks for directions, and eventually made it to Trinity College (which is in the middle of the city). The Notre Dame kids that study there are lucky—their campus is massive and beautiful and was built in 1592. We went to an Irish pub and quickly ate some fish and chips so we could make it to the Guinness factory before it closed at 5 p.m.

The Guinness factory was also very cool, and delicious. Seven floors of hops and barley, lots of history, and at the top there was a “gravity bar” which gave an eagle eye view of the city. Oh, and they gave you a free Guinness at the top so you can drink a delicious brew while you see the view.

We went back to the hotel to shower and change and wait for the arrival of Phil…so we just ate in the hotel because we were a bit behind schedule. Little did we know that those three euro hamburgers were going to be the cheapest things we ate/drank that weekend (Dublin, yes, is even more expensive than London…but I thought that the money was worth it to see beautiful Ireland). The hotel bar/restaurant is also pretty famous around Dublin. They had a live Beatles cover band there while we ate.

Finally Phil got there, and he ate a three-euro cheeseburger too. We went out to the Temple Bar area, which is the popular bar strip in Dublin. We did a lil’ pub-crawl and hit some pretty neat spots: The “REAL” Temple Bar, Fitzsimons (which had live music as well), and a club called the Purdy Kitchen. The Purdy Kitchen was pretty hilarious because I think it was all 14 year olds in the club on fake I.Ds. In fact, one started talking to me and I asked him how old he was. He said 19, and I responded: “13! What are they doing letting 13 year olds in here.” Needless to say, he did not talk to me anymore and we had a great time dancing by ourselves to American music. They are obsessed with Lady Gaga and Kings of Leon.

Day two: We started off our day at this cute little breakfast joint where I got, yes, a cheese sandwich (it was supposed to be on a croissant but they were out. While there, a little Irish boy came up to us, and said the following, in an ADORABLE Irish accent: “Today is my birfday and I got this camera that takes realllll pictures. We went to Paris last week and I went down the slide at a water park and my bum got wet. And then when I got to the bottom guess what I found? Guess what? All the toys that all other kids lost.” Okay, may not sound that cute via email, but have me do the impression and then you’ll realize that Irish/British kids are far cuter because they have accents.

Then we went on to Dublin Castle and other city center points to take pictures. We decided not to do a bus tour, but went to Malahide Castle on our own. It was located in this cute suburb of Ireland and we were able to see an ancient Irish castle (which was far different from any Spanish palaces I’ve seen). The only setback was the fact that we took a wrong turn after we got off the train and the 15-minute walk turned into a 50-minute walk. Look at the pictures this area was gorgeous.

We thought we’d make it to the James Joyce museum and the coast on the other side of the train stops, but the 50 minute walk set us back a bit. Instead we went to dinner at Brazen Head, the oldest pub in Ireland. It was built in 1165, has delicious Irish food and plays Irish music every night. After dinner we went to a brewery that brews 10 different types of their own beer. We sampled each, went home to get ready, and went out again to a club…this time with some other Notre Dame kids to an area that wasn’t Temple Bar and therefore less expensive but equally as fun.

The next morning we woke early and went to breakfast at Insomnia (the Irish version of Starbucks which is open 24 hours) and did some shopping in some little Irish shops. I bought a clauddaugh ring, just so I can have one that is officially Irish. Then we took cab back to the Dublin airport, and our Irish adventures ended.

It is safe to say we had another fun, and less exhausting than the London experience, weekend of travel.

Next weekend…Carnaval…which is Spain’s even crazier version of Mardi Gras. Apparently, Maria Luisa’s daughter told me I won’t sleep all week because the streets near my apartment will be so loud. Also, sidetrack…I just went for drinks with my friend Conor’s parents (who are visiting), and when I came home (12:30) Maria Luisa was still up. We watch an episode of the Spanish version of Dancing with the Stars together. I guess Spanish and American grandmas are the same.