The worst part about Dublin was probably the path we took to get there. We flew out of an airport that was about 2 hours away from where we were staying in Paris, and as a result, we were in a time crunch in order to make it to our flight on time. The most surprising part about Dublin once we landed, however, was the temperature outside. It was exactly 0 degrees Celsius outside, and the wind definitely didn't make it feel any warmer. We were staying in a hostel that was right in the middle of everything. Trinity College in Dublin was right behind us, the Temple Bar district was a mile West and we were right next door to the Parliament building. Our location could not have been any better. After dropping off our stuff at our hostel, we went out to eat at a 1970s themed diner, and I had my first milkshake since being in Europe, which tasted delicious. By the time we left, it was about 2 o'clock, and there were still hundreds of people walking around due to some large party or event at the college. We ended up taking a short excursion to a club, whose bottom floor alone could hold about 500 people, before ultimately settling down at a bar right next to our hostel.
Another thing that struck me odd in Ireland were the number of security guards everywhere. I mean, I know I don't look like I am a European 20, but I was getting carded everywhere I went, and they even had security guards standing outside of McDonald's! Overall, though, it was a great first night. This also marked the first time that I was staying in a hostel room with strangers, which wasn't bad at all, but no matter what time it was, the guys were just laying in their bed on their phones all night and even during the day when we woke up. The following day, we got up super early and took a Paddywagon tour, which essentially is a bus tour across Ireland. We got to see several small Irish country towns and ended up on the other side of the coast of Ireland at the Cliffs of Moher. The cliffs were absolutely amazing, and there was a storm off in the distance that really contrasted with our beautiful sunny weather than really just made the experience all the more special and enjoyable. We all ventured to hang our feet off the edge of the cliff and probably spent a little bit too much time messing around close to the edge, but I really enjoyed it and could have spent all day at those cliffs. Upon arriving home, we got a quick dinner and went bar hoping, listening to the live music that each had to offer. Unfortunately, we did not get to watch an improv comedy show, but it was another great night.
The next day was spent doing homeowrk in preparation for the huge 211 test that we had on Monday. I spent more time in a McDonald's that day than I think I ever have in my entire life. Whenever we were done studying, we went around the city to explore the town. Trinity College was very beautiful and would have been an awesome place to go to college, and the surrounding area was all very welcoming. Overall, I really enjoyed Dublin as a city, and I wish that we could have spent more time in the city, although I really enjoyed the trip as a whole. For dinner, Jay and I split a Feast of Ireland, which offered two vegetable soups, Irish beef stew, some kind of lamb dish, fish and chips, mashed potatoes, a Cottage pie, Bailey's Ice Cream, and tea, which was one of the best meals that I have ever had and a great way to end the trip. Since we wanted to save some money, we all decided that it would be a smart idea to stay at the Dublin Airport rather than getting a hostel and leaving early in the morning. We ended up staying the night in the airport, and as a result, we ended up averaging about an hour and a half of sleep and were partly loopy, but it was all worth it and was actually a very interesting experience.
Overall, Dublin was a great trip and an amazing place to visit. Given the chance to return to Europe, I would definitely return and bring other people, for it was an amazing place to visit. Dublin definitely ranks in my top 5 cities that I went to on this trip, and one day, I think it would be nice to get a house just outside of Dublin overlooking the cliffs. I will leave you with some pictures from the trip:
No comments:
Post a Comment