Ugh, One More Plane Ride To Go...

I am so not having a good travel day!

I ended up just being wayyyyyyy too tired to do anything of much interest in Dublin. I actually did a few of the things that I didn’t do last time, but there was a reason I skipped them last time…

Anyway, I still love Dublin and it was good to be back for a little while.

I did get to go to my favorite bookstore and have breakfast, so all was not lost.

I am currently sitting in the Dublin airport. In the Ryanair terminal. It’s dingy and rather hopeless down here. Everyone looks miserable and I about to burst into tears if one more thing goes wrong. First they wouldn’t let me carry-on the backpack I carried on my Continental. So I had to pay the extra baggage fee (20 euros). Then my big bag was overweight (no surprise there) but since they charge by the pound…well, let’s just say it was an expensive piece of luggage. I am still under what it would’ve cost for the direct flight to Madrid, so…I calmed down.

Then I went through the HUGE security line and they informed me that, after waiting in two huge Ryanair lines, the idiot check-in girl hadn’t stamped my boarding pass to approve my visa.

At this point I was livid, but I’ve seen people yell at the Ryanair crew…they are immune to all yelling at this point. I rather…urgently…informed her of the error, at which point she swore at me and handed over the boarding pass she was supposed to give me in the first place. What?!?! She never did check my passport. How does that make you feel about security?

Anyway, I am just hoping against all hope that the flight to Madrid goes smoothly. I will be traveling by train from now on, haha. No, I will probably continue to fly Ryanair, but not when I have oversized luggage :-/

I have to say, I really miss traveling with a friend. It’s not the same being spontaneous all by myself, haha. Thank god I’ll see Lili in a couple weeks!!!

Baile Atha Cliath...3

Well I was a VERY good tourist today. Kind of. One slight pet peeve in Dublin...everything closes around 5-6:30. And then it is just time to drink. Normally I wouldn't have a huge problem with that, but I had a full schedule today!

Anyway, I got up early and went straight to the Guinness Storehouse. It was amazing. Seriously, it's worth stopping over in Dublin for a day just to see it! I followed the advice I'd heard and went early in the morning. Good call, because there was no line. I took my time meandering through the whole thing. The advertising section was cool. I really like the funny ads with the zoo animals. Anyway, the whole process of making Guinness and sending it out was really fascinating.

The top floor was the Gravity Bar where you get a "complimentary" pint of Guinness (even though you paid 12.60 to get in) but it was still good. Even at 12:30...on an empty stomach...okay, not my best idea thus far. When I left, the line to get in was around the block. Hahahahahaha, I am so clever!

Next stop was the Jameson Distillery. Unlike the Guinness storehouse, this is strictly a museum, not a working plant. It was not nearly as interesting. I would skip it next time around. But we got a complimentary drink at the end with our choice of mixer. I had Jameson and Coke...it was delicious. My stomach was beginning to hate me though. Can't say I blamed it.

I went back to the hostel after that and dropped some stuff off. Then I headed out to Trinity College to have a look at the Book of Kells. The Book of Kells is an ancient Celtic manuscript detailing the Gospels. It's really beautifully done, but basically you are looking at an old book. Not a sight for those with ADD. Then I went upstairs to the Long Room where they have a huge library lined with busts of famous philosophers, writers and scientists. It's really pretty. The one downer about the whole place was that you weren't allowed to take pictures. Boooooooooo!

Then I walked up to Dublin Castle. I went in and took some pictures of the outside of the buildings but entry is by guided tour only and they were full up for the day. Too bad. So I decided to head over to the Dublinia exhibit and tour of Christ Church Cathedral. Unfortunately the last one starts at 4:15 and it was 5:00. Ahhh, frustrating!

So I took a walk to take some pictures of things that I saw but hadn't documented. The Spire (it was supposed to be the Millenium Spire but wasn't finished in time) is this really tall, super pointless structure in the middle of Dublin's busiest road. Apparently the locals hate it. There are also some statues along the road and the post office that served as the headquarters for the 1916 revolution (BIG deal). Then I walked back over the Liffey River and took pictures there. I continued to Temple Bar and then ended back at the hostel.

My legs were quite tired so I stopped back in at the hostel for a quick sit-down before Liam picked me up. I had dinner at Sadie and Liam's house which is only 20 minutes away from my hostel driving. Their daughter Mary and her fiance Martin were there as well. The Ireland-Namibia match was on in the background and we all enjoyed a good Irish win. The food was delicious and we all had a good time. Sadie sent me off with some pictures which was nice to have since I completely forgot to take any of all of us!

Back at the hostel I re-packed all my bags, hopped in the shower, set my alarm and got ready for bed...PARIS TOMORROW!!!!!

Baile Atha Cliath...2

What a day...I didn't manage to drag myself out of bed until 9 am...which is bad when I need to stay programmed for 8 (how else am i going to see the sights???). I went and found a coffee shop first thing. Coffee and water. Apparently the Irish don't believe in being strung out on caffeine all day the way Americans do because the large coffees here are not even small coffees in the States. Not that they don't cost as much. Oh well...

I walked around a bit taking it all in. Dublin really is a beautiful city. It looks relatively new because in 1916 there was a revolution and parts of the city were completely destroyed. But then the building next to it will be from the 1200's. Coolness.

I called Sadie when I got back and we arranged to meet outside my hostel at 2. I had about an hour and a half so I decided to go have a kebab. It came with chips (french fries) and a teeney-tiny pop. I couldn't finish the sandwich, the chips or the pop. Oh well, it was delicious. I still had about an hour left so I decided to go in search of a book. I finished the Russian novel I was reading but it's the first of a trilogy so I decided to go find the second one. I had to walk all the way across the city to find the big bookstore and when I got there I found out it was on order. Apparently it's a lot more popular here than in the US (as in no one back home has ever heard of it with the exception of Lili). Boo.

I walked back to the hostel and got there just in time. Sadie and Liam were outside. We decided that I would go over to their house for dinner tomorrow but Sadie was taking me on the City Tour today!

We climbed onto one of the double decker buses and it drives past all the major sights in the city. You buy a ticket and then you can get off wherever you want to go and get back on to go to the next one. The tickets are good for 24 hours so I can still use it tomorrow (tours start at 9:30 so I have to be ready by then). We passed the Guinness storehouse (I'm going tomorrow morning), the Jameson distillery (stop 2 tomorrow), Trinity College (stop 3) and some other fun places. Sadie was taking me to the jail though because there is a picture with our relatives in it hanging in the museum. Very cool. So I went on the tour through Kilmainham Gaol and got a crash course in Irish history. It was actually really interesting.

We finished up the bus tour around the city. Then she dropped me back at the hostel and I am going to their house tomorrow night at 6:30 for dinner. I haven't decided what I am doing tonight. I have to see what everyone else it up to. Just as long as I can get up tomorrow! Right now we are all sitting around watching England play Israel in football (soccer) on BBC sports. It's also the rugby world cup this week so that's been on every day and night as well. Good fun!

Oh, and as I post this my Buckeyes are playing...GO BUCKS!!!!!!

Baile Átha Cliath...

Well, it was quite a journey (and by that I mean it took ALL day) but I made it to Dublin!!!

I was only in Galway for 30 minutes or so before we boarded the bus. I fell asleep for at least half of the trip. When I woke up I knew we were in Dublin because I was greeted by the sight of the Guinness Storehouse. Sweet!!

It took quite some time to orient myself and find the hostel, but eventually I did and settled in. I went to my room, locked my stuff up and went in search of other backpackers. I found the common room where a good number of people were chatting and watching "My Super Sweet 16." I am embarrassed for America. Seriously.

I was starving and one other guy was as well so we walked down the street and found a nice place to eat. We both got bangors and mash. Interesting stuff. Turns out he is from Canada and was just in Dublin for the night. We went back to the hostel (he was in the same dorm as me...along with 22 other people) and we got a small group together to go to Temple Bar which is the big pub district. We decided to go for a pub crawl so as not to get bored or spend too much in one place. The beer was a bit pricey but I was prepared for that. We got Guinness and Bommer's everywhere we went. Very tasty. We took pictures with a street performer dressed as a mime and then the mime kissed Marie. She was shocked...it was hilarious.

We went to a nice pub with pool tables and such. Rob and Peter challenged me and Marie to a game of foosball in which we OWNED them. Haha, mostly on accident I scored 2 goals though I was playing defense, haha. Marie and I raced cars at the arcade and then just played a bit. Loads of fun but we were starting to get quite drunk.

We got ourselves back to the hostel in one piece. A great night all in all. Tomorrow I think I am going to Sadie's house and hopefully will meet the whole family.

Oh and P.S. I LOVE Dublin!!!!!!