Dublin: Lots of Fun on Very Little Sleep

DAY 1: We woke up at 4:30am to catch the bus to Stratford (the bus/underground/train station next to the new Olympic Stadium under construction) because the tube doesn't run that early. Then we had to catch a bus from Stratford to London Stansted airport. It felt really early.

We went on Ryanair which has rather strict, small baggage allowances. As my backpack is a bit larger than the allowable dimensions I decided to take the safe route and carry my Tesco reusable grocery bag instead. After seeing all the other people and their futile attempts to get rolling suitcases on and the students who waltzed on to the plane with backpacks far larger than mine, I realize in retrospect that I would have been fine. Well... now I know.

The flight was uneventful. At least for me. You put me in a plane, bus, train traveling and I usually pass out. (I can not thank Robin enough for not capturing me sleeping on almost every mode of travel, I am sure with my mouth open, neck cricked, and legs shoved into awkward places. She DID however take pictures of just about everything else.) I took a picture of our bus ride to University College Dublin (UCD).

To recap the morning, we got a bus to the station, to catch a bus to the airport, to get our flight to Dublin, to get a bus to the City Centre, to get a bus to UCD, to get to Hilary's apartment where we were staying for our trip to Ireland. All in all, it was a long morning of traveling. But we got there with no problems or hitches. Amazingly.

At this point I'm going to give a shout out to Hilary, who while very sick, let us crash at her apartment and managed to be a great hostess. (She is our friend Cascade, from high school's, college room mate.) Thank you!

After dropping our stuff off, we decided to go back into the city centre and explore a bit. We actually didn't make it far because the growling noises coming from our stomachs were starting to scare small children. We saw the Gourmet Burger Kitchen that had a deal for €5. We were sold. Deliciousness ensued.

Then back out to the street to see what was going on. We saw lots shops mostly, deciding to do the tourist site-seeing on Sunday. My favorites were the antique jewelry dealers that had lots of sparkly things in the window. Robin did have to tell me to stop getting distracted by the sparkly things... so sparkly... and continue exploring. We found a Penney's , the Irish Primark, or like a US Forever 21 at rock bottom prices. I needed socks, and who can pass up 1€ socks? I can't. Robin got some tights, trying out this English fashion finally, but we will come back to those on Sunday.

Then some more wandering, the hunger growling noises were coming back for me, but Robin was very tired and I could see the cranky-monster looming in her eyes. We had been up since 4, very understandable. Suddenly the Tesco sign caught my eye. Dinner? Back at Hilary's? Great. We purchased food after much indecision, then caught a bus back to Hilary's.

We met up with Hilary's room mate by chance on the bus, who invited us to go out with them that night. Robin and I were far too tired and declined (thank goodness, because there was drama, drama, drama). Back at the apartment  we made our food while several girls were running around like busy bees getting ready to go out. I made some grilled cheese sandwiches with Irish soda bread (delicious) and some tomato soup. I was totally content.

We then watched Once (after waiting for the preened girls to leave for their night out) a movie set in Dublin. I had tried to watch it about a year ago, but fell asleep. I think it was far more fitting to watch it while in Dublin. Robin fell asleep on my lap though. I think it's a thing with that movie. Very good though. Then off to bed because we had an early morning tour the next day. (I slept like a rock and didn't hear the screaming match at 3am between Hilary's room mates. I told you drama, drama, drama.)

DAY 2: So for the second day in a row, Robin and I woke up at the butt-crack of dawn. We got ourselves ready and took a cab to the 'tourism center' to catch our tour bus to go and see the Cliffs of Moher. As soon as we got past the city limits I passed out again. (It was dark outside, I don't think I missed much. Also our driver put on soothing Irish music and there was an odd blue light, how was I not supposed to fall asleep?) I woke up when we stopped for a break at a gas station in some small village. I walked into some Kanye pumping and about 40 people lined up for coffee. It was slightly surreal.

Back on the bus, fell asleep again, woke up in Limerick. I got out of the bus in time to see Limerick's ABC (Another Bloody Castle) in front of the river and have Robin take some pictures before switching buses to head towards the Cliffs of Moher instead of towards the Blarney Stone . I decided that doing some high kicks and jumping would feel really good before getting on yet another bus. Robin laughed at me. Then copied. It was joyous leprechaun jumping in Limerick for about 30 seconds. Then we got on the new bus (with some strange looks from its occupants) and we headed off towards Doolin and the Cliffs of Moher.

What we didn't realize when we got on the new bigger bus, is that our new tour guide Gabriel had a penchant for singing. I slept far less on this bus ride because every time I started to nod off, here came Gabriel with another Irish ballad or drinking song. Doh! I don't think he realized that the whole back of the bus was really not into the singing because there were several enthusiastic German tourists egging him on from the front.

We finally arrived at the Galway Bay and the Burren landscape. It's really strange. They call it a lunar landscape, its basically all this smooth black volcanic rock for way back in the day with grass surrounding it. It was windy and drizzling, but we ran out of the bus, rock hopping towards the shore. It was more of a cliff edge. Robin and I were puddle-dodging, Robin taking pictures all the way. When I went to take this picture of her (above) a couple was walking towards the ledge on the right. As they turned around the get their picture taken a huge wave came up and covered them in water. I could not stop laughing. We ran around in the rain for a bit longer before getting back in the bus to head towards the village of Doolin .

Apparently there is a big music festival there in the summer, but it was a small place, almost quaint where we went to an Irish pub for lunch. I decided to be adventurous and get the special of bacon and cabbage. I should have taken a picture, because the bacon was HUGE! Very heavy this Irish food. Then back on the bus and off to the Cliffs of Moher.

There were a lot of places that Robin and I could have gone on our day trip, but the Cliffs are the #1 tourist attraction in Ireland. I picked it because we got to go hiking, the pictures were strikingly gorgeous, and let's face it, Harry Potter and the Princess Bride were filmed there. I'm going! (When I asked my Irish flatmate about going he said, "From Dublin? To the cliffs? But that is the other side of the country!" Americans and people from the UK and Ireland have a totally different concept of space and distance. Most Brits don't realize that all of Britain can fit inside Nevada, or that it takes less time to drive all the way across Ireland than it does to drive across California, Lake Tahoe to San Francisco.)

As we pulled into the parking lot, the bus driver told us the time to be back and then said, "We will see some interesting hair-do's when you all get back." I couldn't quite figure it out, until I stepped off the bus and was promptly buffeted backwards by a huge gust of wind. Oh dear. The wind had been breezy at all the other places we had gotten off the bus, but it was nothing compared to this.

Robin and I made sure everything was securely attached to us, all zippers firmly closed and headed up the pathway towards the cliffs. It wasn't too bad until we got to the edge of the cliffs and we were smacked in the face with fast moving air. The view was spectacular. It's like seeing the Grand Canyon, pictures and words can't describe the vastness, massiveness, and sense of awe that hits you when you see it. Just standing and soaking it in.

I got really excited when I recognized the Harry Potter cave. The wind was blowing so hard it was creating funnels of mist and dust at the edge, which you can kind of see in this picture.

Robin and I tried to make our way towards O'Brien's Tower, which was beyond a patch of swirling, intense wind. It was so ridiculously windy that all I could do was laugh. It was like a cartoon, leaning so far forward in the wind, that if it wasn't there you would fall down, you can't see anything because it's hard to keep your eyes open, you are getting pushed in all directions, arms swinging fighting the invisible forces pushing against you. And you are doing this with about 10 other people trying to get to the other side. I was laughing so hard that I nearly collapsed right in the middle of the pathway. I had to go back and basically run against the wind to get to the other side.

Once there we played in the wind a bit by the tower stairs. You could stand facing the wind, slightly spread eagled, jump into the air, and then wind would push you back several feet. It was awesome.

There are moments when all of a sudden you feel the freedom of being little again, no judgements, just play. The conditions that you usually experience are just so thrown out the window that everything is new and wonderous. In the wind at the top of the cliffs I felt free. I wish I could recapture that feeling much more often.

We finally made our way back down, looking and experiencing. The gift shop was a nice reprieve from the blasting wind. I asked the man at the information desk how hard the wind was actually blowing. He said 160km, or just over 100mph. Hurricane force winds. Awesome.

After going back for one last look, we went back to the bus. I was still glowing. We stopped at Bunratty Castle (which ended up being closed for a wedding) and it's unnaturally large gift shop. Even this blatant and almost forced consumership, which normally would have greatly annoyed me, could not put a damper on my spirits. Then back in the bus for the long drive back to Dublin. I slept little, Robin blissfully passed out near my shoulder, staring out the window as the sun sank and the green landscape turned dark, just thinking.

Once off the bus, back on O'Connell Street in the heart of downtown Dublin, Robin and I headed towards Temple Bar, the bar and restaurant sector of the city that has been there for hundreds of years. We were to meet Hilary for dinner, but as she was running a bit late we put our name in for a table at Gogarty's and went downstairs to get a drink from the bar.

Now Guinness is really big in Ireland. Either because the Irish are really into drinking and love the stout Guinness, or as the tour guide said, the Guinness family had done so much for Dublin that it's people, despite actually disliking the beer, drank it anyway out of gratitude. Either way, they drink a lot of Guinness. Robin and I don't actually like it though. (I know. I know! I went to Ireland and didn't drink a Guinness. So sue me.) I did have an Irish ale, Kilkenny, (after researching... super Irish, boo ya!) which was fantastic. And Robin got an Irish cider. So there.We happily drank our drinks, people watching until Hilary arrived and we went up to our table at the traditional Irish restaurant.

I feel that an integral part of traveling is trying new foods and especially the foods of the country you are in. Irish soda bread is fantastic. I wish I could get that stuff all the time. They also had Guinness bread (see I told you they were into their Guinness). I got some mussels, which were delicious but very different from US mussels (Robin had never ever tried a mussel. So I forced her to try just one. Her response was,  "Well it's not too bad, I kind of like the taste. But I'm never eating one again. Salt water." I think the texture got to her) and then some Irish coddle, which was potatoes and sausage and some other small veggies in a heavy creamy sauce almost like gravy. Mmm. Robin got a cheesy potato and Hilary got some Irish beef stew/casserole. Very heavy, yet delicious food. It's food that you can't eat all the time but is so delicious when you do get it.

Then back to the apartment. No partying out on the town for us. We were far too tired.

DAY 3: We reserved this day to just tour the city of Dublin. See the sites, as it were. We got up, finally a morning to sleep in. We realized at this point that it was Daylight Savings, so we got a whole extra hour of time to do stuff. We had some breakfast and set off towards O'Connell Street.

It was a slightly breezy, sporadically drizzly day. Robin wore her new tights. She told me about every half hour how amazing they were. "I can't feel the wind!" It is amazing what not wearing cotton will do for your warmth level.

We got one of those Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tours which made loops around the city. We made our first stop at Trinity College to see the Book of Kells and the Old Library . We caught a student-run tour which was informative and very entertaining. Then going and seeing the Book of Kells which was written in about 800AD by monks was really cool. Then the Old Library seriously looked out of Harry Potter. Then, as all good tourists attractions do, we exited through the gift shop. While searching through the aisles of stuff, I accidentally stole a journal while putting my maps and pamphlets into my bag. I discovered this after we left. Bad Katie, bad.

The back on the bus (I feel like I have said this A LOT) and we toured the city, electing not to get off at Chrischurch and the Viking Museum, St. Patrick's Cathedral, or the Guinness Storehouse (Now I must tell you, though largely omitted from this post, there have been several pit stops for me to pee, and we did get off the bus for that.) We decided that we wanted to go to the Jameson Distillery. We also decided that we needed to eat before going and drinking whiskey. The Distillery is not in the greatest area, so on our search for food, which ended in a Spar (think 7-11), we were cussed at by a drunkard who told us to get out of his country.

Anyway, despite the slightly ominous beginning, we got to the Distillery and went on the tour with no hitches. I was selected to be a tester. And after the slightly hokey tour, they sit you down to compare the Jameson whiskey with a Scottish and American whiskey, these being a unnamed Scotch and Jack Daniel's. In my opinion, the Jameson was clearly the best tasting. But then I am by no means a whiskey connoisseur, although Jameson did give me a certificate.

For me the rest of the day was pretty glowy, a total of 2 shots of whiskey was more than enough to get me nice and drunk. We did a bit more shopping when we got back to the end of the tour (me making several pee stops after the alcohol. I think I have a problem), me constantly reminding that she did not have to get presents for everyone. Then back to Hilary's to get our stuff, grab some dinner, and we headed to her friend Aaron's place which was closer to the airport.

I think that college boy's apartments are pretty much universally dirty. I was very amused. We sat and watched some TV with them, and then some strange documentary about the Wild Horse brothel... at which point I decided it was time for bed. They had an electric fireplace in the room we were staying in that seemed very dangerous and easy to burn yourself on. Then off to sleep before catching a flight, again extremely early.

DAY 4: We woke up again at the butt-crack of dawn or, "o'dark thirty"and caught a cab to the airport, made our way through security and such and onto the plane, bidding a fond farewell to Hilary as she flew off to Milan and we headed back to London.

After landing we caught a bus to catch the tube back to school. Robin stayed and showered in my room while I went to class. Some Mondays are longer than others. After class, I came back and Robin went to get the bus back to Canterbury and I made it through my next class before absolutely crashing.

It was a great weekend.