Dublin's Just Happy To See You

The River Liffey From O'Connell Bridge

Dublin was a weekend full of awkward encounters, the pilgrimage for hot wings, and being robbed by the ridiculous prices. Melissa, Sara, Ben (Melissa's friend), Alice (Claire's French friend), and I took a flight on Thursday night. We were under the impression our flight was at 9:15, so we got there at 7. In reality our flight was at 10:15, damn the military time! We were way too early. The time passed and the flight was one of the shortest I have ever been on. Disembarking was hilarious. I had my dad's traveling backpack (so it has all these strings and ties falling all over the place). I was rushing to get off the plane (and they have the stairs to lead to the runway, and you disembark outside), so I am rushing when all of a sudden I am pulled back. I got sucked up by the stairs, rather, my bag did. Here I was going all fast and all of a sudden my head snaps back a bit and I struggle to stay on my two feet. I fall back onto Melissa's friend, Ben as he tried desperately to untangle me and help me keep my balance. It was FUNNY, especially since I held up the rest of the line. On the way to the hostel we decide to split a cab. Oh that was particularly awkward. The radio station he was tuned to was discussing the impending cab strike and the DJ was taking public opinion polls on whether you supported the strike or couldn't see what the big deal was. The callers were just bashing cabs, the DJ was especially rude and here we sat listening to this with the cabby! We gave our cab driver an extra big tip.

Irish Pride!

Claire had booked our hostel all together so we got a six bed room en suite with a bathroom! Much better than 32 people! The hostel also offered a complimentary breakfast, and that was some of the best toast I have ever eaten (because it was free!) I used my cocoon (the bed liner my dad got me for hostel stays) and I felt like a butterfly every night! Well we were five in a six person room, so we had one extra person. On the first night it was a guy named Rob. We hadn't met him as we were all sleeping when he came home. He was very nice, and offered to leave the room when were all changing. But after breakfast I came back before anyone else and did not even think to knock...so I burst through the door as Rob quickly pulls his pants up. He was shirtless, and the motion of pulling his pants up with such speed made him loose his balance a bit. Awkward, but we talked and he seemed like a very good guy.

On our first full day we meandered around. We were only a six minute walk to main Dublin. Crossing the street there was interesting. Unlike Edinburgh, they were not afraid to jaywalk. It was a bit of home to see people get honked. Also, the cross walks have particular noises it emits for blind people to know when to cross. The sound of go was fun! We saw the Christ Church Cathedral, the Dublin Castle, the Chester Beatty Library. My particular favorite was the H'Penny bridge that ran over the Liffey River. We ended up at Trinity College to see the Book of the Kells. It was eight euros, but it was fascinating. These Irish monks had developed their own writing style, and the original manuscripts were heavily guarded by glass. The best part of the whole exhibit was you were able to go through the Long Library (the place where they filmed the third Indiana Jone's library scene!) I took some illegal photos...but I got scared when a guard caught one guy doing it and said to him threateningly, "we'll be watching you." I left with my sneaky photos and did not look back!

Part of the castle
A gate of the Castle gardens

The view of the Castle & The Celtic Symbol from above

The Long Library!

The Stairs Elsa Goes Down!!!

We wandered towards Grafton street (a shopping thoroughfare) and happened across a lovely Cathedral, St. Anne's. The man who greeted us in the Cathedral was weird. He was supremely awkward and gave us a brief history of the Cathedral and mentioned Sesame Street in an out of place context. Sara overheard a woman say to him, "This is a beautiful church." He replied, "Well, I didn't build it." Ahaa.

Penny's, the Irish Primark (Semi like the U.K. Target except strictly clothes, and it's CHEAP!) was a hit! I bought a wonderful spring dress that makes me SUPER happy. The weather was temper mental and after a rain fall we saw a rainbow, but it was so hazy that it barely came out in my photo.After a brief rest at our hostel it was time to set off in pursuit for hot wings. Sara had ate a restaurant that served revolutionary hot wings. We went on a excursion to find them once again. The walk was epic (partially because it was freezing) and Sara took us to the other side of town. We walked for nearly forty five minutes when the seating hostess at the restaurant told us bitchily that they were all booked and that there was a cozy little Italian place on the corner. The cozy little Italian place turned out to be a fast food pizza joint. She sucked. By this time we were all exhausted (from walking everywhere), cold, and hungry. So our moods were BAD. I was especially in a funk. We ended up going to an overpriced Chinese restaurant (outrageous prices), it cost us 55 euros for like four dishes. Absurd.

Barely visible rainbow!

We did not even go to a pub because 1) we were so tired. 2) we were so cheap (a pint is 5.50!) So they bought some cider and drank in the hostel. That's where Neil, our second tenant found us! He was awkwardly adorable. He had just come from travelling Eastern Europe for his spring break as he told us his whole trip. He was super nice and so flamboyant but just did not know it yet. He goes up to us and says, "I needs a girls opinion" and pulls out two pashminas. As we question him who their for he clarifies, "well this one could be for a girl that could potentially be a girlfriend, but that's like impossible, but it's you know, possible." I approved!

On our second and last day in Dublin we went on a free walking tour! We LOVE free! Our tour guide, Ali was hilarity. He had some gems. We walked around mostly everywhere we had gone before, but now we had some historical context. He told us a story of a Prince of a clan who was kidnapped by being lured with wine, "would you like some more wine, Hugh? Is that all right? Can I call you Hugh?" Ali then pictured how he was kidnapped, "They threw a bag over his head, threw him over their shoulder--not exactly historically accurate but I'd like to think so." He gave the tour a challenge, to guess his heritage and if we got it right he'd reward us with a song. We walked into the castle gardens and he pointed out a cat that lived there. A girl came up to Ali and asked, "Can you give us a hint to where you're from?" He replied, "no, but I can show you this cat to distract you!" He showed us the tower where the captured Prince was tortured and commented, "while they were in the tower being tortured, they had to pay for food and rent. It was the worst youth hostel ever." As we passed by the spire (a millennium structure the city built in anticipation of 2000, because they had a lot of money, but it wasn't completed until 2003. It serves no purpose but to look phallic in the middle of O'Connell street) , Ali told us what locals call it, "the stiffy on the liffey." He then said dead pan, "Dublin is just happy to see you." He gave us some chuckles. What was even funnier was the stories he told made up.

At temple bar, sitting on opposite streets there's an accordion player with a fierce mustache and a gypsy woman sitting in a chair advertising fortune telling. Ali made up their epic love story claiming that every day the accordion player serenades the woman because, "with that stache, how could he not?" It was an impressive mustache, later Sara and I saw the accordion player holding the sign for the woman--so it was actually true. My personal favorite though was when we were outside St. Stephen's Green park. There is a statue of Wolfbane (a Irish general, maybe?) and he claimed that the crotch of the statue is shiner than other places because for good luck people rub his crotch. He then invited people to rub his crotch. People actually did it. These annoying British girls ran right up to that statue and fondled him! Ali meanwhile told the other people on the tour who had moved on it was all a hoax and he just made that up. My face was contorted because I laughed so hard. It was just brilliantly hilarious. Genius even. It was an excellent free tour.

St. Stephen's Green

Sara and I split off from Claire and Alice, and we ate a snack at the bad ass cafe (awesome name, donkey's were everywhere!) They had an awesome pulley system all around the restaurant. You could tug a handle and it would shoot an little capsule to the bar. In the capsule drink orders would be written down so the bartender could just pour! After, we went to the Temple book market. We stood by a stand as the stand owner started to talk to us. He asked us where we were from, and once he learned New York, he proceeded to talk my ear off about New York Stories, a movie with three short films in it, one by Woody Allen. He talked about how it was just another stereotypical Woody Jewish neurotic film and he absolutely found it hilarious. In fact, I can tell you the movie in its entirety because he summarized it all, even the punch lines. He taught us a phrase, "How's the crack?" Which basically means, are you having fun? He tried to act "American" by saying "fo' sho" and we were getting gradually more creeped out. He commented to me, "I don't know if you're being sarcastic or not." and told us how his WHOLE family was sarcastic. All this while he was talking to us, he kept moving closer to us...Then came the icing on the cake of creepy. He boasted he could do an excellent Heath Ledger as the joker impression. And without further ado he grabbed Sara's face in a choke hold embrace and in an Irish Heath Ledger impression, "Let's put a smile on that face..." With the creepy tongue thing the joker does, and we freaked out. Sara flipped out and I knew we had to leave. So I said,"well yeah, bye." and he opens his arms in an embrace and yells to my back, "HUGS! HUGS!" and I walk away without looking back once. Creepy.

Just Hilarious.

Finally, we made it to the wings! They were scrumptious. Sara and I were the only ones who went because it was rather steep, but it was an EXCELLENT meal. My dad would have approved of the restaurant. This American couple sitting next to us were a bit foolish. After hearing the special of pork belly, the wife asked the waitress, "what do you mean pork belly? like a pork chop without the bone?" The waitress was stunned and said delicately, "no, like the belly of a pig..." Aha. Oh well.

We had an early night as well because we had to wake up at 5:30 for our plane (plus it was daylights savings, so we'd loose an hour of sleep!) When we were all five sprawled out in our hostel room when we hear a knock at our door. Six guys heads peer in and they ask, "is this 4c?! We have a bed here. Are you all girls?!" When we confirm that we are in fact, all girls, one guy goes with glee, "well, that changes things!" He then said, "we'll be right back with our luggage." It was so awkwardly hilarious. We burst out laughing. Then Sara said that they were probably drawing straws to see who got our room, which sent us in a further tizzy of giggles. And you could hear them all laughing in the hallway. It was funny.

Now I'm back in Edinburgh, and in my bed sitting comfortably. The bottom of my foot has a blister, which has never happened before! But Dublin although I was in a terrible mood Saturday night, and was not too fond of the city. I did enjoy myself. I felt this trip was not so much for the city as it was for the experience and the new people, and stories we learned. Whereas in Berlin, I was there for the city and not meeting people. Unless Dublin miraculously cuts its prices by a third, I don't think it'll be experiencing a visit from me anytime soon!

Dead Tired.