This weekend, we headed the short distance to Dublin, Ireland, to see some sights and visit with Casey, who is studying abroad there this semester. It was the first time we had traveled outside of the United Kingdom, so it was definitely interesting yet good to see where the other London airports are, how to get there, etc. We left late Thursday night, so we didn't get to do much in Ireland once we landed, but we did get to see Casey's apartment at Dublin City University and met some of her suite-mates, who were very nice. I also got to start eating her brand new bag of granola, which I continued to do throughout the weekend! Look at us, all happy to be reunited for the weekend!
On Friday, we had a lazy morning - we got a little rest and ate a lot of eggs. Then, we got on a train that took us to Dun Laoghaire (pronounced Dun Leary), a town on the eastern coast of Ireland. It was very beautiful, but we chose a bad day to go there. Although weather.com said that it was going to be sunny and 38 degrees, the weather in Dun Laoghaire was actually cloudy and windy, with a threatening storm off the coast and a wind chill of probably 12. But we made the best of it, walked down the pier in the gale-force winds, got really cold, snapped some pictures, then went to find hot chocolate. As cold as it was, the coast was very pretty and we have pictures to prove it!
The coast of Dun Laoghaire
The impending storm
The land as seen from the pier
Another view of the town
Lighthouses!
Boats!
Unfortunately, we were so cold and worried of developing frostbite that we didn't make it all the way down the pier to see the lighthouses, even though I had specifically chosen Dun Laoghaire to visit simply because it had a lighthouse! It was a very fun day and the coast is definitely something you should see, but I would recommend either preparing as if you were going to the north face of a mountain. Or just go on a warmer day.
Friday night, we got a small taste of the Dublin nightlife. We started off in Casey's apartment, jamming to Tik Tok and Party in the USA (no suprises there), then headed to a more trendy bar/club to meet up with our other friends who were also visiting Dublin. We stayed there for a while, but we also wanted to experience a more club-like atmosphere, so we decided to go down the street to a pub that had a club upstairs with no cover charge, which was the main motivation behind picking that specific place. Once we got there, however, we realized that the upstairs part was less like a club and more like a sophisticated frat party. We all stood around, drinking and listening to music in a dark room, but also got to talk with some college-aged Irish kids which was fun. We noticed that the Irish are very friendly and will strike up a conversation with anybody, but will be even more inclined to speak to you if you are American. One of my favorite things about being abroad and going to new places, whether outside of the country or just a different place in London, is that I get to talk and converse with so many different people and learn about them and where they are from.
On Saturday, we did a lot of sight-seeing and walking around. We went to St. Stephen's Green, walked past Christchurch, walked through Dublin Castle, then ended up at the Guinness Storehouse to close out the day. It was a long, tiring day but a lot of fun nonetheless. Here is a photo tour of the day.
St. Stephen's
St. Stephen's
St. Stephen's
St. Stephen's
Dublin Castle
Dublin Castle
Dublin Castle
Dublin Castle
Christchurch
Christchurch
View from Gravity Bar at the top of Guinness Storehouse
Gravity Bar
Gravity Bar
Sunset over Dublin
That night, after we ate Italian food in Ireland (which was actually delicious), we got to experience some traditional live Irish music. The band playing is called The Gravel Walk, but apparently does not have a website to link to on here. It really was good that we got to see some live Irish music while we were there, as most of the bands are very very good but just play in the pubs in the area.
It was a very fun weekend in Dublin, but I am very tired as we flew out this morning at 7:40! Now time to rest up for my 21st birthday!!
I can finally post a comment......I couldn't before...But now I have already commented to you what I wanted to say....anyway, I am really enjoying reading your stories and looking at the pictures all in one place......good job!!
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