Just Another Day

This week has been very chill in Dublin. I've always had something to do, but it's all been pretty ordinary. Which, in my opinion, is not at all a bad thing.

Earlier in the week, my friend Holly and I found a pub we really like called the Porter House. It was one of the places we went on the pub crawl at the beginning of the semester, but it was very crowded that night and we hadn't spent much time there. But when we went the other day, it was a lovely time. I had the best Amaretto Sour I've ever tasted, and there was a live musician playing some really great music.

Holly and I went around Blackrock and downtown a bit today, just to get out. I haven't been having the best of weeks, since I didn't get into the musical I auditioned for, so I was ready for just a regular day. I started my day having breakfast at 1pm at this adorable restaurant called The Mellow Fig. They have the BEST scones EVER. I got berry tea, an egg, sourdough toast, and bacon, but I didn't like the bacon because it wasn't crispy enough, and a strawberry scone with raspberry jam. Absolutely delicious, and wonderful to just sit and look around, with nowhere to be and no deadlines to meet.

After my meal, I met up with Holly and we perused the Blackrock Market. We were expecting a farmers market, but it was actually more of a flea market; there were several stands with antiques, handmade jewelry and clothing, phone cases, cutting boards, spices, furniture, old coins, on and on. We didn't stay long, but it was interesting to see what it was. I even found a hat I liked ;D

Don't worry, I didn't buy it.

We went downtown and shopped around for a little bit. I fell in love with several things I saw, but Holly was on a mission and I had no money, so I didn't buy anything. We all know it's better this way. But we did see some really good street performers today, including a first for me in Dublin, human statues! They were really good, too!

 Just another day in Dublin. But I like the ordinary days; it allows me to have some time to gather myself and think about things. 

I got a care package from my parents a couple days ago (which made me cry), and it was filled with pictures of home and family, along with snacks that my family knows I love and my favorite TV show, Grey's Anatomy, on DVD, since I don't get any of my shows on Netflix here. I miss home, but I'm loving my time here too, and it was nice to get a little piece of home to enjoy every now and then. 

The homesickness I'm feeling is a strange mix. I don't want to go home... I want to bring home here. I want my family to be experiencing all of this with me. I want my friends to be able to visit me whenever they can. I want to be able to go back and forth between here and Cleveland as often as I need to. It's silly, but it's my reality. I wonder if it will change over time...

Dalkey

I apologize for the late update on this event, I've had much on my mind this week.
I'd also like to say that my blog is now being featured on the Facebook and Twitter pages of UCD International! How exciting! Thanks for all your support, readers, and keep spreading the web address to your friends!

Sunday was a pretty lazy day for all of us international students. We had a GORGEOUS day, so we decided to take a little day trip down to Dalkey, a suburb of Dublin right on the sea.
It was our first experience with the DART system (Dublin Area Rapid Transit), but it was surprisingly easy to navigate. It was a short fifteen minute train ride, and we arrived in Dalkey around 10:30am. 

A couple of people in our group were still waking up, so we walked around the town a bit in search of a coffee shop. We ended up walking through some beautiful residential areas and found ourselves near a boat launch overlooking the sea and a small island.

We finally found a coffee shop, and we sat down to have our lattes, cappuccinos, and teas. I had a lovely Red Berry Herbal Tea, served in the cutest tea cup!

After we had our drinks, we wandered around the town looking for the three castles that were supposedly on the map, which I never actually saw. We did end up seeing three castles, however two were very small and we could not go into them, and the third did not catch the interest of our group. Walking around the town, we also saw some interesting shops, and an amazing assortment of estates, especially along the sea. These houses... I can't believe people actually live there. See for yourself.

We had lunch at a little cafe/restaurant in a marketplace on a cobblestone street. The whole place was absolutely adorable; vendors were selling homemade clothes, purses, jewelry, and ice cream out of tiny huts up and down this tiny street. I had a delicious ham and cheese toastie for lunch, which I regret not taking a picture of.

Along with the castles, we went into a beautiful church right across from Dalkey Castle. We couldn't stay long, because mass was about to start, but it was a gorgeous and very spiritual place.

Believe it or not, the above are all pictures of three different castles, the first being Dalkey Castle, the second one Archbold's Castle, and finally Bulloch Castle. They were all pretty interesting, but it was disappointing to not be able to go in.

Overall it was a very enjoyable day. I went home tired, even though we only spent a few hours there, and satisfied with how we spent our time. It was a chill day to just get out of Dublin and walk around without a time table to keep.

I can't wait to see what experiences this weekend holds!

Culture Night

Friday, 20 September 2013, was Culture Night in Dublin! Starting at 5pm, several attractions, museums, and interest points were free to the public for ONE NIGHT ONLY!
Honestly, I was super excited. My friend Lucie and I met up to go downtown, planning to meet some other friends there later.
Boy, was it disappointing. 
There was so much I wanted to see, but since a thousand other people wanted to see the same things, the lines were long for EVERYTHING. My friends didn't even get to see Dublinia after waiting in line for a good hour. Though, I will give Culture Night this--I had the best burger and chips that I've had yet here (keep in mind that chips are wide-cut french fries. Fries are chips and chips are crisps. Europe.). It was a pure-Irish-beef burger with ketchup, mayonnaise, grilled onions, and a pepper sauce. Verrryyyy yummmyyyyyy. 
I did also get the chance to visit a couple places that I probably wouldn't normally go, like the Irish Traditional Music Archive, St. Ann's Cathedral, and Dublin Castle. See my pictures below!

These pictures are all from St. Ann's Church downtown. It was our first stop for Culture Night, and it was really beautiful all around! The shelves of bread are all full of bread for the homeless, one of the many ministries the church is involved with for the Dublin community.

Next, we headed to Trinity College. It's a giant campus, right in the middle of the city. I didn't particularly care for the style of architecture I saw around the campus, however I definitely appreciate it all for its beauty and artistry.

We finished up culture night at Dublin Castle, where we got to go inside (which is not typically open) and see the magnificence of how the Royalty lived when the castle was built around 1224. 

We ended the evening at the Hard Rock Café Dublin, which was such a treat! Cocktails were only five Euros, so I decided to splurge a little and get a couple of fruity mixed drinks, rather than my usual pint of Bulmers Cider. 

Overall, I'd say it was a successful evening. I'm excited to go back and see all of the sites I missed, but it will be nice to not deal with such crowds. And don't worry, I'll be sure to keep everyone posted when I do something awesome! Until next time!