“Publin”

Some of the guidebooks jokingly refer to Dublin as Publin, due, I’m sure, to the occurence of a different pub on each street corner. And every-other shop. It’s really quite quaint.

Last night Robbie and decided not to pass up the Dublin-pub experience, and planned on visiting ‘The Brazen Head’ right around the corner, but by dinner, I was feeling sick and Robbie tired. We were sitting in the common area planning on vegging all evening, when we struck up a conversation with a set (3) of American boys sitting next to us. Shortly thereafter we were on our way to Camden Street to find a pub, as the boys hadn’t ate yet. They recently graduated from the University of Oklahoma – an engineer (going to school in Scotland, Josiah), a scientist (Jacob), and a philosopher (going to school in England, Scott). They were very nice, same age as Draker, and we ended up going to an Italian restaurant for pizza. Not quite the Irish Pub experience I was expecting. Afterwards we went to O’Donnahugh’s for a pint, but Robbie was the only one to drink any type of ale (Cider), as the rest of us had some delicious Bailey’s Irish Cream (I forgot it was IRish, somehow!). The pub was very irish, except for the Michael Jackson and various other pop music playing loudly over the speakers. That was disappointing – I was hoping for some Trad! There was a bar-fight to make up for it, although we didn’t see much of it – just the guy being dragged outside. Here is Jacob (foreground), Robbie and Josaih, and Scott (at the door) outside of a very IRish-looking pub.

Today we were going to go to the GARDA to register as Irish Immigrants, but didn’t get there in time to get a ticket. It’s a busy place. Instead, we wandered a bit and ended up at the National Museum of Decorative Arts and History (free entrance!). It was alright… I’ve realized I don’t much like museums unless I can touch things. And I couldn’t here. Or anywhere else yet, for that matter. Give me nature, anyday! I could jump around in the very large courtyard of the museum, though.

Here are a few other spots in Dublin that we captured today…

The Liffey. I think the author of THE HUNTER’S MOON speaks of this river in the book. ‘All hail, the King has passed.’ Mind you I could be wrong.

Robbie pretending to be a street beggar. Actually, this is me posing her against a gorgeous stone wall. It’s a good backdrop. I caught her laughing.

Final note – we’re heading to Cork tomorrow. We’ll still have internet access at the hostel, so please keep the emails coming. We both really like to receive them. And also we have a mobile. You can reach us at 011.353.862186522. We can receive calls at no cost to us. We can also receive text messages for free, and send replies for free via our web service. I’m not sure how you send an international text message, but Erica has figured it out and was the first to send me something! Robbie and I are sharing the mobile. If you think that is a bad idea, please send 89 Euros to me and I will get my own phone. Cheers.

Jen

More of Dublin

Before the play-by-play of today’s adventure, I’d like to thank Laina for the handmade notepad she gave me (she made it herself). It is coming in handy!

Today we slept in till noon and then left to wander around Dublin, again. We had lunch at a spot called Bruno’s Cafe, which was anything but Irish although I did get to try Irish Stew. We then set off exploring Dublin north of the Liffey, which just so happens to be more affordable than south of the Liffey. We also trekked to the Guiness Storehouse, and on the way passed the James Joyce house (we didn’t go in, but we did snatch a photo). The Guiness factory was very far out of the way, and unlike most of Dublin, wasn’t very esthetically pleasing. We were wet and a bit grumpy by the time we got there, as we didn’t go in because the tour was 15 Euros, and neither of us was interested in the tour… we merely went to say we were there and gather photographic proof!

On our way back through Dublin, we happened past Christ Church, and this time decided to fork over the 6 Euros to get in. To our delight, we were able to enter for no charge, as they were closing soon. We saw the crypt, and a beautiful cathedral-area as well.

The weather here has been rainy (which is typical) but it’s a light rain and we carry umbrellas in our bags so we are prepared. According to the weather forecast, it’s currently 12 degrees. I also took some photos of our hostel area today. You can see them below in the collage. It’s not bad here – somewhat like living in residence, although there is a bug going through our room, and I seem to have caught it last night. I am alright (for now) though. No worries about me! Our orientation with USIT is tomorrow, and at it we will learn how to be Irish Workers. We’re excited to move on to Cork, where we will finally not have to live out of our suitcase!

1. Jen at James Joyce’s Home, 2. Robbie at Guiness Factory, 3. Robbie in the Rain (what a jolly lassie), 4. Cat and Mouse Games, 5. Christ Church Cathedral, 6. Tomb at Chris Church, 7. Tomb at Chris Church, 8. Golden Bird, 9. Midevil Stone Carvings, 10. Stongbow, 11. Room 301 – Four Courts Hostel, 12. Four Courts Hostel – Third Floor, 13. Four Courts Hostel14. Not available15. Not available16. Not available

What can we do for free in Dublin?

First of all, I’d like to let Sally know that we have yet to see any hot Irish guys with nasty teeth (or snog them, for that matter). In fact, we’ve only noticed one person with bad teeth, and that was a young woman at the Luas who probably had mental health and/or addictions issues. There are, however, a lot of dashing irish accents accompanying handsome men. And the women are very glamorous with their scarves and tights and boots – they pull off a look that really inspires me!

Today Robbie and I made it in time to our free breakfast, and then…. I took a nap. Surprisingly, I woke up from a dream with a theme song – Piece of Me by Britney Spears. Weird. Anyway, we set out shortly thereafter to further explore all the low-cost sites in Dublin. Our first stop was just around the corner from our hostel – a pub called ‘The Brazen Head.’ We didn’t actually stop there, but did pause for a photo opportunity. The sign said that it’s the oldest pub in Ireland, and that’s a mighty feat. Like all other buildings in Dublin, it also looks very neat!

Next stop was a church that we thought we were looking for. It turned out to be different, but it still had a lot of character. It’s called St. Audoen’s Cathedral, and here is a photo of me against the stones. I love the stones. I would attend service at a church like this, just to hang out with all the stones!

We wandered a bit further and found what we were looking for: Christ Church. This church has a crypt that we wanted to visit, but I’m frugal and didn’t want to pay the cost of 5 Euros to visit it. So instead we took photos outside, which was nice. Here is Robbie infront of the church (and some Marigolds).

It was nearly 2:30 pm by that point, so we stopped at a restaurant recommended by Let’s Go! Ireland. It is called ‘The Queen of Tarts’ and it’s a very quaint place. I would love to work there – I think my tattoo could show, even! They specialize in – you guessed it – TARTS, and the owner is a French baker, I believe.

Our next stop was The National Museum, which is really an art gallery. There were many beautiful paintings but as no cameras were allowed, no photos either. I almost took a photo of the bathroom to show you how AMAZING irish ‘toilet stalls’ are. They are full doors and most stalls are completed closed in. It’s like my own private toilet in the middle of the public. Who doesn’t appreciate that!?
Across the street from the museum was St. Stephen’s Green, which is compared to Dublin’s version of Central Park (much much MUCH smaller, though). We took a few photos here, and some time to feed the birds. I love the birds, and clearly they love me.

St. Stephen’s Green also has a garden, where I happened to capture Robbie jumping out of extreme excitement, obviously!

On our way back to the hostel, we walked through Temple Bar (it’s soooo charming, and I had to buy some lettuce). I love this area! It has cobblestone streets, tight little buildings that don’t feel claustrophoebic, and so much colour. Robbie noticed the name of this pub, and I fell in love with it. It has such a fun, whimiscal name, and look at that lettering! it’s something straight out of Harry Potter – if he were to visit Seamus.

Looks like dinner is ready. See ya!

And lastly, I’m finishing off with a complaint. Why aren’t the streets in Dublin labelled? We can’t find any flippin’ road signs!

Here’s the deal: I want to live in Howth

We did it – we made it up in time to eat the complimentary breakfast that all hostel guests are entitled to. Toast and jam. And milk! It was pretty good – and free. That’s the best part. Last night I added up my total expenses for each day. I think we’re doing a good job at being frugal: 48.47 Euros on day one, 34.67 on day two – both days include the cost of our hostel. I’m tempted by a lot of tours that we could take to explore the area, but those all cost money, much of which I would prefer not to spend. For example, a tour to Wicklow costs approximately 30 Euros, whereas if we take the bus, it will cost 10.50. Not a guided tour, but much less costly. What would you do?

Today we visited Howth, a sea-side suburb of Dublin located 30 minutes out of town via the DART, which is the subway (above ground). It’s a nice ride, except we got off the DART at the wrong station first-time around. Luckily it didn’t cost us any extra to finish our trip. Here is Robbie making the most of our accident.

We did eventually make it to Howth, and spent nearly two hours walking along the cliffs. It was rainy. We were wet. There were blackberries. There was juniper and lichen and heather. It was beautiful! We walked approximately seven kilometres – yes, uphill. Up-cliff, really. I could have pushed Robbie off the cliff and she me, but we didn’t. Because the cliff-walk makes people fall in love. But then I slipped on some mud and nearly fell on my bottom, and in doing so fell out of love with Robbie. It was a brief affair of the heart in the fields of Heather. (see below)

C’est moi on the beach. I touched the ocean and it wasn’t TOO cold. I also collected a lot of sea glass, and a rock for Sally.

Before beginning the heart of the cliff-walk, Robbie posed with this warning sign. You can see Odette’s version of a similar sign on her blog.

You can view the video that I took here: Cliff-Side Walk Howth

We also found a few other neat sites…

Robbie blending in to a black and white house, with her zebra-print umbrella.

“Come away, O’ human child…” Standing infront of a house once inhabited by Yeats. It was a fluke that we found it – the red door drew my attention, then I saw the sign.

And here i am with some poppies. I love poppies.

Howth also has a lot of colourful things, like flowers and houses.

Good night!

Day Two: Walking around Temple Bar.

Today Robbie and I woke up at noon (which is really only 7 AM in Chatham) and Robbie shortly went down to the front desk where she found her luggage and returned to the room with a huge smile on her face. She likes Ireland a bit more now.

Having missed breakfast (7-10 AM), we walked down to Temple Bar to find food. We ate at a little cafe and I had a ‘Blekkie’ which is really just their name for a bacon, egg and cheese crepe. It was good. We continued walking around Temple Bar and found a lot more trendy-type restaurants, an open-air market, and a lot of really neat-looking buildings.

We also paid a visit to Dublin Castle, where we explored the grounds (including a large Irish Knot – see my Flickr stream). According to my guidebook (Let’s Go! Ireland), the complex has been taken over by office buildings. They have added on to and painted many spaces around the ‘castle’, but we still managed to capture a good view from the Knot garden.

The Chester Beatty Library  houses a collection of Asian artwork and literature, as well as some other displays, one being an exhibition of sketches by Rembrandt. We went there (see below).

Then we got one day’s groceries for our dinner (how European!) and are now back at the hostel.

Bye!

We’re here!

Hello all! It’s midnight in Dublin right now. We arrived safely, although with a few hiccups. Our plane was delayed two hours in Toronto, first because we don’t know why, second because a man on the plane was too sick to fly. Then we missed our connection flight in Amsterdam. Luckily they had already booked us on the next flight (to Dublin), and so we did make it to Ireland in one piece. Unfortunately, Robbie’s luggage did not arrive with us. She is waiting for it to be delivered tomorrow from Amsterdam.

We took the airbus that was SUPPOSED to stop infront of our hostel, but alas, it did not. It took us all the way to the train station and then we had to figure out how to get back. Irish accents can be a bit thick at times! We ended up taking the ‘tram’ which was better than the bus anyway (it’s actually called the Luas), and Robbie’s impeccable sense of direction guided us to the hostel. We’re on the top floor in what looks like it might be the attic, in a 16 bed dorm. We’ve met three girls from England who are very nice, and i accidentally walked in on a naked french girl when trying to brush my teeth. Oh, and on the trans-atlantic flight, I was able to watch the Sex and the City Movie. Finally!

Bedtime, ciao!