Even though we only had one full day in Dublin, we actually spent 3 nights there. Continuing on from the last post... is our second night, which also happened to be October 31st!
Our Northern Ireland tour dropped us off in Dublin around 8:30 at night, but the city was just beginning to stir and prepare for the craziness that is Halloween in Dublin. It was unintentionally planned, but Dublin is rumored to be the birthplace of Halloween (at the very least, the holiday has strong Celtic roots), so Dublin ended up being a great European city to stay in for the celebration--especially for Kat and I, since France doesn't seem to know that Halloween exists.
After the tour of Northern Ireland, Bridget took a bus back to her Aunt's house (who lives on the outskirts of the city) and Julianne went to Trinity to room/celebrate with her good friend Leslie, so it was just Christian, Kat and I on Halloween night. We grabbed dinner (fish and chips), then just walked around the city for a while, people-watching. Much of the city is lit up for October 31st--especially the Temple Bar area, where we were wandering. Christ Church--the medieval cathedral that dates back to around 1028--was also all lit up for the night, and it was apparently hosting a haunted house type of thing. Eventually, the three of us got cold, so we sat down in a pub to grab some drinks (I had Baileys on the rocks, my favorite). We sat right by a window in the pub, and watched all the crazy-drunk costumed teenagers and 20-somethings walk (or wobble) by. The most popular outfits in Dublin seemed to be in the likeness of various animals, zombies, or policemen/women.
Let me tell you, though: 90% of the girls I saw dressed up made one huge mistake--they wore 4- or 5-inch stilettos with their costumes. Dublin is an old city, and that means lots of cobblestones. And cobblestones + stilettos + alcohol...... well, let's just say that I saw a lot of girls wipe out Halloween night.
Honestly, that's all to tell about my Halloween night. Pretty tame, really, but I enjoyed it. For old time's sake, I also went into a convenience store to buy myself a candy bar (adult version of trick-or-treating?).
Friday morning (November 1st) was our last day in Ireland--and our only full day in Dublin--but we spent it well. After a good breakfast at a local inn, Christian, Kat, and I wandered around Trinity College for a good while. The grounds are beautifully maintained--so beautiful that certain sections of grass are off-limits. I wanted to see the famous Book of Kells, which is kept on permanent display at Trinity's library, but unfortunately the line was insanely long. Perhaps next visit?
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| Only picture I took at Trinity. I must've been half-asleep. |
It also happened to be graduation day at Trinity. Of course, the seniors really ended classes and exams back in May, but apparently Ireland doesn't give out the actual diplomas until the autumn to keep Irish graduates from immediately leaving Ireland to look for jobs in other countries. I thought this was quite interesting.
After strolling through Trinity, the three of us headed towards our day's main site: the Guinness Storehouse.
Anyone who knows me might be a little confused, since I usually dislike beer. However, the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin is an awesome place to visit for anyone (although I think those over 18 would appreciate it most). First, the tour brings you through the ingredients that goes into Guinness, and how the beer is made. Next was what I found most fascinating--there was a room with a video showing the extensive process by which the casks for beer were made. It was quite intriguing. I never knew how much work went into making what looks like a regular barrel for beer, but that video definitely proved me wrong!
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| This is meant to be a huge sculpture of a glass of Guinness |
Following the room of casks was a room that showed how to truly taste Guinness, the right way, with all the senses. It was free, so we waited in line for a few minutes to try it. We were brought into an all-white room with four pillars, each spitting out a different smelling smoke--all of those flavors apparently found in Guinness. (One of the pillars smelled like chocolate, though, and there sure wasn't any chocolate-flavored Guinness, so I have my doubts...). Next, we were herded into a dark room whose walls and ceiling were painted black, complete with golden chandeliers. Here we were given shot-glass-sized glasses of Guinness and were instructed on how to take the correct posture and the correct gulps of the beer. I couldn't keep from laughing, but there was a bit of merit to what the instructor said. It was a fun mini-class at the storehouse.
One floor up had walls showcasing all the Guinness advertisements from years past. Originally, their slogan was "Guinness is Good for You!" which has morphed several times and now sticks mostly to "Lovely Day for a Guinness" or occasionally "My Goodness My Guinness." There was also a little section where TVs from different decades played all the Guinness commercials, which were fun to watch.
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| And I quote: "Guinness builds strong muscles... It enriches the blood." |
Next, the three of us completed the "Guinness School" of how to correctly pour the beer from the tap. I'm not sure if I did it correctly, but I received some silly certificate and my beer tasted fine anyway.
With our beers, we walked up to the Gravity Bar, which is a huge circular glass room at the top floor of the Guinness Storehouse, giving off a fantastic panoramic view of the entire city. It was a great place to go--I just wish it wasn't so crowded! There were people everywhere, so we didn't end up getting seats. The view made up for that, though. It was a perfect place to enjoy a beer.
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| My Goodness, My Guinness |
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| No idea who this guy is, but it's a clear picture of the sun starting to set over Dublin from the Gravity Bar! |
That concluded our time at the Guinness Storehouse (we ended up spending about three hours there) but we had one more stop on our list: St. Patrick's Cathedral. As soon as we arrived, however, they had just closed the cathedral to tourists. A Toussaint day mass was starting in half an hour, though, so the three of us went to mass, in part to see the inside of the cathedral. The mass was interesting in the fact that the choir sang entirely in Latin, which I had never heard before (I mean I've heard a little Latin before, but I've never really heard all the Latin songs at a mass before). The organ player was incredible, as well. Or maybe it was just the organ--that is a powerful instrument.
After St. Patrick's, we went for dinner (fish and chips again), then went shopping a little. While we were walking back to the hostel, we unexpectedly heard drums... and very loud ones, at that... coming from an adjoining street.
The noise ended up being one of the coolest group of street performers I've ever seen. There were about twenty people, all dressed up for Halloween--led by a very enthusiastic witch--and playing the drums or shaking bells together in step. Okay, that is a terrible description, but I'm sticking with it. The awesome (and loud!) music attracted a huge crowd and lasted for a good half hour before the group finished. It was a great way to end our night.
Kat and I never booked a hostel for Friday night--there wasn't much point in sleeping, since our flight out of Dublin left before 6 am, and it takes a good 20 minutes to get to the airport by bus. The two of us chilled in the Generator's lobby until 2 am, then walked through the darkness with all our luggage for half an hour to get to the airport bus stop. The rest is all mind-numbing traveling, so I'll spare you the details.
But I will say that I was back in my room in Strasbourg by 2 pm Saturday afternoon, and I was glad to be back. While the Generator was a super-nice hostel, it simply can't beat your own bed. Plus, even though I've left the land of sheep, rugged mountains, Irish accents, and awesome pubs, I feel that my host mother's delicious cooking and my host family in general makes up for what I lost by leaving Ireland. On Saturday night, we had a great family dinner all together, joined by Ella (she wasn't off in another country this weekend!) and their youngest daughter Leticia. We were all laughing and having a great time. And they were teasing me that after 8 days in an English-speaking country, I've lost all my French! (I haven't, but the first hour or two of speaking en français was a bit of a struggle)! As much as I loved Ireland (and I really, really loved it), I couldn't imagine studying abroad anywhere else then exactly where I am now........ although, hey, if a few rugged mountains and friendly pubs appeared in the Strasbourg area, I would voice no complaints!
Also, here is one last photo, since this particular leg of the journey (aka Dublin) just wasn't green enough to be considered Ireland without it, in my opinion. Anyone see the rainbow?
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