Dublin in fun-blin!

I have just returned from Dublin! I had a great time despite hardly hitting any typical tourist stuff. Here is the recap:

Day 1: my flight out of Gatwick was delayed so I sat in the airport talking to 2 girls from the U.S. (Rebecca and Amanda) who were on the same flight. They just finished studying at the University of Brighton for 6 months. We chatted a bit, and of course, I didnt really think I would see them again but when I walked in to my hostile in Dublin, there they were. We went out to dinner at a pub and I had my first of many pints of Dublin Guiness. Went back to the hostle and crashed. A girl in my room talked in her sleep in a different language.

Day 2: Headed to Kenny's rugby game with Rebecca and Amanda in the morning. They lost, unfortunately. We went back into the city and got lunch and saw Christ Church and Dublin Castle. The castle was weird and not that exciting. Kenny had asked me to stop by his second game so I grabbed a cab and went back out the the pitches, but I was late and I got there after it ended. Ooops. I stayed around the dorms and grabbed dinner with Kenny and his rugby friends and then we went to the The Temple Bar, where I proceeded to consume more Guiness.

Day 3: I slept at Kenny's dorm room so I got up and went to his morning rugby game. At this point I hadn't eaten much and was feeling like I was getting scurvy or something. After his game I headed back to the hostle to change my clothes but remembered that we were not allowed in between the hours of 11-2pm. Grrr. I had it in my head to do something touristy, but really, I found I just wanted to walk. I walked around Dublin for about 2 1/2 hours, randomly stopping for lunch or to look at interesting things/people along the way. I found my favorite Dublin sight on this walk. I don't actually know definitively what it is, but it was a statue of people with swans They looked like they were bursting out of the ground with serious power. The people looked peaceful and in turmoil at the same time. There was a reflecting pool in front of the statue and flowers and benches around it. There was a plaque by the statue that said:

"In the darkness of despair we saw a vision. We lit the light of hope and it was not extinguished. In the desert of discouragement we saw a vision. We planted the tree of valor and it blossomed.

In the winter of bondage we saw a vision. We melted the snow of lethargy. And the river of resurrection flowed from it

We sent our vision aswim like a swan on the river. The vision became a reality. Winter became summer. Bondage became freedom. And this we left to you as your inheritance.

O generations of freedom remember us, the generations of the vision."

It was really damp out in Dublin that day and has been misting as I walked around this statue. As I read the plaque I realized I was crying just a little, one tear from each eye. When I finished reading I turned around and, suddenly, the sun came out. For some reason it was an incredibly peaceful experience and my favorite Dublin memory.

After I walked forever I went back to the hostle and showered and changed clothes. I didn't want to spend my short trip not seeing the city, but I was so unbelieveably tired I felt like I couldn't stand anymore. I napped. I was supposed to call Kenny for dinner but we had communication issues so we never got in touch. Instead, I cooked dinner at the hostle with Amanda and Rebecca. Then we went to a pub down the street for a Guiness with another girl Marcella. It was definitely an older crowd. All I saw when we walked in was white hair. It turned out to be incredibly entertaining because there was live music that drunk old people like to dance to. Everyone was so happy in that pub, you couldn't help but leave happy.

Day 4: I got up and went to the rugby pitches in the morning, eventhough I wasn't planning on it, it was going to the only way to get back in touch with Kenny since our phones were being cruel. I got off the bus and walked for a while because I was early. It was a cool Sunday morning in a residential area. Lots of people were walking their dogs or getting breakfast or going to church. I just kept walking. There were little kids playing in a field hockey tournament. I stopped to look at a church and really pretty gardens. Once I made it back to the tournament I located Kenny and found I had arrived just in time for his team's kickoff. I stayed and watched. I actually began to enjoy rugby while I was in Dublin. After the game we made plans for the evening and I headed back into the city for the afternoon. Once again, I had it in my mind to go do the typical tourist stuff, but I just didn't want to. I wanted to wander again. I found myself feeling guilty about this decision because I felt I should be doing the stuff the guidebooks told me to do. I stopped and really analyzed that guilt while I was crossing the River Liffy. Who's vacation was this anyway? Mine. I wanted to wander. So I did. Guilt free. I did stop by Trinity College to see the book of Kells. I went back to the hostle to check out and then took my stuff over to Kenny's. We hungout for awhile and then went into the city for dinner. We never actually got to dinner because we went in to a bar for a pre dinner drink and discovered that the soccer match between Turkey and the Czech Republic was just about to begin. It was a really awesome game. Turkey was behind almost the whole time and then made an awesome comeback at the end to win. We drank Guiness and chatted and watched soccer. Some of my favorite things, so I was content. After the game ended, we headed to a closing party for the rugby teams but first stopped off to buy whiskey to hide in my purse and sandwiches for the road. The main glitch of the evening--the party was exclusive for just the guys on the rugby teams which lead to an interesting chain of events. Kenny went in for just a couple minutes to see if he knew anyone inside and I hungout on the street, two bottles of whiskey in my purse, and talked to another friend of a rugby player who was banned from the party. His name was Mark and he is a gay Austrailain flight attendant who is living in London right now. Really nice guy. Kenny came back out with his friend Victor and the four of us drank whiskey on the street for quite awhile. The cops came over and asked us to put our whiskey away "when we weren't drinking it" then they laughed and walked away. I love the Irish. We decided to attempt to sneak into the rugby party from a back entrance in an alley. We got chased by a security guard who was not happy with us. We decided it was time to leave. We went to a nearby bar for awhile and hungout. Then we went to a club. By the time we got to the club I had definitely drank my weight in beer and whiskey. My body was begging me to drink water and pass out, but I put on a brave face because I wasn't going to be the stupid girl who drinks too much and gets annoying. The night became a blur at this time. At some point Kenny decided it was time to leave. On the way out I kept telling him that we didn't have to leave if he didn't want to. He kept repeating, "Erin, it's a gay club". I think it was not until this time that I realized I was surrounded by all males who were all over eachother. Interesting. Anyway, Mark gave me his e-mail and number in case I ever wanted to go out in London this summer and Kenny and I caught a cab.

Day 5: I wake up. My head hurts. Something is beeping. My phone alarm from the day before. The first thought through my head: "crap, I'm hungover". It was a rough morning. Once Kenny and I woke up around 11:30 we watched Gilmore Girls and One Tree Hill. I'm pretty sure Lorelai Gilmore has a dubbed voice in Ireland. It was freaky. One Tree Hill is even more ridiculous than I remember it. I drank a gallons of water and tried not to think about sitting on my cheap, cramped flight. I left around 1:30 to go to the airport. Goodbyes to long distance friends are sad. I always have a horrible feeling of melancholy because I don't know when I will see them again. I felt really sick at the gate, not from the goodbye, from my hangover. I managed to hold it together though. Once I landed at Gatwick I got lost about 100 more times. I couldn't find the train platforms, then I didn't know what train to get on, then I took one that was a longer than necessary trip, then I got off my bus too early and had to get directions from a schoolby with a giant mole to get back to my cousin's flat. Whew. I felt as though my backpack had gotten twice as heavy in three days despite adding only a new shot glass for my collection. Now I am back at Amy and Christian's getting ready to re-pack my bags to drag out to Heathrow tomorrow so I can meet my ride to TASIS. I am excited to meet people from my job and see what it entails. I have a feeling I'm going to be nervous in the morning, but right now I'm too tired/excited.