When I got to my hostel Wednesday night, Mary and Gina were already there waiting for me. For those who don't know, I've known Mary since at least 1999 (we rang in the new century together) and we've gone to all of the same schools and churches. Mary's spending her semester abroad from UNC at UCD-Belfield in Dublin. I've known Gina since high school and Gina is currently spending the year living and studying in Denmark.
I checked into the hostel, put my stuff in my room and met them downstairs to go to dinner. While I was in my room, they met a boy staying at the hostel who was in Dublin with his mom for fall break. It so happens that he is also a junior at UNC. There were also two girls in my room who were studying abroad in Italy but go to school at Elon. Very small world.
Thursday morning I met up with my friend Anneke's friend Kaityln. Kaitlyn goes to UNC and is studying at Trinity this semester. Kaitlyn and I grabbed coffee and then walked around the city. It was great to share our abroad experiences with each other and familiarize myself with Dublin. We walked around Trinity, St. Stephen's Green, Temple Bar, and many Dublin streets. Thanks Anneke for getting us together!
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| The Campanile in Parliament Square at Trinity. Trinity students avoid walking under it for fear of bad luck. Legend also has it that if a virgin walks under, the bell will toll. |
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| Inside St. Stephen's Green. |
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| Inside St. Stephen's Green. |
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| Gina and I at the Spire. It's tall, not very aesthetically pleasing and kind of a waste of money but a great meeting point. |
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| Kaitlyn and I. |
I met up with Mary and Gina later that night at Mary's campus. It was great to spend more time with them and meet Mary's friends. Most Irish students go home on the weekends - I can't imagine going home every weekend at UNC. Later that night we went to the infamous Temple Bar area and went to a few pubs. Fun night!
Friday morning I went on a free walking tour of Dublin. It covered a lot of Dublin and was more of a historical tour but definitely worth it. Free and good are usually synonymous in my book. We visited Dublin Castle, Dubh Linn Gardens, Temple Bar, St. Stephen's Green, Trinity College, Christ Church Cathedral, the Chester Beatty Library and a few other places.
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| What's remaining of the original Dublin Castle. |
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| Christ Church Cathedral or the "Whiskey Cathedral." |
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| Dubh Linn Gardens. The wall was built to hide Dublin's largest slums from the Queen during her most recent visit. |
Later that night I met up with Gina and Mary again at Mary's apartment. Gina was leaving in the morning and most likely won't be back in the U.S. until late August so I'm really glad that I got to see her in Dublin. The bus from Mary's campus to the city centre stops running around 11:30 pm so I waited at the stop to go back to my hostel; however, it decided to stop running when it got to UCD. Luckily there were other people waiting at the stop, including one of Mary's friends, Connor, who goes to American University. He and his French friends asked if I wanted to split a cab to the city centre so I did. They asked what I was doing and I said going back to my hostel. They invited me to go out with them so I did. I wouldn't normally agree to going out with strangers but since I had already met Mary's friend the night before, I did. When in Dublin I guess? I'm glad I did because I had a good time.
On Saturday I checked out of the hostel and went to UCD to stay with Mary that night. My flatmate Sarah got into Dublin Saturday morning and one of her friends from Duke is also studying at UCD this semester. We met up and went into the city for lunch and exploring. Her friend Ian took us to the Temple Bar Food Market and I got to eat Mexican food! It had been almost two months since Mexican food had been in my stomach so I was thrilled. Later that afternoon we went to tour the Guinness Storehouse. I really just wanted to go to take a picture in front of the famous gate, pour my own pint and get a certificate but it was interesting to learn about the history and the process of making Guinness.
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| Sarah and Ian. Great people but kind of ashamed I had to share my Guinness experience with Dook students. |
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| Considering graduating from the Guinness Academy if art history and journalism don't work out. |
The weather in Dublin was pretty much perfect during my visit. It only rained when I arrived on Wednesday night but the rest of the visit consisted of 50 degree sunny or overcast skies. There was also no wind or hilly streets! Didn't miss that about Edinburgh but I did end up with some seriously blotchy red skin after a few pints. How ironic would that be to be of Irish heritage and allergic to hops, malted barley or malted wheat?
I hung out with Mary on Saturday night and Sunday morning we went to mass and had brunch with her friends. The service was really great and a nice way to end the visit. Sunday night Sarah and I slept napped on Ian's couches - more like cradles before that's how small they were - and left for the airport at 3 am Monday morning.
Whatever levels of homesickness that I've experienced while being abroad were non-existent during my Dublin trip. I do hope to come back to Dublin again and visit the rest of Ireland with my family but it was great experiencing Dublin with new and old friends. I'm so thankful for all of the hospitality, laughter and friendship that I experienced during my visit.
In other news:
1. The art history department has a reading week this week so when I'm not procrastinating by cleaning (or writing this blog post), I'll be researching and writing my papers.
2. I'm going to the Highlands Friday through Sunday with three kids from Georgetown. The tour we're going on takes us through Inverness, Glencoe, the Isle of Skye and a few other places. I'm excited to see more of Scotland and take lots of photos.
3. Going to London and seeing Molly in less than two weeks!
4. Check out this article from the News & Observer. Over the summer I helped produce a calendar with the UNC Journalism School and AT&T which celebrates North Carolinians who've enriched the fabric of diversity in the state: http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/10/22/2428791/calendar-honors-north-carolinians.html
5. Currently hearing Christmas music coming from a neighbor's flat. Anna, you would love it. Almost two months until Christmas!
Have a wonderful weekend. Love and miss you all!
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