SECOND DAY IN DUBLIN

SO I got lost significantly less times during my second day in Dublin. I needed a hat to keep my ears warm, so I went to Penneys, and found out it was like the Irish equivalent to our Kohl's. Cheap clothing, but also probably cheap quality. I didn't get anything. So then I went to Easons, which is like a Barnes and Noble, and it was so exciting seeing the different covers for a lot of my favorite books! Look at the Harry Potter covers:

And this was just one set of Harry Potter covers. I came across another completely different looking set in another store. Anyway, I got an Irish SIM card, in case I'm stranded on the side of the road, or in case I just wanted internet while strolling around Dublin. Because there were a total of like TWO places in Dublin that had wifi. My B&B didn't even have wifi except for in one tiny corner of a hallway. DUMB.

For lunch, I went to Lemon Crepe & Coffee Co. and got this delicious crepe. It's the first proper crepe I'd ever had. It was more mushy/gooey than I had imagined. I thought they were kind of crispy on the outside... but I got a dark chocolate strawberry banana crepe with a cappuccino. IT WAS HUGE AND BEAUTIFUL:

Next, I went to St. Anne's Church. I went there 1) because Bram Stoker got married there, and 2) because it was actually FREE. I had a nice chat with the pastor/pope/reverend guy, and he let me even go upstairs even though it was blocked off. It was a beautiful church. There was also a bust of Bram Stoker there, which was terribly creepy. He seemed as though he was looking into my soul. But the rest of the church was really nice.

After the church, I went to St. Stephen's Green, which is pretty much just a big park. And one big make-out session. So much PDA. It was actually kind of gross. But the park was nice to just sit in, even though I couldn't find a bench that wasn't facing a couple making out in the grass. So I sat in a bench facing two couples making out in the grass. It was fabulous. HERE'S A PICTURE OF ME WITH A TREE:

After this, I went home and went to bed early. I'm such a party animal.

<3 Christine

ARRIVAL IN IRELAND

HEY GUYS.

Sorry I haven't updated my blog! The bed and breakfast I stayed in for the first two nights only had wifi in a tiny sitting area with no outlet for my laptop, so it was pretty impossible to do anything. I also only found two coffee shops with free wifi in my whole two days of Dublining.

ANYWAY, well I suppose you can guess that I made it to Ireland without dying on the plane. I didn't even have a panic attack, which is GREAT. The flight from BHM to ATL was very bumpy and jerky and stressful. But the flight to Dublin was quite smooth. It was actually a pretty boring flight. I couldn't sleep either, so I just leaned against the aisle and just watched movies for 7 hours. But I got to Dublin at like 7:00 in the morning, and took a taxi to my B&B and woke the owner up. Oops. But apparently she slept in by accident anyway, so it's all good. Yay. She fed me breakfast, even though I hadn't slept there the night before, which was very nice. The place was very cute:

 

Places I went on the first day in Dublin:

• Trinity College. I didn't see the Book of Kells. I just sat in the courtyard and ate a sandwich and watched students and tourists scurry around.
•  Christ Church Cathedral. It was a lovely building, but I didn't go in here either. I read that the gift shop is bigger than the cathedral. Pity.
• Dublin Castle. I just walked around the castle grounds for a few minutes. 
• Coach House / Dubhlinn Gardens. This place I stumbled across by accident, but it was my favorite area probably that I saw all day--maybe even both days I was in Dublin. It's crazy how quiet it got almost instantly as I walked into this area. No car noises, very few tourists. This was the only place I felt comfortable taking my camera out and taking pictures. Especially pictures of myself. I wonder if this fabulous place was even in my guide book:

 

As you can tell, I don't like to pay money to see things that I can generally see for free (churches, old buildings, libraries). Especially if I have to be surrounded by tourists and cheesy Irish-themed knick knacks. Poor Dublin has tourist shops at least two per block. I did really like the sheep salt and pepper shakers, though... Anyway, I got lost a ridiculous amount of times this first day in Dublin. It was tiring. I finally found a coffee shop that had wifi, so I decided to stay there until dinnertime. Two nice Irish guys and a Brazilian guy(lol?) talked to me until the place closed at 6 (apparently coffee shops rarely stay open past 6 or 7 in Ireland?). Then, I went to the Irish House Party, which was pretty much a three-course meal with a live Irish music show afterwards. I met a mom and daughter (26 year old) from Canada who had just arrived that morning as well. They were very nice, and offered to let me stay with them if I ever wanted to go to Winnipeg, Canada. They even said stuff like, "Ya know?' It was great. 

Also, it was cold. A lot colder than I anticipated. But at least I like the cold.

<3 Christine