Dublinia

Skip and I didn't awaken until 10 the next morning. We hadn't gone to bed until 2 so cut us a break. After a breakfast of three slices of toast and milk, we made for the city. Santry, Skip's neighborhood, is about a 45 min-1 hr bus ride to the city center. You have to have exact change for the bus ticket too. Very annoying. The ride was interesting, as I got to see a lot of Dublin on the way and hear more about it from Skip.

We were dropped off at O'Connell Street which is the main thoroughfare of Dublin. It contains The Spire, a huge monument modeled after a knitting needle to commemorate the Aran sweater, one of Ireland's greatest exports. Take that Eiffel Tower, there's a new phallic symbol in town. We walked along a wide pedestrian shopping street before going by her work and then crossing the River Liffey. We encountered a creepy woman who tried to hit on Skip as we passed by and a bunch of guys dressed as fictional female characters before we saw the rainbow flags and realized the Gay Pride Festival was in town. We were super excited but didn't actually end up running into it which was sad. We didn't really go in any places but we walked by quite a few such as Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin Castle, and Trinity College. We went in the Trinity bookstore where Skip knocked over an entire row of books about Napoleon much to my amusement. Dublin Castle doesn't really even look like a castle but like any other Georgian brick building with a random medieval tower attached so we passed on that too. We walked around A LOT though so I saw a great deal of Dublin including some very non-tourist areas and being with Skip was enough to make it fun. We ended up at St. Stephen's Green, a gorgeous park, before deciding to head back to O'Connell Street and get ready for our night on the town.

Much to my delight, they have Tesco in Ireland so we walked to Skip's nearby branch and stocked up on food and booze, of course. She had discovered the deliciousness of Bulmer's hard cider, just as I had, so we bought a 12 pack for the two of us for the weekend. We retreated to her apartment to drink our Bulmer's, eat cheap pizza, and watch half of Confessions of a Shopaholic before the audio got off sync and highly annoying. Her friends returned from wherever they had been and preparations for going out began. I liked her friends, though it was a bit strange being the odd one out of all of their jokes. They seemed to be the same kooky kind of people I like to spend my time with. We went to a pretty cool bar that had dancing but no cover charge. The first song they played upon walking in was "Summer of '69" so I knew the music was going to be awesome. Skip, her friend Laura, and I danced the night away implementing our own unique system of pulling and turning each other away from any creeper who tried to dance with one of us. It was a No Boys Allowed party. Skip then took me to Temple Bar but at this point it was 2 a.m., everyone was smashed, and the streets were trashed. We headed back, getting Burger King for Skip on the way. Yes, she got us Burger King cardboard crowns, yes, we wore them on the street and in the cab, and yes, we had a photo shoot when we got back. That is why Skip and I are friends. I slept on the L-shape that night which worked out only slightly better than the floor but hey, it was free.

We slept in again since we had stayed up late again. Skip mocked me for having a Bulmer's with breakfast but it was the only beverage I owned in her apartment, I didn't want to waste what I had purchased, and the Irish have a pint with breakfast all the time. I was just getting in touch with my ancestry. We got into the city center at roughly 2 in time to meet my roommate Lacey at the hostel she and I had gotten for Sunday night since Skip had to work early on Monday. The three of us then went to the National Museum. This was really cool because it had dead people. Literally. Four bog preserved bodies and a Viking skeleton. Totally gross and creepy so I loved it naturally. They were definitely the highlight of the museum along with the random Ancient Egypt exhibit with mummies (hey dead people again) and jewelry. I was tempted to buy a genuine Irish newsboy cap at the gift shop but it passed when I saw the price. After the museum, we settled in a pub to watch what we thought was a football game. Well, it was...Gaelic football. Gaelic football is the oddest sport I have ever witnessed. It seems to combine every other sport known to man. I mean you can kick the ball, dribble the ball, punch it with your arms, and there is a goal AND goal posts. We simply could not figure out the rules but it was funny to watch as well as the attractive men playing. Skip and Lacey got Irish breakfast for dinner so I got to pilfer their unwanted sausage which made me happy.

Lacey and I bid Skip good-bye after a drink in Temple Bar. Lacey and I went to another pub to watch the Brazil-USA football game but got sidetracked by who else but creepy middle-aged men. I swear, I must project some kind of midlife crisis vibe or something because the only guys who ever talk to me, excepting UQ douchebag, are overly friendly middle aged men. We weren't in the pub five minutes before a group zoned in on us and wouldn't let us go. We spent the next three hours principally with this one guy whose name I either never learned or do not remember. He kept buying drinks which I refused but I had to sit there while Lacey got drunker and drunker, eventually lopsidedly line dancing to "Cotton Eyed Joe". At least she didn't shout "DOWN WITH THE BRITISH!" Finally, I peeled Lacey away from the cesspool and conducted her safely back to our hostel. Where she proceeded to vomit, only partially in the trashcan, waking up the three other women in our room and I had to run and get toilet paper to try and clean up. All in all, not my ideal evening in Dublin. I am just too serious, at least according to creepy middle aged man, but he gave Lacey his e-mail address and a room key so I don't really pay attention to his opinion.

Lacey and I were predictably tired after our long night/weekend so Monday was very chill. We went to the Carriage Office where I found out no one had turned in my cell phone and gave them Lacey's number in case some miracle happened and they got it before our plane took off. (It didn't and I looked up my account online and someone had used my phone after I lost it. FML.) We then bought our airport bus tickets, went souvenir shopping (none of my definitely Irish family names were present on the heredity key chains and mugs which miffed me), and walked along the Liffey. We found a series of the scariest looking sculptures I have ever seen. They looked as if they were made out of the scum that forms on ships and were excessively tall and skinny. They really resembled Redeads from Ocarina of Time and thus filled me with horror. The sculptures were to commemorate the victims of the Irish Potato Famine but we took inappropriate smiling and mocking photos anyway. I know, express elevator to Hell, heard it all before. We had no problems with anything at the airport so we had time to grab food and then I found my flight was delayed again. Ironically, Ryanair is the "on time airline". Ha. That is all I have to say about that. Ha. I had also forgotten my month unlimited Oystercard expired while I was away so I had to pay 2 pounds for a bus to get to a Tube station to start a pay-as-you-go account. Slightly annoying but nothing compared to losing my cell in the cab.

My impression of Dublin was not very favorable. Great nightlife, no doubt about it, but if you are like me and not very interested in that, it is a slightly underwhelming city. Admittedly, I didn't get to go to any of the renowned theaters which might have tipped my favor a bit nor did I see near everything but what I did see did not impress me. I enjoyed Ireland much more 7 years ago but then Ireland is really a lot about its countryside and that is where I went before. Getting to see Skip was really awesome though; we had so much fun and so many laughs that Dublin could have been Gary and I would have had a good time. So I am very glad I went but I don't really have a strong desire to go back. Sorry homeland, no good craic.