Ireland: The Play's the Thing

I had rice bubbles and toast for breakfast this morning.

We went to Trinity College first thing after leaving the hostel. The college grounds were so pretty. I took some pictures but we didn’t get to linger because we had to get in line to see the Book of Kells. The exhibit was really boring and I couldn’t even take pictures to pass the time. So lame! We sped through it and the souvenir shop before going outside to people watch. The rest of the group took a really, really long time!

We walked to St. Stephen’s Green and ate our packed lunches of rolls, ham, and cheese. There were apples too. I took some pictures of the lake as we wandered over to the National Museum of Archaeology. I really didn’t want to go the museums. They’re free because they are so boring. Instead I plugged in my headphones and wandered around. 

We made sure to feed the birds at St. Stephen's Green

Pharaoh exit sign at the National Museum of Archaeology!

Next we went to the National Gallery. The building was really pretty, but we never ventured past the cafe.

We went shopping on Grafton Street after the museums. I didn’t buy anything, but we did get some ice cream and stop in a store with wifi so that I could find out how much is left on my visa. We met back up with the group and went to dinner at Supermac, which is a fast food joint like McDonald’s. I had a chicken wrap and fries. The wrap part was gross because it was a corn tortilla, but the chicken was alright. For desert there was hard-served, chocolate ice cream in a waffle cone. It was delicious! Best Irish ice cream ever.

Following dinner, we walked over to the Abbey Theater and got to see Sean O’Casey’s “The Plough and the Stars”. It was a really boring play that I ended up falling asleep during, but a cultural experience nonetheless.

After the play, we took the bus back to the hostel. Apparently, we’re staying in a shady part of town so we couldn’t walk back because we would get mugged, even if we were travelling in a large group of twelve. I took a shower and packed everything up. I’m so ready to go home.

Ireland: Food is Love

This morning, we woke up at seven and took showers before heading down to the continental breakfast. I had cereal (rice krispies, which they called rice bubbles) and sweet, homemade Irish bread. We packed up after breakfast and headed to St. Patrick’s Cathedral. It was a long walk and we ended up just wandering around the church once we got there.

After we were done at the church, we walked over to Dublin Castle to see the free sand sculptures. The castle was pretty, but we couldn’t go inside because we didn’t have time for a guided tour. We took some pictures and moved on to the Christ Church Cathedral, which was the same boring experience. However, when we asked where the bathroom facilties were, we were directed to the crypt. I got to pee and then nap in a crypt :p

When we went back upstairs to explore, they told us we were in time for the peace prayer, so we had to sit down for a few minutes and listen with our heads bowed. I fell asleep.

Once it was over, we went out to get lunch. We stopped in a tourist store on the way and I tried on a boa in the colors of Ireland. It was cute but expensive, so I just took a picture. We walked across the street for lunch at Café Werburgh. I got chocolate ice cream, a chocolate chip muffin, and a tortilla wrap with Cajun chicken and swiss cheese. It was an amazing meal for less than seven euros. We took our lunch to a park so that we could eat with pretty scenery. I would have been fine eating in the café though. It was very cute in design and had authentic customers.

The quirky cafe

Cajun Chicken Tortilla Wrap

Pretty park in the business district

We set off on a long walk after to head to Kilmainham Gaol Museum but once we got there we found out we had to wait an hour for a tour, so we walked to the park across the street and took naps. We walked back to gaol when it was finally time for our tours.

The guy took us around the gaol and told us all about Irish history. I was disappointed that he didn’t tell us more about the gaol itself like they did at the gaol in Cork.

A car that we passed on the way to the gaol... quite an interesting garden

After the tour, we broke into dinner groups. Some of the group decided they wanted to go see an Irish dance performance, but I didn’t want to stay out that late or sit through the performance and fancy dinner, so we formed a seperate group. We went to small touristy store where I was able to find a white zip-up sports coat and an adorable sheep umbrella. After leaving the store, we headed back to the Temple Bar area in order to find a restaurant to dine at.

After looking at a couple of menus, we decided to go to a quiet place called O’Shea’s. I ordered a southern fried chicken with chips and a side order of bread. It was actually quite good and I walked away stuffed.

On the way back to the hostel, we stopped in a small market and I bought a package of penguin bars. They were really good at the camp, so I thought I would take some home. I’m running short on money, so my purchases from now on will be solely food, hopefully.

Well, I’m ready to crash early tonight so I can enjoy my last day in Ireland.

Ireland: ARRGHHHH!

This morning we woke up at the Girl Guide camp and completed our chores by changing the sheets, mopping the bathroom, and cleaning the kitchen after a breakfast of cereal, croissants, and toast.

As soon as we were done cleaning, the taxis arrived to take us to the train station. We piled into three of them and off we went. As soon as we got to the train station, we found Amanda a wheelchair. Then we killed time by hanging around the station, taking exit sign pictures, and waiting in line to board the platform. Finally we boarded the train. It was really fancy and sleek! I was surprised by how comfortable and spacious it was. The train ride wasn’t very scenic though, so I just sat and read for the two hours.

When we got to Dublin, we collected our bags and walked a mile to the hostel! It was a really long walk to take down all the cobblestoned streets.

Once we decided how to arrange ourselves at the hostel: adults in one room and girls in the other, we headed out for lunch. At La Pizza, I ordered an eight-inch cheese pizza that came with fries, salad, and coleslaw. I was disappointed that the fries weren’t called chips on the menu. I cleaned my plate except for the salad (it had gross dressing) and the coleslaw and then took a ketchup packet as a souvenir.

All of the streets warn you to look left before crossing

After lunch, we headed to the Tower Bar Book Market, which almost felt like how I imagine Chinatown. It was very urban with street dancers and a book market outdoors. There were plenty of little shops surrounding the square too. I found two books that looked interesting while we were there. We passed a lot of graffiti around that area as well. It seems fairly prominent in Ireland.

We were in a rush though to make it to our Viking Splash Tour, which left from St. Stephen’s Green. The tour was alright. We wore Viking hats and screamed at people on the footpaths when they weren’t expecting it. After the guide took us around Dublin, we briefly went out on the water and he talked a little bit about the history of Dublin. He also showed us where the World is docked as the ship is currently visiting Ireland. I lost the hat I was wearing on the tour though because it was windy and blew right off my head.

After the tour, we stopped in a small shop on our way back to the hostel. I bought a shot glass, lighter, t-shirt, hat, mug, and some postcards. We also stopped at Tesco, the European version of Meijers, and I bought a Kit-Kat because they taste better here. I’m going to take it home with me.

For dinner, we ate macaroni and cheese, chicken tenders, grapes, and chocolate chip cookies. I had like five cookies because everyone kept giving me theirs. My travel group cleaned up afterwards and then we came upstairs to have a meeting about tomorrow.