Irlande

When you think of Ireland, it usually goes something a little like this: beer, sheep, pubs, green, drinking songs, leprechons, clovers, and beer. This weekend, Ireland lived up to it's reputation and exceeded my expectations tenfold. Thanks to the rediculously inexpensive flights with RyanAir, I was able to spend the past weekend in Ireland, visiting Dublin and the countryside along the east coast. As soon as I stepped off the plane onto the Irish tarmack, I could feel my Irish blood tingling with excitement to be home. The air was fresh and cool as five of my friends and I carried our backpacks to the double decker bus which took us to our hostel. It was very easy to locate and close to a busy, thriving area of town. This was my first hostel experience and I completely loved every aspect of it. The owners were cheerful and interested and offered good advice for our Irish adventures. We stayed in a mixed 12-person room with bunkbeds and its own bathroom. Everyone in our room was around our age and had the same adventuresome spirit as us. The bunks were scabbies- and bugbed-free and kept us more than warm enough through the night. They also served us a full Irish breakfast (eggs, ham, baked beans, sausage, hashbrowns, toast, jam, tea) to fill us up before our long day.

 

 

 

On our first day, we walked all aroung the town center shopping (I bought a warm scarf for 3 euros) and watching all the Irish folk. There were multiple street performers and artists who were all amusing to watch as we walked the streets. There were several performers frozen like statues, and they were so convincing that we began to question if Dublin actually had any real statues around. We saw the Dublin Spire (a giant flagpole-looking structure which is 120 meters tall), the church of St. Augistine and John (with a beautiful facade), Christchurch Cathedral (a medieval cathedral with 19 bells that ring full circle- the largest of its kind in the world), and Trinity College (beautiful campus housing the book of Kells). We took a tour of the Guinness Storehouse which is seven floors of the history, ingredients, brewing, and advertising of the famous beer. I drank my first pint of Guinness beer at the Gravity Bar on the top floor which gave a view of the entire city (It is not my favorite, but who else can say they drank Irish beer in the storehouse where it was brewed?). We spent the evening in an area called Temper Bar, a pub crawler's haven with live music inside and all around outside on the streets. The nightlife was very lively and the singing coming from each bar felt very Irish.

 

 

We woke up early the next morning to embark on an early bus tour of the countryside. We took a day tour through five small towns south of Dublin, each with its own view of the countryside. Glendalough (meaning "valley of two lakes") was absolutely beautiful and we took a long walk through the forested valley where every shade of Irish green gleamed in the sunlight. It is famous for its 6th centure monastic site filled with thick stone crosses. In Killkenny we saw the castle and St. Canice Cathedral, and we ate Irish food (I had Sheppard's Pie, and it was so good I almost did an Irish jig at the table) in the dungeon of a restaurant. The bus for our tour was packed with visitors from all over the world and there were probably six or seven different languages being spoken between all of us. The tour guide was very comical and he did lots of singing (I know a long Irish sing-along now) which made the trip even more authentic. We met a new friend from Australia on the tour, so I now have a connection down under!

For all the pictures that I took, I wish I could attach a sound clip to each one. I am now in love with Irish accents, and the accents were honestly what made the trip extra enjoyable. Everyone in Dublin was very friendly, they smiled all the time (unlike the straight faces in France), and their accents were so charming. It was a shock to be able to speak English with everyone around me (It was hard to get used to, and I continued to say "pardon" and "merci" without thinking) but some Irish accents were so strong, it might very well have been another language. Surprisingly, redheads were still a minority among the people we saw, but most people still looked very Irish in a magical kind of way.

We cancelled our second night in the hostel and set up our camp at the airport where all the other tired travelers came to pass out on a couch before their flights. I completely enjoyed traveling with just a backpack and knowing that everything I needed was with me. I think the bonding process between two people happens much faster and stronger when you experience some new adventure with them, and there is a common mindset that gives the relationship vigour and durability. After talking with all the other travelers, I know I will be back one day to work my way around Europe, traveling simply and inexpensively to discover more awesome adventures and friends. There is so much more out there to experience!