Not too much has been happening since Northern Ireland. Two of my really good friends visited this past weekend and I had a really great time showing them around Dublin. Friday afternoon, we headed to the Guinness Factory for a self-guided tour and free pint of Guinness in the top of the factory where there's an incredible panoramic view of the city. After picking up some fantastic falafel for dinner, we headed into the city to get a taste of Dublin Friday nightlife (apparently it's the best in the world!) We met up with my friend Alanna and her two brothers who were visiting from America and talked and danced to some American top 40 for a while, but then headed home somewhat early because the craic wasn't very good! (Craic means fun in Irish. For example, "What's the craic?" means What's up or What's good?)
Saturday was amazing, all twenty-four hours! We woke up, had sesame bagels with luxury cream cheese (not really) and headed into the city around lunch time. We walked to this really great restaurant, Cornucopia, which is vegetarian, organic, and changes its menu everyday! After lunch, we walked to the Twisted Pepper, my current favourite coffee bar and got lattes. We sat around talking for a few hours about ghosts and life, spiritual experiences and memories and then took a peek around the bookshop that's upstairs from the cafe.
That evening, we made pancakes with a really delicious apple topping that my brilliant friend Kelsey concocted with fried eggs and then prepared for another night exploring the popular areas of Dublin. We went to a couple of different pubs **Note: Avoid Andrew's Lane Theatre, it smells like sweat** and surprisingly, both of my friends from Paris met French boys (impossible to do in Paris!). At one of the bars, I met a lovely man who offered to take me for a motorcycle ride, which brings me to this evening. When we got home at 4AM, we finished watching Wedding Crashers because the girls had to leave at 5AM for the airport. It was so nice seeing my friends and getting a refreshing weekend with the girls I love. Even more, I got to do touristy things and show someone else around the city!
Kenny picked me up around eight and we headed to see an abandoned fort in Phoenix Park on his motorcycle. The air was cool, but not too cold and I felt really comfortable on the bike--there wasn't a moment I feared falling off or anything. Anyways, the fort was abandoned after the IRA took it over from the army but the moat, now empty, still surrounds the building and apparently they left ammunition inside. From where we were in the park, we could hear and kind of see some deer bucking antlers against each other. After that, we went down to a shipyard-like area and walked along the shore of the Liffy. There was a lighthouse down the path but we didn't walk all the way down there. Now comes the exciting part: I learned to drive a motorcycle! And it wasn't a little guy, either!! I drove it down the road all by myself and turned around and came back!
After that, we headed back to campus because I have a final to study for tomorrow.
Overall, I'm really glad I had the opportunity to cruise around Dublin with a local. It's interesting to ride with someone who knows different routes from what I see on the bus and to be able to just feel like I'm getting a special tour of the city. I loved the view from the motorcycle and seeing areas I might have never gotten to without being shown. This is exactly what I was looking for in my Irish experiences--an interesting view of the city and interacting with people who know Dublin best!
Tomorrow and Thursday I have finals, so my life will be boring, but then begins my spring break, so I'll be sure to update of all my adventures, beginning with a coffee date on Thursday!
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