I’ll go ahead and fill you in on how the weekend went and what’s been going on the London front.
Friday I caught a mid-morning flight that arrived just about the same time as Pete’s flight. We had an oh-so-romantic meeting by the luggage carousel before navigating our way to the hostel to check in. After a quick lunch, we trekked across town to the Jameson Whiskey Distillery, a highly recommended sight by some of my classmates who’ve been to Dublin this semester. Though it was interesting learning about the whiskey distilling process from a highly humorous Irish tour guide, the best part was observing a whiskey taste-testing session between a panel of volunteers. Sadly, Pete and I were not part of this panel, which was fine for me, as I’m not a huge whiskey fan. The volunteers got to sample three different kinds of Irish whiskey, a Scotch whiskey and American whiskey (likely Jack Daniels). They all voted that the Jameson was their favorite overall, though I think the glaring eye of the guide may have influenced their opinion. Everyone on the tour got a sample of Jameson or a Jameson cocktail, so it was a nice little refreshment.
Me and a cask turned bench.
We spent the remainder of our evening doing a little shopping and exploring the area “north of the Liffey,” the river that cuts through the city center. I had a delicious Irish steakburger for dinner at restaurant called O’Shea’s, where there ended up being a good Irish band playing some Van Morrison and other Irish covers. I was very happy about this. We hung out listening for a bit before heading to Temple Bar, which is not one bar, but a whole area of town filled with bars. They were all packed pretty tight and many had great live music. However, we made the terrible discover that Dublin’s beer prices are RIDICULOUSLY expensive. Like, more than London. I know, I couldn’t believe it either. We enjoyed a pint and left, a little more distraught than when we arrived, but still optimistic about the trip as a whole.
As I’ve already been to Ireland, I assured Pete that Dublin is in fact not representative of Irish culture and experience at all. It is in fact, my least favorite place in Ireland, but you can’t get cheap travel to any of the other parts. With both of us determined to return to the homeland, we decided that Dublin was better than nothing. But to give Pete a taste of true Ireland, which is small towns and countryside, I made us take a train out to a seaside town called Bray, about a 40 minute train ride east from Dublin, right where the ocean meets the bay. Though it was absolutely freezing and windy, we had an incredible afternoon taking in the beautiful scenery. It rests at he base of some nearby mountains, right along the coast. One of the mountain’s called Bray’s head, juts out into the sea, and after hanging out on the beach for a while, we decided to make the climb.
The beach at Bray looking toward Bray's Head.
Taking a break on the mountain side.
Looking down on the beach from the mountain.
Before our ascent, I bought some new batteries for my camera. When we got to a very picturesque part of our climb, I came to the terrifying discovery that my camera was acting very strange and would not take photos. My usual response was to freak out that I no longer had a working camera for my time abroad. Pete’s usual response was to talk me down from the ledge (Figuratively of course…don’t want to give you the wrong impression since I was on a mountain), and he calmly made the discovery that the batteries were the trouble, not the camera. In an act of defiance and pure catharsis, I chucked a battery into the sea. Not the most environmentally friendly response, but it felt good. We hung out on the mountain for a while, taking the whole thing in, before heading back down to town for an early dinner at a seaside pub. We enjoyed great food and great conversation, as usual.
Sunday was my last day, but since my flight was late at night, I had the entire day to finish our sightseeing. Before we could begin, we hit up a great souvenir store in search of a magnet. A new hobby we have is collecting magnets of all the places we go together. Besides the magnet, Pete made a prized purchase: an Irish penny whistle, which he played throughout the day as we walked down the streets. Photo ops were abundant, as were the interesting looks people gave us.
Pete, a statue of James Joyce and the famous penny whistle.
Playing a farewell tune to Dublin.
We both wanted to see the James Joyce Cultural Center, since Joyce’s A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is one of our favorite novels. Overall, probably not worth the 4 euro admission, but still cool to walk through and learn a few additional facts about the author’s life.
One of the best quotes from the novel.
We then trekked across town to the Guinness Brewery, a must-see for all visiting Dublin. It’s a really cool museum that goes into great deal about the brewing process. I’ve been before, but it was fun sharing the experience again with Pete. At the end of the tour you get a free pint on the 7th floor Gravity Bar, which offers a great panoramic view of Dublin and sweet 80’s soft rock (which we decided was appropriate music for the atmosphere). Post-Guinness, we had a great Irish dinner at Quay’s Restaurant in Temple Bar. I tried the potato and lentil soup, which was delicious. I love not being a picky eater—I feel it enhances my cultural experiences. And it probably is making me fat. Oh well. Worries for another day.
In the Guinness Brewery, with the rushing waters, an essential element to perfect Guinness, behind us.
A good pint of Guinness should always have a shamrock.
Looking out over Dublin from the Gravity Bar.
I caught a smooth late night flight home and still managed to catch the tube back from Heathrow Airport before it closed. Sadly, Pete’s journey was not so smooth, as a delayed flight the following the morning caused him to miss his connecting flight in Paris. Once he finally got to Bilbao, Spain last night, the bus service to Pamplona had ended. Poor guy had to walk the entire city before finally crashing at a hotel and catching a bus this morning. I guess given his luck, it’s good Dublin was his last inter-Europe trip. I think he’s happy to stick with travel is Spain now.
Despite all his travel problems, I can’t stop reminding myself how lucky I am to have him as a travel buddy this semester. It’s so rare for a couple our age to be able to do this, and I don’t let myself forget that. We have so much fun wherever we go, and I feel like my experiences are even more enhanced with by his company.
I’ve got some other London stuff to discuss, but I’ll save that for another post. In the meantime, enjoy the pictures. Check out this link to see the lovely photos of Bray: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=38183844&l=d9b6e&id=15921830
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