Dublin

Well, despite a few minor difficulties when I first arrived (such as forgetting to set my clock back an hour), my trip to Dublin was amazing. I was surprised initially by the street signs - I had assumed that everyone would speak English here, but Gaelic is equally prevalent - and that they drive on the opposite side of the road. Needless to say I was in heaven with all of the accents. Our hostel was clean and friendly, and a good deal for the price. They had free breakfast and we were allowed to use the kitchen to cook ourselves dinner. All of the girls in our room were relaxed and nice. Some guests were only there for the weekend, while others were long-term residents who were working jobs in the city. Since my flight arrived earlier than Fallon's, I explored Henry Street - a large, mainly pedestrian shopping street in Dublin's Northside several blocks from our hostel. 

On Friday night, we walked across the River Liffey to the Temple Bar Area, where we wandered in and out of a few pubs, clubs, and beer gardens. Quay's looked fun but was very crowded, so we continued on. There were (of course) several ostentatious "hen parties" making their way down Wellington Quay. Our favorite stop that night was Fitzsimon's. We climbed to the outdoor terrace on the roof to begin and worked our way down to the dancefloor on the second floor and finally to the bar on street level, where there was a band. The music was great, and we were just about to leave when they began to play Galway Girl!! Fallon and I were so excited, it was the perfect end to the night. 

On Saturday, we went on a day tour from 9:30 to 5:00 with an Irish tour guide. We wound our way through Dublin before following the Sally Gap through the Wicklow mountains. We stopped at the bridge (pictured below) where Gerard Butler and Hilary Swank met in the movie PS, I Love You. 

The Wicklow Mountains and wild bog lands still had their winter colors, even though the weather was very mild for Ireland when we were there. We also made a stop at Lough Tay Lake, which has dark waters the color of Guinness (picture below) and was used in a Guinness commercial. Our tour guide was fantastic; I learned so much and he never ran out of interesting information to tell us, the ENTIRE tour. Sooo worth our 22 euro. He told us that Paul McCartney, while spending time near one of the lakes that we passed in the mountains in Ireland, got the idea for a tune in his head. He referred to the tune as "Scrambled Eggs." Later, lyrics were added to it and it was retitled "Yesterday."

After we made it through the Wicklow Mountains, we went to see some monastic ruins in Glendalough. 

And hiked to some nearby lakes.

Eventually, we went back to the hostel, cooked a light dinner, and returned to the Temple Bar area. Unfortunately, that night it was so crowded with feather boa-ed and themed bachelorette parties that we gave up on the bar scene early. The next morning, we decided to begin our day at the Guinness Storehouse across Dublin. It was fascinating. As you walked through they had recreated the machines that are used in the factory, with some of the older out-of-use versions on display. We learned about the ingredients that go into the Guinness stout beer and the brewing process, and their museum had every commercial they had ever done on e-file and you could watch them all. My favorites were the ones form the 50's and 60's. We learned that Arthur Guinness, who started the factory, came to Dublin in 1759 with only £100. He set up a factory in St. James' Gate where he signed a 9,000 year lease with an annual payment of £45. Pretty amazing, huh?

At the end of the tour, our 11 euro ticket included a free beer in their seventh floor gravity bar, which had an incredible view of Dublin. I didn't actually like the taste of the Guinness, but I figured it was okay that I didn't finish my beer seeing as it was only 11:30 on a Sunday morning! As we walked back across the city, we stopped at some of the more famous churches. Christ's Church Cathedral (below) was much smaller than I had expected. 

Saint Patrick's Church was grand and beautiful, though. We stopped in the park next to it and saw families playing after morning Mass. It was really touching; it made me think of growing up going to our own St. Patrick's Parish back home! 

A long and leisurely walk finally brought us to the main shopping area, Grafton Street. AND I HAD MY FIRST STARBUCKS IN TWO MONTHS!!! We found a real Starbucks Coffee on the second level of a department store, where we bought sandwiches and indulged in peppermint mochas on a comfortable couch near the windows. Looking out on the street, we observed the charismatic performers and the families in their Sunday best. It was such a gorgeous day. I bought a sterling silver claddagh ring, which I believe is a tradition that started in Galway. The two hands holding a crowned heart supposedly signal that love and friendship should reign supreme. The heart is for love, the hands for friendship, and the crown for loyalty. When the ring is worn on the right hand with the crown facing outwards, it signifies that the heart is open. When worn on the left hand with the crown facing inwards, it means that your heart is joined with someone else's. That night we made ourselves dinner, went to see a movie in town, did some yoga and went to sleep. The next morning, we flew home. 

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This past week of classes has been simple, routine. On Friday night I went out with my roommates, and yesterday I went to Marseille with Allison and Brittany. I bought a birthday dress at Mango for the party they are throwing me on Wednesday! In Marseille, there was a strike going on (to go on strike = faire la grève), which we believe was going on with the support of the sanitation department, because there was piles of trash everywhere and litter covering the streets. I hope the government gives in soon, because the city was very dirty (not to mention smelly). Thankfully, there is no such strike in Aix - we're still clean! At the end of the day, we went down to the Vieux Port and watched the sun go down over the boats. When we got back to Aix, we shopped for groceries at the Monoprix and cooked at Brittany and Allison's apartment. We made salad (mache with balsemic vinagrette), mashed potatoes, and chicken with cream of mushroom soup and herbs de Provence on it.  It was so yummy, and afterwards we watched A Good Year. Lately the girls and I have been doing yoga together, as well. 

This week, other than my birthday party on Wednesday, there will also be a weekend trip to the Camargue with CEA. Yay! We get to see flamingoes, take a tour on horse back through the marshes, and attend a bull fighting event. I'm very excited.