Dubliners

Welcome to DUBLIN. what a trip. It started out fabulously, because we were supposed to leave at 7.45 am from in front of my building. almost 8:00, I get a phone call from a friend. "hey...katie?" this was what I said:
"annie? hey. wait. why are you calling me. oh my god, i'm late. that's why you're calling me. don't leave. i'll be right down. oh my god. bye."

luckily, I slept on the bus and it was fine.

We arrived and walked down Grafton Street (that to the right). It was beautiful...cobblestone street and open air-flower markets and there were people dressed up like statues, musicians, singers and even a man who was tango dancing with a doll in the middle of the street. We stayed in the Mercer Hotel which was very close to the city center and like HEAVEN. I love hotels. That was great...down comforters, free mineral water, pretty soft carpets and humongous shower. fabulous. Anyway, Fairfield U sponsored this entire trip so it was all FU, 26 of us. If was really fun because I don't know a lot of the other Fairfield people very well. AFter this trip, I know some of them quite well and really like some of them.
First we hit Dublin Castle. We had a private tour with an awesome tour guide and saw the palace. I did not realize how much the Irish love Bill Clinton, (I guess I was too young to realize how important those peace talks were) but everywehre we went in the castle was that's where President Clinton sat - That's where Tony Blair sat and they talked peace. That's where President Clinton sleeps when he visits-eats-talks, etc, etc. The palace was cool. our guide told us a lot of the history. For instance, there is a room filled with pink carpets and love seats next to the ballroom. That was where the women had to wait to be asked to dance...I cannot even imagine. It was nicknamed the "wallflower room." YIKES. Then she took us to the picture gallery. It turns out Cornwallis is in there, but his portrait is hung about 6 inches lower than the rest, because since George W accepted surrender, Cornwallis came back to England in disgrace and got sent to - gasp - IRELAND. Where he decided to take out all of his aggression and mess up a rebellion that possibly could have worked instead of waiting until 1921. So his portrait is there since Dublin Castle was under British control for hundreds of years, but since the Irish are there now, his portrait is lower than the rest. And a door opens into half of it that they keep open. I love the Irish.
We went to Christ Church cathedral, beautiful. Gothic in the extreme with the sweetest flying buttresses I have ever seen (not that I have seen many in person but there is a whole row there). This is getting really hard, side note, because I am not allowed to use exclamation points in the blog and it's driving me crazy.
Anyway. Brian Boru, the first "high king" of Ireland who united many tribes is buried here. Over the weekend we also went to Trinity College and saw the Book of Kells (impressive, but you can't really see more than a couple of pages. Can you imagine being the person who turns the pages of a THOUSAND YEAR OLD BOOK so the public can see a new one every day? I would be scared out of my mind.) The thing that impressed me the most was the old Trinity Library. There were half-statues, I forget what they're called, of famous philosophers and scientist along the rows. I could get lost there and be happy forever, it was incredible. There is a harp there, rumored to be Brian Boru's but probably not. Incredibly intricate and beautiful. I asked the guard a few questions about the library, it's a total working library with special reading rooms. I think I may have embarassed myself a little when I said, "Isn't it so romantic...(insert exclamation point)" and he definitely chuckled in a most un-Irish more British way. oh well. No photography in there, but wow. I was awestruck.

Over the weekend obviously the big trip was the Guinness Factory. Well. Hopefully you will all see my certificate which says, "Katie Carroll has pulled a perfect pint of Guinness at the Guinness Storehouse on whatever date, blah blah." I mailed it home to Mom to put on the refrigerator, it is more important than any report card I ever got, I think. Hey, I also realized that the Guinness Book of World Records is put out by Guinness. I can't believe I am writing that in print but I am. I never connected. This was an educational experience. I learned all about making guinness - the yeast, hops, barley and fresh pure mineral water. Apparently Arthur Guinness took out a 9,000 year lease on the storehouse and negotiated for free water forever. That last part is changed now, haha. The view from the top of the factory is stunning. and of course the guinness was the best I have had in Ireland. There was a great quote there about the craic that I think is really cool:

The Craic: It is hard to define. It is about ordinary days and extraordinary days. Ordinary people and extraordinary people. It is whatever you make it.

I'm a Carroll. There is always "good craic."

We went out Saturday in the best style, and went to the Temple Bar area. I had been there earlier in the day at a book market. Temple Bar has all these cool vintage shops, record stores, eateries, pubs. It's a total tourist trap, but with one night in Dublin, that was where we decided to go. We did go to the famous temple bar. Some man sprayed beer on me. That was the cue to leave where myself and two other girls went on a search for late night mcDonalds (I'm ashamed) and we found one where there were three security guards (?) I cannot believe I ate it. But I did.

I also spent Sunday night at a friend's townhouse about a half hour from the city center, we grew up together. That was fun to see her. The cabbie got lost and only charged 5 euro, but he was donezo. In order to try and be friendly, he tried to talk American politics, but big mistake. He literally said George Bush! MWah! He is Da Bomb and said Hilary is too old to be president because she has bags under her eyes and McCain is too old too. I don't know what he wanted me to say, I was speechless from all of the ridiculous things that came out of his mouth while we were lost. He was from WEst Africa and had been in Dublin six years (why were we lost???)

Monday morning was perfect, because I spent it walking around in the early morning by myself. Merrion Square, Oscar Wilde's house, a scone...walk along the quay.

Final conclusion: I loved the things I saw in Dublin. The touristy stuff. The city itself....it's just a city. I was so glad to come home to Galway.
More about London later...I think my eyes are burning out of my head.