Discovering Dublin

There is one word that can describe me after this past week.  Exhausted.  After bus rides, planes, and a lot of walking, I think I outdid myself.  I had the opportunity to visit Dublin this past weekend, and it sure was an experience.  I didn't get to see the green countryside, but I got to do a lot of exploring within the city itself.  Honestly, a lot of it reminded me of London!  The cobblestoned streets, the pubs on every corner, and the foggy air just looked like London, but on a smaller scale.  It was really nice to explore a new city though!  From visiting the Dublin Castle to walking around Trinity College, Dublin was a city I will remember.     

On Wednesday night, I got to go to the largest IMAX in Europe!  I haven't been to an IMAX in such a long time, so it was a lot of fun.  I got popcorn to eat during the movie, and fun fact, the British don't put butter on their popcorn.  I did miss that aspect of the traditional American movie experience, but nevertheless, I ate my butterless popcorn and enjoyed the movie.  On Thursday night, I got to see the Lion King musical!  The costumes were amazing.  Seriously, I would watch it again purely to see the costumes one more time.  The show ended around 9:30pm, but I got back to my flat around 11pm.  Just in time to finish getting ready to leave for my flight for Dublin at 3am!  See, I told you it was a long week.

I got about two hours of sleep, and got up to get ready for Dublin!  When I say "get ready," it's more like making sure I have my passport and have clothes on.  That early in the morning, I am no where near functioning.  I got to the bus stop with my friends, and the bus arrived just on time!  Security was pretty easy to get through, but I was so surprised with how many people travel that early in the morning.  The place was a zoo.  As we were walking toward our gate, we heard the announcement that our plane was boarding.  Ahhh!  So now we are running through the terminal to get to our gate, but thankfully we made it.

My first official day in Dublin was really wet, but really fun!  Of course I forgot my umbrella, so I had to buy a new one.  It wasn't just lightly raining either, it was full on pouring.  Throughout the day I had my first official Irish breakfast (which included black pudding), visited Trinity College, toured the Dublin Castle, saw St. Patrick's Cathedral, and ate a delicious berry scone.  All in all, it was a fantastic day!  

On Saturday, I got to visit the city of Howth!  Howth is actually pronounced "Hoeth," and is just a little bus ride away from Dublin.  It's situated right on the shore, and reminded me of home a little bit.    I know Lake Michigan isn't an ocean or anything, but sometimes it feels like one!  Walking along the water, enjoying the fresh air, and eating delicious fish and chips was just what I needed.  The view was incredible too!  When I got back to the city after visiting Howth, I visited a cafe I had looked up. I heard the white hot chocolate was the best in Ireland, so I gave it a try.  OH MY GOODNESS.  It was so so so good!  It had ground up almonds and hazelnut in it and was by far the best hot chocolate I had ever had!

 Sunday was my last day in Dublin, and I feel like it mainly consisted of sitting in the airport.  In the morning, my friends and I took a tour of the Guinness Storehouse.  I got to learn how beer is made, what ingredients are in the beer, and even how to drink it!  The only problem being... I don't even drink.  While everyone was reading the signs about the Guinness, I just wanted to get to the top to see the view.  I heard it was amazing, and it definitely was.  I even got a few cokes out of the tour, so I'm not complaining.  I'm pretty sure I'm the first person over the age of eighteen in that room who had never sipped alcohol.  But you know what?  I wouldn't change it for the world.  I took some pictures holding the pint my friend got, but my face is more like, "Oh!  Look at the beer that I didn't drink!"  I was a lot happier when they said we could order soft drinks instead.

As I said before, this past week was crazy.  I took too many buses, wandered around too many streets I didn't know the names of, and ate food I wouldn't usually think of eating.  It was an experience though.  A crazy, fun, scary, and memorable trip!  The thing that I love most about traveling so far is discovering who I have always been.  I know it's cliche to say, but it's true.  I've been tested so many times on what I believe in, what I think is right, and on my character in general.  It's comforting to know that I've gotten to the point where I don't change based on who I'm with and I don't change based on where I am.  I'm simply me.