In the days of Dublin

We flew from France to Dublin. One of Josh's hopes was to experience different types of transit and he'd been hoping to take a boat at some point on our trip. Awhile ago he started making noises about taking a transatlantic trip from the U.S. to England (I think his uncle has done it and mentioned it). I am terrified of cruises. Between Norovirus, icebergs (I staunchly refuse to have a "never let go, Jack" moment with the love of my life), seasickness (ask my parents about their cruise to the Bahamas in 20 years ago) and miles of ocean that I don't want to paddle a lifeboat across, can you blame me?? But I told Josh that we could take the overnight ferry from France to Ireland (I could survive on bottled water for a day, right?). Because I love him. I'm so sacrificing. But it would've taken so much to even get to the correct port in France! The port itself was over five hours away from Paris and we would've needed a bus to a train to another bus? taxi? Who knows? So we had to fly. I was so disappointed. At the airport we found a guide book to the U.S. I don't know why it seems weird that someone from France would want to vacation in the U.S. but it made me laugh for some reason.

North East United States Guidebook 

There is a two-page spread about Lancaster County: where to eat, how to visit the Amish, what Rumspringa is, and it details that yes people really do eat chicken corn soup (it even listed the ingredients usually found in it: chicken and corn. Good job.)

We had to go pick up the keys to our apartment which was certainly an adventure but we were successful and we made it to our apartment. Here's a really great monument we passed while trekking all across the city for the keys:

Here it is from far away so you can really feel the scope of the thing

And here it is up close. I'm pretty sure this is what Jack really climbed up. Forget the beanstalk.

I decided to go to early CrossFits so that we could get all the sight-seeing in that was possible. Fortunately for me, Josh found me a box that's only an eleven minute walk from our apartment! And they give you a shirt with the drop-in fee for an extra $5! Score!! I like this box the best out of all the boxes I've seen so far. It's the most like my home box at Gamma in Hershey. The structure and coaching and actual strength training! France never really had the heavy lifting component so it was great to do some of that here in Dublin. Also, being coached in English doesn't hurt either. I asked the coach what he thought were some things to not miss out on in Dublin and he thought and thought and thought. Then he said that if you really want to know what to do in Dublin, you talk to the American not the Irish. He called a girl who's been living here for three years over and she gave me a whole list of things to see in Dublin. And we got crackin' on the list. 

CrossFit Perpetua

I like their slogan :)

First up on the list was to go to Howthe and climb up the mountain there to take in the vistas. She gave us a recommendation of a place we had to eat for some of the best seafood. We took the train out to the little fishing village of Howthe and it was beautiful. We stopped in to eat at Octopussy (seriously, that's what it's called) for some seafood tapas. I had fish and chips (I thought I'd sworn those off back in England but I figured that they might be better in a coastal town of Ireland. They were. But I'm still never going to eat them again if possible.) Josh had mussels, Prawn Pil-Pil, and Chili Squid with Chorizo. Then we made our way towards the mountain. We stopped at one of the telescopes you can put a coin in and I took a look at the island, Ireland's Eye, off in the distance. Even without the telescope, you can see that the island is dusted with beautiful purple flowers. It is gorgeous! I tried to see it up close with the telescope but didn't really have much luck. I swung the scope around towards the cliff to hike up and a huge staircase up the side of the mountain came into focus. Needless to say, we decided not to try out the hike. So we decided to walk around the piers, taking pictures of the fishing boats and Ireland's Eye. We sat on the side of the rocks for awhile doing some Irish sunbathing in our coats and hats (I say this tongue in cheek but, we began to notice that a really easy way to tell the Irish from the tourist was who was wearing fewer clothing. Being that Ireland has measurable rainfall most of the days of the year, the Irish take every opportunity of sun to don tank tops, shorts and sundresses whereas Josh and I were bundled from head to toe.)

It really was lovely to simply sit, listen to the waves crashing on the rocks below and stare out at the green and purple expanse of little island of Ireland's Eye. Sunburnt and windburnt we made our way back to Dublin center.

Octopussy. Not that you can tell in the picture, but there is a speedboat zooming away from an octopus with 007 written on the side. Maybe not such a weird name after all...

 

One of the many fishing boats. We watched this fisherman for a little while because as he was sorting through his catch, he'd occasionally toss one back into the water where a sea lion was patiently waiting to dive under the water and scoop it up. The little harbor is known for having these fun creatures swim around. We saw four while we were there and they are so cute!

So many boats!

The cliff hike in Howthe that we were supposed to do. But the view from here really isn't so bad is it?

The colors and expression of nature nearly kills me. It's impossibly beautiful. The yellow lichen covers the sloping face of the seawall to meet the black moss-covered rocks below. The multi-hued water laps at the rocks as the wind whips the waves into crests of bright white. So many colors and textures combine in this one spot. It leaves me breathless. I could sit right here literally all day and not tire of it.

Ireland's Eye behind us. I wish I could've captured the pretty purple flowers blooming all across the green. Makes me wish for more than my cell phone camera again :/

Seriously. I just can't even.

Next up we visited the tiny village of Dalkey. I discovered Dalkey in a guidebook on Dublin and I thought it would be rife with things to do and see. We took the train forty minutes out of Dublin, got to Dalkey and ate lunch. There really wasn't much else to see. There is a castle but naturally it isn't open on Tuesdays. We went to Dalkey on Tuesday. So we hopped the train back into Dublin and walked around Grafton Street and Temple Bar, two very famous touristy streets full of shopping, pubs and buskers. 

 

Dalkey Village, such as it is

The statue of Molly Malone, apparently the most-photographed statue in Ireland. In the time it took us to snap one picture and begin to walk away, at least four people came over, posing with her. A couple older than my parents came over and each put a hand on one of her boobs and had their daughter take a picture...not a typical pose by a fifty-something...

A different type of performer from your standard busker on Grafton Street. This guy was creating a lion out of sand. Sand. It puts the Nittany Lion statue at PSU to shame. Totally awesome.

The infamous Temple Bar 

The Ha'Penny Bridge, so named as it charged each pedestrian a ha'penny to cross in 1816.

The following day took us to St. Stephen's Green, an enormous park and green space in Dublin. Beautifully landscaped with oodles of flowers, lakes, trees, benches and a smattering of statues it is perfectly situated for lunches out of the office or a just a stroll to get out of the city for a breath of fresh air. Not far from St. Stephen's Green is the Cake Cafe where we ate lunch. I can't remember how I found out about the Cake Cafe but evidently they've been featured in Vogue and other pop-culture references. It's the tiniest little cafe with all of five itty-bitty tables. There was also this incredible fairy-garden like spot. The walls were like the walls of a shed with different pieces of junk arranged artfully, such as bike gears or lines of crayons glued in an endless wave of rainbow or bits of broken CD's and records. Trees and shrubs grew over top of the walls to create a ceiling and two small tables were nestled back in there too. I wish we could eaten under there but they were both taken. It's a really sweet spot.

The entrance to St. Stephen's Green. Kind of looks like the Arc de Triomphe in miniature. Also, note my Dubliner model.

The lake in St. Stephen's Green was alight with all types of water fowl including one really large swan. The park also had a small area reserved for the visually impaired. It was a little arched path with a bench and a raised flower bed that had all of the species names in braille. 

The Cake Cafe, located on a very nondescript street

All the cake.

The walls outside. You can see the CD's, records and piano keys

Bike gears and treble clefs!

By far my most favorite thing we did in Dublin was the Leprechaun Museum. Josh read about it in a guidebook and we saw a sign for it on the street near our tram stop. The description in the guidebook used the phrase "running through rainbows". There was no way I wasn't getting in on that after Josh read that to me. It was magical. It's not a museum in any way that you'd imagine. It's an experiential folklore and storytelling journey. You begin with your storyteller (our's is named Killian) in the front room. Leprechauns, he informs us, are mischievous little creatures of the faery world who delight in creating chaos and strife in the lives of humans. They are small and dressed in brown, not green with red beards as we have all come to think of them today. Evidently the combination of a Walt Disney movie called Darby O'Gill and the Little People (starring Sean Connery!)  and the advent of Lucky Charms are responsible for the bastardization of leprechauns. So much so, that even most Irish people today picture them as Lucky from the cereal.

Any way, the museum takes you through a hallway to the Giant's Room to help you feel like a leprechaun. Enormous chairs, tables and lamps await you to climb on (if you can get up--they're really high) and cause as much mischief as you can. They you walk through a forest and a rainbow, find a pot of gold, relax in the faery world and sit in an enchanted forest for a spell near a wishing well. All the while, Killian weaves different tales of leprechauns. Sad stories, ones with morals, slightly hopeful ones, and one rather doomed love story. It was an enchanting experience. I almost don't want to show you the pictures in case you get to go for yourself one day. I don't want to spoil the surprises. But honestly, I'd so go again even knowing what everything is. It changes each time you go as you get a different storyteller who will tell new tales.

In the Giant's Room. I'm a little leprechaun!

Both of us!

It's so dark in this room but can you see the giant arm chair and Josh in front of it?

Into the rainbow....

Emerging from the rainbow on the other side!

The pot of gold in the middle of the story circle

Killian!

I'm in a story!

My husband, the leprechaun! 

For my mother, the queen of hats. This is one for your collection :)

And of course, no trip to Dublin would be complete without a trip to the Guinness Storehouse to learn about Ireland's most famous stout. The building is shaped like a pint glass so you wind your way up and up, floor by floor learning about the ingredients, the process, the master brewer, the advertising; basically, anything you ever wanted to know about the beer. It was actually really fun. I don't even like beer but I really enjoyed learning about the history of Guinness and the ticket includes a pint of Guinness at the end of your tour or you can use your ticket to learn how to pour the perfect pint of Guinness. Naturally, I chose that option. Actually, I didn't hate the taste of it. The flavors hint at chocolate, coffee and cola. Very dark, pungent and lasting. Of every beer I've tried, this is definitely the best.

Following signs to the tour. Note the angle Josh is at. So much cobblestone. Not an ideal surface for a wheelchair. But he rolls on as per the usual.

I think I'm getting better at selfies!

They had a sandbox full of barley (instead of sand). Josh pushed me in (I should've known what was coming. I mean, look at that grin. It looks almost leprechaun-esq, doesn't it!?)  I left a trail of barley throughout the rest of the tour.

There was a tasting and aroma room where you learned about how the main four individual ingredients that comprise Guinness smells. Then you learn how to taste the beer, using the world's smallest pint of Guinness. It was soooo cute! The instructor made sure to inform us all not to worry that this wasn't our free pint of Guinness, ha.

Learning how to pour the perfect pint of Guinness. Do I detect a future in bar tending?!

Officially a graduate of pouring school. Obviously if you come over for dinner, you'll see this framed on my wall.

Enjoying our pints on the top floor of the Storehouse in the Gravity Bar. It has a panoramic view of the city of Dublin.

My favorite view of the panorama, St. Patrick's Tower. Which is the silo-looking thing with a green dome and weather vane on top.

We were in the bar for last call and they had everyone raise their glasses in an authentic Gaelic toast, Slánte (pronounced Slan-cha).

After finishing up at the storehouse, we grabbed a late dinner at Ireland's oldest pub, The Brazen Head (the food isn't super exciting but it's a really old building, circa 1150, I think). It was packed and we sat at a newly vacated tabletop that sat four. Not long after we sat down, a mother and son joined us as there were no other seats. We had a really enjoyable meal together, learning about Jason and Alba from Long Island. It was fun to talk with other Americans who can commiserate with us on some of the differences between home and abroad. We haven't had a decent conversation with anyone but each other in quite some time. It was good to socialize :)

After the Brazen Head, we hit up the Cobblestone Pub which is more of a local jaunt than a tourist spot but is renown for having traditional live music. It's basically a hallway of a pub and way too many people were crammed into a tiny space but it was one of the most magical experiences of my life. Fiddles, flutes, bagpipes, penny whistles all combined into an enchanting array of music. It nearly brings tears to my eyes. You know how music can have that effect sometimes?   They even paused for what I think is called a sean nós song, an old-style acapella song that is lyrical and flowing. It was the perfect end to our stay in Dublin. 

Sunset in Dublin (the sun comes up at 5am and doesn't set until after 10pm. 9am looks like noon. I have never experienced so much sunlight in one day. We were up so early every morning just because of the sun pouring in. And there was more than one night that we went to bed and there was still light in the sky. Totally wreaks havoc on the Circadian clocks.)

I think Dublin has the coolest street lamps out of any city I've ever visited. They're even cooler than our kisses in Hershey!

The wonderfully talented musicians of the Cobblestone Pub. It started as a group of five or six. Some people leave and others take their place. Musicians came and went and just picked the songs rights up. So incredible. 

We liked Dublin. But we packed so much into just five short days. Now we're renting a car (but no spaceship this time) and heading down the coast of Ireland. We're going to see as many cliffs and possible!