Dublin, Part 2

…We were in Ireland, but the adventure hadn’t ended.

We stepped off the plane, elated that we had made it so far. Since the flight was short, no one had rested much, and there was a general feeling of tired-ness in our group. Inside the airport, we all decided the wisest move would be to sleep. So, we found a nice corner of the baggage claim floor to call ours, and I’m pretty sure I started dreaming two minutes after I put my head on my backpack. We weren’t allowed to stay in our spot for long, though, because a security guard came through and told us “Excuse me… but you aren’t allowed to sleep here.” We got up and apologized, but were all refreshed from the twenty-minute nap. The next order of the day was to find the hostel! Katie had checked Google Maps, and we were about an hour and a half walk from downtown Dublin, so we had decided before hand to walk to the hostel so that we could see more of the city. Although we had written directions to get there, we had no map, and at 8:30am after a night of very little rest and much stress, none of us were thinking very clearly. However, we set off from the airport full of confidence in our abilities to find Dublin. After all, how could we miss it?

We walked alongside the road, enjoying the scenery and appreciating the fact that it wasn’t raining. After walking for nearly an hour, we discovered that we were in a small town called Swords, so we found a place to get breakfast and then explored. We walked around the ruin of an old castle and a park, enjoyed the different architecture, and the Saturday-morning-friendliness. 

After walking around Swords for two hours, we came to the realization that we had walked in the completely wrong direction from the airport to get to Dublin, and we were now two and a half hours away from our hostel. Taking a bus was quickly decided on as the best route at this point, and we all loaded up, ready for the hostel and warmth and sleep. Apparently, all of us were a little too ready for sleep, and all fell asleep on the bus ride into Dublin. It’s a good thing our stop was the end of the line. After a much needed nap at the hostel, we went to dinner at a pub called O’Neills. Hot food and good conversation are the greatest way to unwind from the scheduled-ness of college.

The next day began with several hours of uninterrupted journaling time, which is the other greatest way to unwind when your mind is quite full. Without actually discussing it, the five of us had agreed that this trip was meant to be one where we avoided locking ourselves into any “activities” and where any adventure that presented itself could be pursued. We spent nearly all of Sunday walking around the city of Dublin. We saw street performers and a covered market, had lunch in a cozy cafe away from the main streets, and I took pictures mainly of doors. Ireland has such fun colored doors! 

 Lunchtime was full of good conversation and good food. The best way to describe it that I can think of is "And a good time was had by all", which I'm sure must be a quote from something...but I can't remember what at the moment.

                                                      Katie and I split lunch. Delicious.

                 Coffee is a serious matter after walking in the cold. At least, according to Ryan.

                         However, Austin was not in any way changed from his normal self.

Some of my favorites of the places we saw were Trinity College, St. Stephen’s Green, and the view down the River Liffey in the center of Dublin city. 

 

                                                                   Trinity College

                                             What window is complete without rubber ducks?

                The five of us! From left to right: Katie, Sonya, Ryan, Austin, and Aaron

                                              St. Stephen's Green was completely lovely

                                                The River Liffey, running through Dublin

All in all, a most lovely and relaxing day.

There’s nothing like walking around a city for getting a feel of its life and vibe. More and more, I’m coming to the conclusion that I would love to always live in a city where my primary mode of travel is walking. You have so much more time to see and smell and listen to the sounds of people talking and living around you. Walking around Dublin was a good balance to the studying at Oxford, because walking around a new city reminded me again of how much there is to see and to know in people and culture as well as in all of Oxford's wonderful libraries.