(151-153): I can't really think of a clever title for Dublin.

I basically spent (150) flying to Dublin and taking care of logistics for the rest of the month, so let’s start with photos and:

(151) is Sunday, 6 June 2010.

Globetrotter’s/The Townhouse. You will never get a better included-in-price hostel breakfast in your life. Full Irish breakfast includes fried eggs, ham, sausage, beans, tomato slice, and hash browns. Plus juice and coffee/tea. Breakfast in Marrakesh was good, too, but protein for breakfast… Ireland just gets it.

I went sightseeing with Fraser, one of my several roommates. We saw many things by rain: the famous Ha’penny Bridge, a church we couldn't get into, a brief look into the Jameson whiskey distillery, all on the way to the Guinness storehouse.

I’m slowly cultivating an appreciation for beer, and the Guinness storehouse helped me along a good deal. While I did tire very quickly of their continuous propaganda for the Arthur Guinness legend, I was glad to learn what’s in beer and how it’s made. Perhaps my favorite part of the whole exhibit, though, was the little stand where they have roasted barley for you to taste. It’s kind of a nice flavor, actually, and if I hadn’t tasted it early on, I probably wouldn’t have found it so easily in the complimentary pint they give out at the end. I had a much better predisposition toward Guinness (which is now one of my favorite least favorite drinks) because the barley actually puts up a fight against the hops, and I now know how to search for other flavors than the hops I can’t stand.

So, after the panoramic view out of the storehouse’s Gravity Bar, Fraser and I kept walking… a few churches (we went into only one because the others wanted money), Dublin Castle was closed when we got there, and we had a late lunch at a café called Queen of Tarts, located here. The Bailey’s cheesecake I had was outstanding, and the food itself was decent, but it’s one of those cutesy Sunday afternoon café places (I think the name says enough) where you’re paying a hefty amount for the atmosphere as well. “Cute” is not enough to sell me products or movies, so I felt a tad overcharged, but then again, it might have been nice to lounge for a few hours if I’d had more time.

(152) is Monday, 7 June 2010.

Had to get that breakfast again. Mm-MM!

I also woke up to a fascinating email from the Vassar College Dean of Studies. Apparently the Vassar French Department has named me an Academic Intern — basically a Teaching Assistant — for the 2010/2011 year.

Cool. Let's go on a day trip.

We went to Glendalough, the “valley of two lakes,” according to the pamphlet I saved, which was a nice hike and some very pretty green scenery. This is why I wanted to come to Ireland. We also stopped at a big pile of rocks called Brownshill Dolmen, a Druid equivalent to pyramids, and finally, Kilkenny City*, home of the beautiful Kilkenny Castle.

Second to the scenery at Glendalough, Kilkenny Castle was the highlight. I bent the rules and took photos of the castle when no one was looking (if they charge money, I feel justified). I just wish I’d gotten pictures of the library room, which had these incredible eaves painted with tree branches and leaves and let the light in beautifully through tall side windows. There’s a sweepingly high two-story ceiling as well.

Also, it was raining the whole day except for Glendalough, so I was constantly at war with my crappy umbrella. Also, just before getting on the bus to return to Dublin, I honored Sam Seifman and I got a Magnum Gold?! It was okay… vanilla/caramel/stuff… I like their the strawberry and white chocolate one better.

Paddy Wagon Tours is a fun tour company; I thought the guide was funny (although I was often alone in that sentiment). The whole tour, he kept telling stories and cracking jokes... He had good impressions of Clinton and Bush despite an Irish accent. I’m telling you, he had a whole bloody standup act... The only thing I’d critique was an occasionally rushed delivery of some jokes and kind of heavy-handed pokes at the two presidents. But he explained about some of the history and superstitions and was entertaining about it.

Fraser and I got dinner at the famous Temple Bar. Sandwiches were surprisingly good and filling.

(153) is Tuesday, 8 June 2010.

Today’s goal was to kill a few hours before flying to Edinburgh. I was pretty much over Dublin… it was grey and doesn’t offer much to people who drink as little as I do. It does offer that great breakfast, though…

I walked around the city some more, including Trinity College, which is a beautiful campus. I couldn’t quite persuade myself to see the Book of Kells, though… they were asking 9 euro to see an ancient book I’d never heard of before I got to Dublin (and without the aid of Google, I can’t even tell you now what it is). I did find a park with a charming Oscar Wilde statue, however, as well as lunch at Gallagher’s Boxty House in the Temple Bar area. I would actually recommend against this one; the food tasted great, but I went all-out and ordered their special boxty (it’s a potato pastry filled with meat — I want to say lamb? — and gravy) with a side of potatoes. I ate it and was full and satisfied and then — I’m not kidding — I left the restaurant and was starving (not just Paris hungry) less than ten minutes later.

I had also been fighting a little homesickness that day. You’d be surprised what sorts of things can fix it, though. I passed by a comic book store and popped in to see if they had any new volumes of Fullmetal Alchemist, an excellent Japanese comic book series (manga) that I follow. They didn’t, but I ended up paging through some older volumes of another favorite series.** Manga beats homesickness like scissors beats paper.

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Footnotes

* I had really hoped Kilkenny would be home to Irish South Park characters, but I was disappointed.

** Death Note, true to its name, is pretty grim, but the characters and cat-and-mouse plot are incredibly intricate; the story as a whole is simply phenomenal. This series also provided a good deal of early inspiration for my pet project screenplay. It’s not for the faint of heart, but if you like darker stories and don’t mind reading right-to-left, I strongly recommend it.