Dublin, Part a do*

Last time, on Anne's blog...

Anne & friends almost didn't make it to Dublin, but they actually managed to arrive in the city, where they discovered sunshine, traditional music, and The Most Beautiful Irish Man in the World. To continue...

Then off to Doyles, across from Trinity College, and I believe, the scene of Erin's notorious fling of her Dublin summer. :P That was fun, except for the requisite carding (i.e., asking "how old are you" and expecting us to be honest), which we got everywhere in the city. "I'm 24," through gritted teeth. I know, I know, I'll be happy about it someday. It's just not cool to look 17 now.

After a round of tequila shots, some Bulmers (btw, Erin, I love that stuff - it's called Magners in England) and a particularly animated competition between me and Joe to identify the music playing (yaay Doyles for having a fantastic selection), we headed off to a random gay bar, where Alana and I had to pose as a couple to get in, but then were surrounded by straight couples when we got in (??). Hm. Then, in a complete coincidence, the yummy-smelling kebab shop next door was none other than Sultan, which was apparently Erin and Jody's late-night haunt. Strange. But oh so tasty.

We stayed up until 5 watching the A-team (yaay Mr. T!) , marveled at the fact our clothes didn't smell of smoke (England is just about light years behind everyone else - I think it's going to take another year for them to go smoke-free), and woke up and lazed in front of the TV watching American Idol (what is that doing on the air in Ireland?). Then off on a bus to Kilmainham Gaol, which is a jail with an amazing history, holding prisoners from the range of Irish history, from the struggle for independence to the potato famine. Our tour guide was fantastic, even though I think he made Joe (the sole Englishman with us) feel like a bit of a villian.

That night, we went to an Italian restaurant, which could have been an awful mistake, but had the best pizza I've had in Europe outside of Italy, and then a Temple Bar pub called, coincidentally enough, Temple Bar (what came first, the pub or the neighborhood?) This is also where I got completely schooled by an Irish bartender. When he asked where I was from, I gave my automatic response of "New York." Hey, I know it's a lie, but no one knows where New Jersey is - or cares, for that matter. He then proceeded to ask me "what part," at which point I was forced to say Brooklyn and then give my Grandma's address as mine. Whoopsies. Really - what kind of European knows all the NYC boroughs? Anyway, the bar wasn't as good as the previous night's entertainment, and it was pretty late - we didn't even finish dinner until after 11 - so we headed home.

Monday morning we woke up at 5:30am (ugh), and flew back to London so some of us could go to work. I, on the other hand, had taken the day off, which meant a nap, early afternoon movie with Nic, and a trip to Bodean's, an honest-to-God barbecue joint in London. They even had Nascar on the TV. Weirdness. I actually forgot where I was a couple of times until I heard the accents of the people around me. I got ribs and they were delicious. Mmmm, ribs.

Just so you know, my trip was basically a two-day approximation of Erin and Jody's summer. My friends had next to no plans, so I took our entire itinerary from a shortlist of recommended sights from Erin and Jody. All I can say is - great list, guys. What a summer it must have been.

= :)

* "two," in Irish Gaelic. I know, I know - I AM awesome.