Dublin!

So I went to Dublin two weekends ago. Actually, I also went about 6 years ago, but that trip doesn't really count since I was in Dublin for about a day and a half and asleep for most of that, due to jet lag. And the company this time was fantastic - Alana, Joe, and Aurelie, Alana's French housemate. So this is the real trip. And a fantastic one.

We actually almost didn't make it to Ireland, since Alana took the meeting time of "around 6-ish" to mean 7:30. Hm. But we got there, and after battling with the staff over our "2-bedroom" apartment (1 double, 1 single, and a couch), got to sleep, since it was ridiculously late and cold. Very exciting, I know.

Saturday dawned bright and sunny, which was an amazing change from most of the weather in London. Unfortuntely, it only lasted the morning, but I made the most of it and got up early and took a walk around central London, including Merrion Square. Then I picked up a bagel and headed back to the flat, which made my friends laugh, since it is apparently a running joke that I'm obsessed with bagels. Not my fault if they can't make enough/good enough ones here in Europe and I have to vocally pine for them. Every day, in fact.

We went shopping on Grafton Street (where I almost got the cutest red trench ever, only to remind myself I already had a red coat - rarr!) and then off to the Dublin Castle, which kinda looks like a movie set, because it's a basically an 11th-century stone castle in the middle of a parking lot. Strange. Then off to the incredible Chester Beatty Museum, which had a lot of Asian and Islamic art, and a collection of religious artifacts. This museum was also the site of my favorite fact of the weekend - the best brushes for painters of Islamic manuscripts were made with the hair from the neck of a 2-month old white kitten. They don't teach you THAT at Harvard, let me tell you. (Yaay Art of the Mongols!)

Then off to the Porterhouse to see Sliotar, this band Erin & Jody were in love with. They were really great, but the Porterhouse was probably the only place in central Dublin that didn't serve Guinness, so that was a bit disappointing. Had a great red ale, though. Weird - I'm a beer drinker now...who would have thought? Oh England, what are you doing to me? Then off to this fabulous restaurant called gruel (mmmm, tasty, and no capitals, of course) which had a basement dining room that looked like my friend's rec room (minus the washer & dryer) and fantastic food.

Back to the flat (right on the Liffey, across from Temple Bar - couldn't be more convenient, really) before heading out for the night. First stop: The Celt for traditional music and our first Guinness of the trip. It really is more tasty there. I also appreciated the yellowed pics of JFK on the wall. Also: The Most Beautiful Irish Man in the World. He was standing across from us and wearing this white button-down shirt with rolled-up sleeves, and he was the most effortly gorgeous thing we had ever seen. And all of us being inclined towards the male sex, he provided a lot of exciting viewing while finishing our drinks.

Part two, in all its scintillating glory, coming soon.

= :)