Leaving Dublin for a few days

So after a few days, I am done playing the Dublin tourist for a bit and am heading south to visit relatives near Mitchelstown. The weather is actually pretty nice today, with glimpses of actual sun and blue sky! (Glimpses mind you, but better than nothing.)

Since yesterday was a good tourist day, I will share with you a bit of the sightseeing I did. And since I am fairly lazy at times (including now), I will edit part of an email I sent Kevin earlier describing the adventure. Below is the edited text:

"Joke time first. What is the difference between inlaws and outlaws?

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The answer: outlaws are wanted.

Ok, so it's a bad joke, but it's one of the several bad ones I heard while taking a bus tour of Dublin today, and it is begging to be shared. My tourist day started with breakfast down the street from the townhouse at which I am staying, at a restaurant/bar combo. Who knew that ordering scrambled eggs and toast would reveal a GIGANTIC plate of food? I tried hard to finish it, but it got the best of me. I didn't get out for breakfast until 9am, so it resulted in me being the only person at the restaurant for breakfast. Thankfully, I brought a book with me anticipating to be eating alone at places throughout the day.

Afterwards, I went on to a Starbucks near Trinity College and enjoyed a cup of coffee while truly kicking back to read my book. I bought another John Grisham (The Broker) at the airport in New York, so that has been my companion. The cool thing about Starbucks here is that if you are going to stay there to drink, they give you your coffee in an actual mug. While in line to order, there was a girl around my age in front of me, with a suitcase tagged by one of the Chicago airports. She seemed pretty excited when I ordered after her and she recognized my American accent and realized she wasn't the only American wandering around. We chatted for a few minutes, and it turned out she was visiting friends down near Cork after finishing grad school in CA and before starting work. It was nice to chat with someone for a bit though.

After my nice reading break at Starbucks, it was time to tour the city via the bus. It was one of those hop-on hop-off buses (left over free pass I received when visiting in January that was still good), and I sat on the top since it was open aired and I could get a better view. The better view was the good part. The bad part: freeeeeezing cold. I had a jacket, but I was wishing I had a scarf the whole time. I also realized what I already had somewhat knowledge of: Dublin is small. Things that on the map looked to be a bit away really aren't that far at all. On the bus we passed by the Guinness Storehouse which is apparently one of the largest breweries in the world (and according to the commentary by the bus driver, the largest one is in Nigeria - also a Guinness plant). And check this out, when Arthur Guinness (founder) signed a lease for the place in Dublin, he signed a 9,000 year lease. The lease is supposedly on display inside, but I didn't go in this time to take the tour (I gotta save some fun things for later). Let's see...we also passed an old jail I toured with my family 5 years ago that housed some of the famous "rebels" (according to the British) of the Easter Rising (when the Irish were fighting for independence). A few famous folk from that day were later executed at the jail. Other stops included Phoenix Park - one of the largest public parks in Europe (and twice the size of New York's Central Park), Old Jameson Distillery, some really old churches and mansions, the Dublin Castle (which I also toured 5 years ago), and some various other stops. I got out on the north side of the city near O'Connell street which is the other big shopping area besides Grafton Street. I walked that street back over the river towards Trinity College and found a Quiznos where I grabbed a sandwich for lunch (can you believe it - all that stuff and it was only lunch time??).

After lunch I walked around a bit more and realized I was exhausted, so I headed back for the guesthouse where I am staying and crashed - for almost 3 hours. I kept telling myself I needed to wake up, but then I would just doze off again. Apparently I am not completely over jet lag...hahaha. I did finally get up though and went out for dinner before returning to the guesthouse for the night. It will be nice to go visit with family I have decided. Simply to spend time with people I know will be a nice change! Plus, by the time I get back to Dublin, there will be plenty to do with school registration and such, which will be a nice change from playing tourist by myself."

I am not sure when I will next update this, as I am not sure of my internet connect abilities while visiting with family. However, I promise to share all good stories as soon as possible! Take care until then-
Liz