Dashing Around Dublin

Yikes!  I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to write another blog!  I have been on the MOVE!  My hope was to write a separate blog about each and every city, but considering I’m currently on the train to my ninth city, that idea may prove to be futile, but I’m going to give it a go.  If I can’t punch out every detail, I will at least fill you in on some of the highlights of the last three weeks..and perhaps some low points as well (like the fact that I ate a filet o fish in Marseille just now between train rides…a REAL low point…)  By the way, as I’m typing this I am on a six hour train ride to Bordeaux, France.  It’s a strange system.  You don’t have to show proof that you’ve actually purchased a train ticket until you are on the train and en route to your destination.  During some of train rides I’ve already taken, my ticket was never checked!  I can imagine that this leads to people hopping on the train without tickets, hoping that it will be their lucky day that tickets aren’t checked.  So here we are on the way to Bordeaux and I’m sitting in the first class coach (don’t go crazy…the price difference between coach and first class on a train is minimal and since this was going to be a six hour jaunt I wanted comfort!) Not one, but TWO people just got caught without tickets!  They both tried to do the song and dance that they lost them, patting pockets and checking their duffle bags, but it was so completely obvi that they were just trying to pull a fast one.  Wooo weeee!  The ticket checker started REAMING these guys in French.  And it certainly doesn’t take a native French tounge to understand that they were getting a proper blasting.  Not exactly sure what will happen to these stowaways, but they are most definitely not sitting in this coach any longer!  

Anyway, back to my travels.  When we last spoke (yes I consider this a two way dialogue..ha!) I was about to board my flight to Dublin.  That plane was practically a prop plane.  You know…the kind you have to walk out on the tarmac and then climb stairs to board.  Not my favorite.  However, as we flew over Ireland I was struck by the never-ending greenery below.  Of course, this was how I had imagined it to be, but seeing it with my own eyes was magnificent.  I literally saw fields of dancing sheep and shades of emerald sprawling in all directions.  After my little prop plane made a safe landing, I retrieved my luggage and made my way to the bus stop.  Public transport in Edinburgh had proven to be a bit overwhelming for me, but being that it is SO much cheaper than taxis I was on a mission to get to my Dublin flat via public transport.  SUCCESS!  I figured out how to buy the ticket, the route I needed, the stop I needed get off, and even managed to get my million pound suitcase onto the bus.  The only negative was the lack of seats available so I had to stand for the thirty minute ride.  This wouldn’t have been much of a problem except the bus driver was heavy on the breaks and I kept getting jarred and jostled around.  I ended up with a few bruises…but hey!  I saved a ton of dough taking that bus!  Oh, and if I hadn’t taken that bus ride, I may have missed the sign for the Leprechaun museum, which gave me a good chuckle.  Pandering to tourists with that one no doubt!!

I arrived to my flat in Temple Bar, a super cute, lively neighborhood in Dublin, and had about thirty minutes to kill until my Air BnB host was to arrive.  There was a bakery right next door to the flat so I parked it there and ordered a cappuccino.  Sitting in that bakery at about 3pm on a Wednesday afternoon, I noticed something.  I couldn’t believe how many people popped into the bakery for an afternoon pastry.  Hefty slices of carrot cake, muffins, brownies, tarts and cookies were ordered right and left.  And it seemed like this was a daily routine as the shop owners often greeted the customers by name.  Yet not one of these customers were overweight!  What do we think of this??  I’m sure it can partly be attributed to the amount of walking Europeans do.  I’d also have to imagine it may have to do with the quality of food in Europe as well as portion sizes.  People from other parts of the world constantly reference the enormity of American portion sizes.  I think Europeans tend to eat smaller meals.  What else do you think it is?  It was really quite interesting to me.  I sat in the bakery with just my cappuccino (trying to avoid a 500 calorie pastry) while the Irish traipsed in and out with their afternoon treat.  

The other thing that struck me was the feeling that I had been plunked down in the middle of a movie set.  The accents were just so gloriously thick and amazing, something all of us have attempted to mimic at some point in our lives.  But here I was sipping coffee amongst these incredible thick stunning Irish accents and it was music to my ears.  I could practically hear the music being cued, someone yelling action, and wind blowing through my hair as I rode alongside Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise in one of my old favorites “Far and Away.”  Oh Shannon…

My host finally arrived and showed me to the flat, which was totally adorable, cozy and just had a good vibe. I was very excited to be in Dublin!  I walked the streets of Temple Bar and could not BELIEVE the number of bars and pubs that lined every street.  Pub crawl central.  Beer belly central?  Hangover central?  LOL!  I ended up at Bad Bob’s Temple Bar and ordered some red wine.  Not even sure why I ordered this…not really my go to bevvo.  But I wasn’t in the mood for beer and it was a bit chilly out, so red wine just seemed right.  And it was.  I stayed at Bad Bob’s for several hours, drinking wine, talking to the bartender, and finally listening to some really great music when open mic night started.  It was a fun night, and the best part was being able to stumble only a block or two home to my flat.  

The next day I took the best three hour walking tour of Dublin.  Our tour guide Lisa was a beautiful charming red head who used to work in the corporate world, but left that to pursue a life of travel.  Ahem…this hit home with me for sure!!  We saw tons of spectacular sites including Dublin Castle, Christ Church Cathedral, Trinity College, Temple Bar, and St. Stephen’s Green.  Lisa told us wonderful historical stories about each site, as well as some funny local tales.  She relayed to us the fact that the wretched King Geoffrey from Game of Thrones is actually a 4th year student at Trinity College in Dublin and is quite a successful student.  And evidently he’s not a total scumbag…although it’s hard for me not to hate him.  We also saw the project arts center in Temple Bar where a little band called U2 got their start.  Lisa told us that one day in the very early days of U2 when they were totally unknown, Bono went into a bar across from the project arts center to buy a beer and apparently looked so disheveled that they refused to serve him.  They got into a bit of a tif and Bono exclaimed that some day he’d buy that bar from the man who refused to sell him the beer.  And guess what?  He did…he bought and still owns Garage Bar and the Clarence Hotel in Temple Bar.  However, I gathered from Lisa that the Irish think Bono is a bit big for his britches.  I had two different tour guides in Dublin tell the same Bono joke.  Here it is.  What is the difference between God and Bono?  Answer...God doesn’t think he’s Bono….  

 Lisa, our darling and funny tour guide!

 Bustling Temple Bar!

St. Stephen's Green.

I have more to tell about Dublin, but I’m so tired and this is getting long.  So for now I say Dia Guich…which means May God Bless You in Gaelic.  xoxo

Travel Tip #2 - Take a good walking tour when you first get to a new city.  I usually find highly rated tours on Trip Advisor and typically the guides are so proud of their city and have such cool and interesting stories to tell.  You miss out on some really interesting stories that make a place come to life if you just walk around by yourself.  It's also a great way to orient yourself with the city.  AND, if you are alone, this is a great way to meet people!!