In the end, it was grand.

I’m in the Dublin airport right now after having gone through customs, looking like a mangy sheepdog from the rain, and basically feeling all of the things.

All of the things.

Mainly just because I didn’t expect for the end to come this quickly.  I remember the feeling of leaving JFK without anyone familiar sitting beside me on the plane.  I remember touching down in Ireland and not being able to stop my hands from shaking; I was so nervous.  I remember wandering around the airport, missing America and everything familiar in my life.

It’s just funny how fast that feeling subsided.  It was probably the group of people I was surrounded with during this trip– the Colorado folks, who discovered the city with me and became my little family, and the Ireland folks who showed me how to properly enjoy the simple things in Dublin and not take anything too seriously.  Had I been by myself, I would have been an awkward, bumbling wreck, but because of the people around me, I just felt taken care of.

I have several friends who have passed up the opportunity to study abroad because of things like money or fear.  Both of these are legitimate reasons not to do something, but it’s so clear to me now that after college I would never be able to do something like this.  Now is the only time in my life I would be able to drain my bank account and not feel like a total failure; to run around London at all hours of the night or hike the thousands of steps leading up to the peak of the Wicklow Mountains without…well, dying (obviously, I’m never planning on getting any fitter than I am now).

I’ve told this story already, but I’ll tell it again; the story of how I almost didn’t apply to come to Ireland.  I was scared that I would be wasting my summer spending money on a pointless program rather than traveling on my own terms (which ideally would have been a backpack and a bicycle, and probably would have been a terrible idea had someone allowed me to see that through).  Not only did I travel, though, I worked, and I learned about an industry, and I met people that I never would have met had I just been bobbing around the country.  So thanks to the rational side of my brain but mostly just my parents, who convinced me to apply considering that it was Ireland and if I passed up a trip like this, I would basically beMickey Rourke levels of insane.  It’s always good to get a little perspective.

I’m trying to think about the things I’ll miss most about Ireland.  The lack of any lilting Irish accents in Colorado will most likely drive me out of my mind.  I’ll miss chips with every meal, and the vinegar and mayonnaise that always accompany it (at this point, my reputation with those I’ve met in Ireland is essentially based around my knowledge of where to get the best chips).  I’ll miss the sun waiting to set until 10:00 pm, so that you can enjoy the park for as long as possible after work.  I’ll miss the double-decker bus, which most likely causes 90% of all ankle-related injuries in Dublin.  I’ll miss day tours that led us to amazing places but always required a sleep-inducing bus ride.  Oh, and beer.  The Irish sure know how to brew it.

Enough with all the sentimentality, though…if I keep writing about how much I love and miss Ireland, I’m pretty sure I’m going to start getting hate mail.  Also, I might cry in front of people I’m about to share a 6-hour flight with.  I will end with this, though: I loved Ireland.  This was the best summer of my life.  I’m glad I took the leap, and I encourage any of you out there who are considering it too to travel as much as you can at this point in your life.

Thanks for following this blog! Cheers to a new semester and to the end of one journey– it always means the beginning of another.

I’m going off to write Hallmark cards now.

Dub-Mex, One Direction's favorite, and more Irish food

It’s my last week in Dublin and I realized that there is a certain facet of Dublin life I have yet to cover in depth.

That facet is food. Glorious, glorious food.

I love food.  I eat it on a regular basis. If I had a travel memoir, it wouldn’t be Eat, Pray, Love, it would probably just be Eat. 

I hadn’t heard good things about Dublin’s cuisine before hopping on the plane; in fact, a lot of people had advised me not to expect much.  Here are the things I did know: the island is famous for their potatoes, the lamb is supposed to be divine, and the cheese (and dairy in general: 4% milk!) is to die for.

I remember the first week of being here and how a lot of my fellow Americans were stricken with the notion that anything seemingly exotic or niche-y in Dublin (and by that, I mean barbeque, sushi, indian food, etc.) was going to be made a mess of and was generally to be avoided.  Therefore, those first few days– mainly because of how gullible I am– were spent eating nothing but pub food.  Not that I was necessarily complaining.  I’ve written previously about my love for vinegar-and-mayo fries (whoops– I mean chips) so my cravings for carbs and starches were supremely satisfied. Nothing can keep me from missing Thai food, though, no matter where I go, and it only took a few weeks for me to seriously start having noodle withdrawals.  Takeout was approached, inspected, ingested, appreciated…and from that moment on, coveted.

Since that fish-and-chips laden first week, my group of friends and I have begun to branch out more.  It took me a while to realize it, but you really shouldn’t generalize when it comes to food: there are good places and there are bad places whether or not the food is ‘traditional’.  It’s the same as in America– some might call McDonald’s typical American cuisine but you don’t see me recommending that over Cafe Mexicali, now do you?

Anyway, in my last week, I’ve definitely decided on my favorite places to head to after work, on weekends, and on-the-go, and I’m listing them below:

1. Red Torch Ginger

Recently, two friends and I decided to have a rare “treat yo-self” night and splurge on a nice meal.  We waited a long time for a table– nearly 45 minutes– but the staff was incredibly friendly and even gave us a free appetizer to pass the time (prawn crackers: yum).  Two bottles of wine later, we were seated and eating what is probably some of the best Pad Thai I’ve ever had and in a fairly large portion, too, so that I could take some home and eat it at work the following day.  Needless to say, I finally got my Thai fix.

2. Nando’s

This is not a local Dublin spot by any means, but a chain specializing in South African casual dining.  To put it into perspective, it’s really similar to the ordering layout of Fuzzy’s, where you approach the counter, order, and then sit down to enjoy your food.  At Nando’s you basically order a hunk of chicken and douse it with a sauce of your choosing (garlic and herb, lemon, extra hot, etc.), and then order a couple of sides.  We originally ate here because a friend of mine loves One Direction and heard that Nando’s was a favorite spot of Niall’s (oh, you know you’d be curious, too), and he’s definitely got a point.  Anywhere that offers me ¼ of a chicken is a place where I’m going to feel like my appetite is respected.  Also, I’m now realizing how stupid it was for me to allow myself to be so obsessed considering there are no Nando’s chains in Colorado…..

3.  Pablo Picante

I think this burrito joint was love at first sight rather than first bite, just because of the neon rendering of a Mexican luchador hanging outside of the burrito joint’s front entrance.  The whole restaurant has a luchador theme– well, all of the Pablo Picantes, considering how they’ve expanded over the past few years– and a simple, amazing menu.  Oh, and there’s a student discount.  I do love me a student discount.   Then it was love again, this time at first bite.  Love at first sight and then at first bite.  I think it’s the sauce that makes it so spectacular; I had the creamy salsa and I could probably eat that by the spoonful.  A friend of mine loves spicy food and was definitely not disappointed: I could see his cheeks flushing and his eyes watering with every bite.  Who knew there was such a thing as Dub-Mex?

4.  Lemon

Salmon crepes.  Waffles with Grand Marnier drizzled on top of them.  Nutella oneverything.  Do I really need to go on?  We went here for a quick brunch break one morning before a sightseeing trip and I swear, the crepes here are absolutely heavenly.  I had one with bananas and dark chocolate and I devoured the whole thing in less than fifteen minutes…but I guess you didn’t really need to know the details.  I can’t wait to go back and try something new and daintily eat it like the lady I am.

5. The Liquor Rooms

Okay, so this isn’t technically food (though I’m pretty positive you can order food here), but I was in hipster heaven when I walked through the doors.  There’s cool craft cocktails with crazy names and vintage decor, like dim neon lighting and striped wallpaper.  I hit hipster paradise overload when I heard their live performers, who reminded me of the Andrews Sisters.  It’s a good after dinner spot, or at least a good place to come in, dance a little, and generally unwind.  It made me feel a lot classier than I really am, I’ll tell you that much.  

I’m satisfied– I finally got to talk about food for an entire post.  Get ready for a supremely sentimental one coming up next.  I mean, can you blame me?  It’s only two more days until I hop on a plane home and I can’t help feeling a little emotional about it.

Until next time!

The endless list of things to do in Dublin

There’s a list, and there are so many pubs on it.

The list includes all of the places we want to go and things we want to do in Ireland before we leave. My roommate and I made it during our first week in Ireland, when we were fresh-faced and naïve and oh, so, young (because, obviously, I feel like an old woman now, six weeks later).

Though it’s funny how a list like that can sort of become insignificant after a while. Living in Ireland hasn’t at all been like checking things off a piece of paper, it’s been popping into random shops and bars and clubs and trying strange foods and places and laughing with the locals and generally, just trying not to be obnoxious Americans.

It’s two weeks now until I return to America. The group and I are attempting to avoid thoughts like that, though, especially as we meander through our weekends trying to casually pack in all of the things we want to do and see. This weekend it was kayaking, which was something I’ve wanted to check off of the list for a long time now. It was one of the best experiences of the trip, bobbing around on theIrish Sea.  The ocean was rough and a storm was rolling in, but paddling past pods of seals and watching them follow our boats made me forget all about how sore my arms were getting. Afterwards we ate at a Thai place that has been a casual member of the list as well, and turned out to have the best Pad Thai in the world (the universe, even).

I definitely had kayaking withdrawals—I’m pretty sure I was moving an invisible paddle back and forth in my sleep and my Google history is now filled up with the phrase ‘used kayaks for sale’—so it was definitely something that I’m glad I did. I also felt quite proud of myself, since being out on the open ocean with wild animals swimming beneath me was something that required a little bit of courage.

Conquering a fear is important for everyone, though. It always means that once it’s done, you’ll be ten times prouder of yourself for plucking up the nerve (is that inspirational enough for you?).  I mean, yes, it’s embarrassing crashing your kayak into a rock or singing Teenage Dirtbag off-key in front of a bunch of Irish teenagers…..

….but it’s also the best feeling in the world when you’re pushing yourself over the choppy waves or bowing to kind strangers who sang along with you the whole time.

So many items have not only been checked off the list, but have been added and changed and erased and highlighted (because we loved it so much we did it twice).  Next week, we head off to Galway to see the Cliffs of Moher and to spend time in the town.  As for this week, I’m going to focus on the local haunts I’ve always wanted to check out but haven’t had the time to and just try as hard as I can to soak up the city like the sponge I am.

Check, check, check.

A little bit of London

I was not about to call this post “London Calling”.  That’s way too cliche, despite the fact that I did every single cliched London activity last weekend.Oh, yeah.  Did I mention I went to London?It’s funny how easy it is to travel internationally from a European country.  Well, I say easy— I basically hopped from one city to another city and I’m sure there are so many other places where it would be far more difficult— but getting to London on Friday morning was a breeze of a flight.  It was absolutely unreal to be there, in a city I’d dreamed about visiting since I was a kid.  

Red phone booths actually are everywhere and the Tower Bridge was not a heat-induced mirage, it was real life and right in front of me (unfortunately though, Harry Styles was on tour.  Boo hoo).It took a few days for me to actually register that I had made it to a place that I thought it would take me years to see.  I remember the moment I walked out of Westminster Station and saw Big Ben right smack in front of me.  I think my jaw might have dropped to the ground because there it was, something native Londoners see every single day but something I’d only seen in movies.

From then on out, we were real, proper tourists: we saw the Millennium Bridge (which, thankfully, has NOT been destroyed by dementors), Tower Bridge, the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park, the Globe Theatre, and more.  Needless to say, our feet hurt quite a lot by the end of the weekend.It was hot, too– whoever heard of London being anything but gloomy?  It further proves my theory that Colorado weather is sticking to my heels like glue.  We trekked around in our boots (normally necessary for Dublin) and welcomed the sun on our cheeks.  It was delightful.

Had I been in London for a week or a month, I probably would have been able to see as much as was necessary to see.  It’s just a huge, overwhelming city, but in absolutely the best way.  Every time you turn a corner, there’s another historical landmark or cute British accent to latch onto (oh, yeah…it’s that good).  The tube is a lot easier to navigate than the Dublin bus system, and that’s saying something.

Yet, I’d definitely be lying if I said I wasn’t happy when the plane touched back down in Ireland.  The familiarity of the Spire (which is a phrase I never thought I’d type) was comforting coming back from a three-day stay in London town.  I do miss how exciting everything was, but Dublin is starting to feel like home (and it’s also nice to have my own room compared to sharing a hostel with nine other people).  London was such an incredible experience and I’m excited to go back and do all the things I missed.  For now, though, I’m going to enjoy the rest of my time in Dublin, which is coming to an end a lot more quickly than I expected it would (only two more weeks?  You must be joking).

This weekend promises a lot more time for relaxation, which the 80-year-old woman in me appreciates.  I’m going to sleep in, eat, watch movies…and did I say sleep in?

Until next time!