When I booked my first hostel, the woman accidentally double booked my room and notified me that she would not be holding my reservation as she gave it to someone else. That was the end of the email. She sent this the day before I was to arrive in Dublin. After some
At first I was bummed, having to repack all of my things and relocate to a further out area, however my new room is totally rad.
Things that make it awesome:
1. wood panelling - not just on certain walls, but the ceiling as well. I feel like I could go out and shoot a deer if I wanted to, which is what I am sure other people felt and is why the reading room is filled with heads. #rustic
2. an ensuite bathroom - I've showered twice today because I can. We'll see what the next couple of hours brings me, maybe a third is in order.
3. curtains that blot out the sun to an extreme. My circadian rhythms are now completely in line and I am achieving higher melatonin production that I have in the last 5 years.
4. a comfy bed - the last B&B had a bed made from stuffing sharp metal objects and earth into its lining. My shoulder still hurts if I raise my arm above a 35 degree angle, not ideal.
5. A glorious backyard filled with greenery, flowers, and a flowing river - I am rocked to sleep each night by the wind through the trees and the waves on the pebbles. People pay A LOT for this scene and I'm lucky I didn't have to.
The move was somewhat seamless and before long I was on the streets of Dublin searching out historic landmarks. The only negative thing I will say about Ireland, and maybe it's just Dublin in particular, but it is as if everyone in Croydon decided to move to their own island and multiply at a very young age. If you aren't sure of the Croydon reference, google search chav, or even teenage pregnancy styles. The women look like leather bags and the men smell of booze, even the respectable-looking ones. If you are looking for love, and enjoy a matching crushed velvet Adidas tracksuit, you are in luck! There are no PS I Love You men in Dublin, probably because they have all moved to New York to be with the Hilary Swanks of the world.
Now, I brought this up because I brought a significant number of skirts on this trip, however the city is quite windy. I feel though, that this has been beneficial, as it has been my bottom flashing that has allowed me to melt into the culture without a hitch. Someone even asked me for directions to the castle today. I am pretty sure I led them the right way...
In Day 2, I toured St. Paul's Cathedral, Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin Castle, Trinity College and saw the Book of Kells. The Book of Kells was a surprise to me, as my flatmates and I tried to watch the animated movie of the same title last weekend but found the storyline a little lacking. We probably stuck it out to the halfway mark because we thought the animation was so beautiful, and the art design was completely unique. Who knew it was based on a real book, which is famous for it's art design and technique? If you did, pretend I knew as well and just glaze over the last few sentences.
Day 2 also ended/merged into Day 3 when Lexy messaged me to meet up for a few drinks. All night we kept asking each other, why haven't we bee drunk together before? It was one of the best bonding nights I've had in my life consisting of just ridiculous occurrences and unbelievable stories to forever reference in our friendship storyline. Although the men were creeps, our friend alcohol made us have a great time dancing and befriending some of the locals and fighting off the others.
What was not expected or welcomed was the morning after. When staying in a B&B, it's considered rude if you don't turn up to your breakfast, especially when you give the host your expected breakfast time. This meant that although I did not have much sleep, I had to roll out of bed to force down a greasy fry up. My stomach was already turning when my breakfast was served with a big black hair on top of the egg. Appalled that it was still being served to me, I queasily looked up at the woman for her to react. As she maintained eye contact, she simply plucked the hair off and walked away. Nothing quite screams bon appetite like a big black hair nestling into your meal and having someone's lumberjack hand punch the top of your over easy. MMMMmmmmm.
To say the least, today has not been a very adventurous or jam-packed day, but I did spend my time wandering the streets and seeing the National Art Gallery. Amidst all the paintings, I was fortunate enough to be surprised to find a piece by my very favourite artist Caravaggio. Normally a gallery would advertise having one of his pieces in their brochure or map as a gallery highlight, so when I surprise spotted it across the room I made a slight shriek to the pleasant (not) surprise of the old wrinklies around me. If you ever want to have your breath taken away by a painting, study a Caravaggio. His skill will make you realise you have absolutely no talent in your being and it is lucky that we even get to look at his.
Other than that, I am ready to return to my cottagey room as I think the deer's eyes keep following my gaze and I swear I saw Jesus just give me a once-over. Tomorrow I will be checking out of the B&B to move over to Lexy's place for the remainder of my journey. We'll see what tomorrow brings.
Local Ryan Gosling. No big deal.
The Taking of Christ.
Atmosphere.
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