Day 1--Dublin, Ireland

April 19th, 2012

'We are here! We are here! We are here!' Only too appropriate to start off with a quote...and Dr. Seuss at that. But there really is no other way to express the excitement of actually getting to Europe! Ireland to be exact! :) But honestly, I've wanted to travel to Europe for longer that I've been alive it feels, and to finally be here feels like a blessing beyond comprehension. Even though it has been planned for roughly 6 months, it's something that never felt real until we were actually at the airport. *SIGH* So blessed, so excited!!!!!

The flight was...uncomfortable to say the least. T and I were the only two seats on the side but that was the only bonus. I dozed and napped but woke with such pain in my quads and ankles I was scared I was going to get a DVT. BTW, hip feels good :) The Lord has blessed me without a lot of pain and I am grateful. Anyways, we finally landed and the view when we landed was breathtaking! The coast looked picturesque with lush green scenery and it looked just how I imagined Ireland would look but better...obvi.

*SIDENOTE: Every time I write 'Ireland' I'm saying it in my head with a thick Irish accent...it's quite amusing...to myself...oh well...

St. Patrick's Cathedral--Dublin, Ireland

After a short bus ride and walk we arrived at our hostel, Barnacles. My sisters will hear this name and immediately think of Spongebob; guaranteed. We very luckily (get it? Luck? Irish?) got our room, showered, and napped. I have never welcomed sleep so much. I would have stabbed somebody in the leg on that airplane in exchange for a place to sprawl out.

After a much needed respite it was out to explore Dublin!! We did the Dublin hop-on, hop-off tour which was really cool. Double-decker bus and all! So cliche, but I loved it! Dublin is beautiful; full of old, completely structurally amazing building of old. Ya know what I think the coolest thing is? The small walls that run along the sidewalks. They look ancient and historical like they've stood the test of time (and most likely have) and lived to tell the tale. I don't know what it is but it looks so historically pure.

So we only got off at two stops. The first was St. Patrick's Cathedral. Very pretty. We walked along the gardens and the flowers are beautiful.

Next stop, much to Teresa's joy...the Guinness Storehouse! The tour was so sleek and modern looking it was surprising. We trained at the Academy and are now certified to pour the perfect Guinness. Whoo hoo! AND believe it or not, I drank about 1/3 of the beer...I know, I am such a daredevil. I'm trying to go out of my comfort zone and this was a big step for me so everyone else can calm it down.

Guinness Storehouse

After finishing the bus tour it was off to get food because we were famished. We walked into a random restaurant off the street into a room that was so silent we could hear people's silverware clinking...*awk turtle--slowly backed away and out the door*...Whatever. So we went across teh street and sat at the bar of a nice pub and had some fish and chips. Legit Irish fish and chips, tastes no different than American fish and chips but now I can say I've had it in Ireland. Can you?! Talked to some lovely young chaps and it turns out he has been to Milwaukee because his cousin studied at Marquette. What are the odds?! About the same as finding 10 people from the Milwaukee area in the same Guinness Academy class...at the same time...in Dublin feckin' Ireland. Yeah, that happened, too. Only Teresa and I. Oh, and only Teresa and I would get hit on by 50 something year old Norweigan men pretending to be Irish...um...okay? But hey, I got a totally free, totally unwanted, and totally invading of my precious personal space back rub. WTF?!?! Why do men seem to think it's okay to touch strangers? Especially young women?! Creepers, apparently, are in countries everywhere.

Temple Bar--Dublin, Ireland

Lastly, we went to get a drink at Temple Bar and listened to live Irish music. Now let me start of by reiterating how much I detest live music at bars...but his changed my outlook. It was so fun and upbeat; crowded as all hell but that must be some kind of prerequisite for an Irish bar. *cough Trinity cough* But seriously, so much fun! I could listen to that every night.

Okay, enough babbling, off to bed to try and fix my majorly screwed up internal clock. Until tomorrow!

PS--Best line of the day:

Guy at bar: 'Oh, are you Italian?'

Me: 'Yes.'

Guy: 'You're from the States?'

Me: 'Yes.'

Guy: 'You from New Jersey!?'

Me: 'NO!'