(My) Sunny Funny Face

Sorry for the glare folks, the joy of wearing glasses

Galway: Three Days of Wet Socks, Confusion, and Discovery

January 7, 2015

I found some candy, have no fear.

Ok here we go.

Wednesday morning, our first in Galway, I woke up to Breigh heading out to see the city with the girls we'd had dinner with the night before. Essentially I rolled over and went back to sleep because my brain convinced me it was far too early to be awake. When I did get up I made my plan for the day which consisted of seeing Galway City--specifically I wanted to see the bay--and to get some groceries (the lack of tea was very distressing) before our scheduled campus tour in the early afternoon. Outside the window it was raining, but since when has that stopped me? I pulled on my handy steel-toed, water-resistant (proven not water-proof at a later date) work shoes and set out figuring how to get to the city. Our apartment has Wi-Fi, but there's obviously no citywide network, so I tried to memorize the Google Maps path before I left.

Confession: I haven't really figured out how to turn on the data for my phone

Despite some qualms about my lack of a physical map, I set off at about 10:30 with my usual sense of adventure. I'd decided to see the city first because it was marked as a twenty minute walk and I had to be back by 2pm for the tour. Funny thing happened though, when I got to the main intersection, I turned left when I really should have turned right. There was even a sign that pointed to the right that said "city-center" but I thought maybe our apartment was located in a suburb and therefore city-center was the wrong direction. I ended up walking in the opposite direction looking for street names I recognized etc. When twenty minutes had passed I found myself more on a country road and I figured I was probably going in the wrong direction and just decided to enjoy my walk. By this point it was no long "raining" it was pouring. And the wind was ridiculous. It's possible to keep your pants relatively dry when the rain is falling straight down. However when the wind it whipping it at you from all sides, dryness becomes a fond memory.

Upon walking in the same direction for a bit longer, began to hear more cars and saw in the distance a highway. It looked like a good bookend for my journey, so I turned back. Luckily I'm pretty good at finding my way back from a place even if I initially get lost. Back in sight of familiar civilization, by which I mean a recognizable stoplight and strip mall, I opted out of going on to Galway because truth be told, I was tired of being wet. However, going back to the apartment was out of the question without tea. Therefore, probably looking similar to a drowned rat, I walked into Dunnes and picked up some essentials which included: tea, sugar, milk, bread, butter, peanut butter (not bad but nor nearly as good as the US), jam, and cereal. Returning to the comfort of our abode, I made tea and worked on this rather cumbersome endeavor I have embarked on. Breigh returned and opted to change, her jeans were soaked through too, but  didn't see the point as we would just have to go out into the wet again.

When the time came for our campus tour, some of us gathered in front of the administration office hoped (fruitlessly) that the coach bus parked outside might be for us. When the Galway coordinator arrived however, she told us that we would indeed be walking to the school while drove. In hindsight it was very important for us to walk so that we would know the wbe ay to school; at the time though it was not very fun. When we arrived she showed us her office and then showed us where we would have our orientation the next morning. After there was an optional campus tour by one of the students. I figured it would be prudent to know something of my surroundings, but overall it was probably a waste of energy, if only because my classes are all in three buildings right near each other (granted I didn't know that at the time). Having no idea where my roommate was, I headed back to Gort to hopefully dry off.

It was when I got back that I came to the realization that we were going to have a serious problem in regard to wet clothing. If the student village as a flaw (it actually has several but this is the most obnoxious) it's that not only is laundry expensive (6 euro to wash and dry) but there is only one facility for 100 apartments. I was at a loss, until I figured out that we could put a chair in front of the little electric fireplace and hang wet clothes on it. I felt pretty guilty about the electricity, but given the amount of rain in Ireland, I'd never be able to be dry.

January 8, 2015

Bright and early we had to be back on campus for our first orientation. Basically they gave us the same information we that we got in Dublin about clubs, safety etc. Orientation ended at 1pm and we had the afternoon to ourselves. I wasn't super enthused about just going back to the apartment, but I also didn't know how to get to the city center from campus. I ended up walking back to Gort with another girl from Arcadia. Pretty much the only big event that occurred on our second day was that we met our Irish roommate. As I mentioned, we initially didn't really focus on who our roommate might be as we were busy settling in. It became a matter of curiosity shortly afterward. Peeking into the other room, (perhaps not the most appropriate move) Breigh suggested that our roommate was a guy, a concept which was supported by the fact that the soap in the bathroom was leather-scented. However, the toiletries in the shower looked as though they belonged to a girl. Looking back, we probably could have asked at the office but I guess it wasn't that important to know. We had resigned ourselves to not knowing our other flatmate before the following week (when we were told many Irish students would be returning), so we were surprised that evening when we heard the apartment door opening. Both Breigh and I were in our room, settling into blogging and warming up our beds. We were mid-conversation when we heard what sounded like two guys enter the apartment. Our conversation paused momentarily as we looked at one another with excitement and nervousness, but neither of us knew what to do so we just kept talking. The talk was rather stilted as we listened to the newcomers opening doors etc, and we kept looking at our door wondering if we should go out or not. Suddenly we heard a voice say "hello?" in the hallway and so we scrambled to open the door. Breigh, ever the extrovert, said "Hi, are you our new roommate?" and introductions were made. 

Our Irish flatmate Justin is from a town north of Galway City and is a first year at NUIG. He also introduced us to his friend Dominic who's from Westmeath. Though it was already after 10pm, we spent the next hour and a half just talking and kind of doing the whole "getting-to-know-you" shtick.

January 9, 2015

Early on the 9th we had to report back for our academic orientation. On the bright side, the sun weather seemed to want to make up for the two previous days of bad weather. This was our view on the way to school. At time of year the sun doesn't rise until 8:30ish. 

The Corrib River

 We received paperwork, our student IDs, and the International Academic Catalog which listed the classes available to all visiting students. The main departments then presented to the students an overview of the available courses and how to get in touch with department coordinators etc. While some of the information was relevant and helpful, it was fair boring. After my last department spoke, I headed outside, determined to find the way to the city. Just past the footpath (I feel so cool using Irish-English terms :p ) leading to the student center there was another that went in the direction of a footbridge over the creek. I had no idea where it led to but I'd seen Arcadia people staying at Niland House (a housing complex in the city center) head in that direction so I figured it would be a good starting direction. I followed the path around onto a public street which passed a cathedral and led to a bridge that crossed the river. On the other side I didn't really know where to go I convinced myself I couldn't get lost as long as I knew what direction the river was in. Eventually I started seeing (and following) signs for Eyre Square. My main objective in all honesty was just to see the bay. The city is pretty, but it's a city; I wanted to see open water. 

I wandered around for a while trying to look like I knew where I was and ended up finding Eyre Square and Shop Street (the main shopping district) on accident. On the way I found this:

which was pretty cool. I actually was  going to walk down a different street, but I saw this out of the corner of my eye. Given that in the US it's not a very common name (well there are a lot of us, but it's no Smith or Jones) it was awesome to just see it on the side of a building. 

Once on Shop Street I followed signs for the Spanish Arch which I knew was near the docks. 

Behold, the Spanish Arch:

And behold, the Corrib River as it rushes (and I mean Rushes) toward the bay:

Despite the rain and the wind, I wanted to explore the bay area. The following are some of the pictures that I took. I definitely would have been dryer in the city center, because the wind was wicked on the actual coast which resulted in complete drenching. But seeing the bay (what I could through the rain) was 100% worth it!

I didn't realize how much I missed the sound of wind through the wires

When the wind reached as a level that I felt I might be blown over the wall of the jetty, I thought it might be prudent for me to return to the city. I was really wet and starting to get chilly, so I decided to stop and get some lunch. I walked up Shop Street looking at all the options and chose to step into Taaffes Pub, which someone has suggested as a place to hear traditional music in the city. It was afternoon and thus no music, but it had the perfect pub atmosphere.  Of course, you can't have lunch without some sort of refreshment. This was actually my first pint in Ireland (my first drink period) and it was delicious as was the soup and sandwich I had. 

FIRST Pint in IRELAND

 

Once I was nourished and reasonably warm, I reckoned it was time to head back. Unfortunately I still didn't know how to get back to Gort directly from the city so I had to go the long way around by NUIG. Better safe than sorry though. That night was pretty quiet, but dry at least. :P

Orientation!

January 4-6, 2015

The Arcadia orientation was set to begin at noon, so initially I figured that I could sleep in some more when I woke up at 9 upon hearing people laughing in the hallway. I realized however that the girls I was sharing my room with could show up at any moment, so I figured I better get up and make myself some tea rather than having them walk in with me snoring away. That's just awkward. Turns out this was a brilliant idea since one girl walked in just as I was pouring the hot water into my cup. She introduced herself as Katie, set down her many bags (she had 3! 0.o ) and then asked if I'd had breakfast. We decided to go down together, which I was glad of since it would have been uncomfortable to just walk into a room full of strangers. Luckily Arcadia had provided us with breakfast vouchers for the restaurant downstairs so we didn't have to go out anywhere. 

Both of us tried the full Irish breakfast, which I should probably have taken a picture of. The traditional Irish breakfast consists of: eggs, bacon (more like ham), bangers (sausage), black pudding, white pudding, grilled tomato, mushrooms, and hash browns. A bonus was a bottomless cup of tea, which was beauteous. We got to know some of the girls sitting at near tables and we discovered that housed at this particular hotel were the programs going to Cork and Galway. 

After breakfast we met our other roommate Taylor, who actually goes to UST in St. Paul, and headed to the lobby to meet our Arcadia staff. They walked  us over to the Clarence Hotel where we had our little introductory session. I should note that one of the great things about each session we attended was accompanied by tea and coffee; it's probably a miracle I got any sleep in Dublin. I also should note that it's a  damned shame I forgot to get a picture of the sign in front of the hotel as proof that I stepped into the hotel that Bono owns. I sat with my roommates for the sole reason that they were known entities, and ended up at  the same table as three U of  M students which was funny and comforting. Anyway, during the session we met our Dublin staff and were told the general layout for the whole orientation as well as given safety tips such: as don't carry all your money and passport around with you, and stay south of the river after dark. At the end, we were only there for an hour or so, they walked us over to Trinity College for our Historic Walking Tour. 

First view of Trinity courtyard

Starting at Trinity our guide, a history professor at Dublin College, took us around the city and laid out the history for us from about the 12th century until fairly recently. Some of the places we visited included Trinity (just the outside unfortunately), the Liffey river (we learned about 19th century industry and poverty, Dublin Castle, and Christchurch Cathedral (which was kitty-corner from our hotel).

 

Millennium Spire (Stileto in the Ghetto)

Statue of Daniel O'Connell

The Millennium Spire is a monument erected to celebrate the start of the 21st century. Our tour guide told us that Dubliners are not very happy with it though, feeling that it mars the historic area; as such they've nicknamed it the "Stiletto of the Ghetto". 

O'Connell Bridge

Ha'penny Bridge o'er the Liffey

 

  

Original Tower

Offices where Michael Collins held officials hostage

ChristChurch Cathedral

After we finished walking, our guide talked to us more about the current political structure of Ireland as well as modern events in general. He talked about how even today Irish people can generally know where a person is from, or at least where their grandparents were from, based on their last name. He asked for a show of hands regarding who all had some Irish heritage and about 75% of the people present raised their hands. He then proceeded to ask the surnames of relatives or ancestors, telling us where those names are known in Ireland. It was cool to see how many Irish-Americans there were. 

For the first day, considering that many of the students had arrived that morning and were bound to be jet lagged, they took it easy on us and gave us that evening to do what we liked. It was funny because there was a warning on the schedule they gave us to not party too hard as we had an early morning. They figure a bunch of American 20 year-olds would be overwhelmed with the ability to drink legally. 

They weren't kidding about the early morning though, we had to be at breakfast 7:15 before heading off to Round 1 of the serious Orientation. They gave us another welcome introduction before launching into a presentation on "practical matters" such as banking, phone, travel etc. After coffee/tea break (I tell you guys, this place is brilliant), we had a member of the An Garda Síochána (which means Guardian of the Peace) or the Irish police force. He basically told us how to stay safe and some of the laws that Americans might be surprised at, like public drunkenness. He told us how crime is very low in Ireland, but not to be complacent because it still happens. It was really interesting to know that the Garda is the only police force in the world to walk around unarmed. They have pepper spray, something they alone are allowed to carry, but don't have any firearms. 

Directly after a delicious lunch of curry chicken, we headed off to the Na Fianna Sports complex to learn a little bit about Gaelic games. Upon arrival, the complex workers gave us a short introduction into Irish football, Irish handball, and hurling before splitting us into three different groups. My group first learned the basics of Irish handball which is basically like racketball (without rackets) or wallball in an enclosed space. A couple of the girls were really awed by how quickly I picked up some of the skills; I just told them that I had good hand-eye coordination. Next we were sent to learn Gaelic football. This was a little harder for me as I couldn't quite wrap my head around the fact that you can (and in fact must) use your hands. I had pretty good foot control, but my passing (by essentially a volleyball serve) lacked accuracy; I can only say that I'm used to serving up and over a net rather than to someone's hands. Once they taught is the essentials, they split us into two and we played a really short (like ten minutes long) match. I offered to take defense, but when one of the offenders came at me I had no idea what to do because I couldn't steal with my feet! Threw me for a loop. Hurling was the sport I was worst at; luckily it was also the sport we had the shortest time in :). Trying to pick up a ball on a stick (hurler) was not my cup of tea. ;)  Unfortunately I don't have any pictures from the games because I'd left my phone in my room; the downside of wearing sweatpants with no pockets and refusing to carry a purse. ^.^

For dinner that evening, Arcadia arranged for us to attend a program called "Food, Folklore, and Fairies". I was really excited when I found out because I'd seen the program suggested in my guidebook and was disappointed when I thought I wouldn't be able to see it. The program took place at the Brazen Head pub in Dublin, located a few blocks from our hotel. (According to the sign at least) it's the oldest pub in Ireland.

The storyteller was incredibly talented and spoke with a lot of enthusiasm. She started out talking to us about the importance of food to the Irish, especially the potato. She briefly outlined the history of the dependency on the potato by the Irish and then told us about the potato famine and the devastation that it caused. It was funny because she also talked about all the "Irish" foods that we think of in America and explained how those are most likely descended from what immigrants brought with them to America but that have become Americanized.

We were served our appetizers when she'd finished this segment. When the dishes were cleared, she told us some of the faerie lore. It was interesting hearing some of the basis for the beliefs such as faerie forts (forts abandoned by ancient Celts and reclaimed by the faeries) and faerie trees. She pointed out that although most Irish people will tell you that faeries don't exist, they are still superstitious enough not to remove such forts or trees on their property at the risk of incurring supernatural mischief. Some of the stories I didn't know (although one I'd briefly come across when looking up the translation of a Gaelic Storm song) but I got excited when she started talking about leprechauns  and then told the first leprechaun story I ever remember hearing as a kid. It was a little bit of nostalgia which was most welcome. She sang a gorgeous rendition of "She Moved Through the Fair" which gave me chills.

During our main course (I had delicious Irish stew, and yes there was lamb in it) two guys came up and played a few songs for us. Our Galway contact for Arcadia was sitting across from me and was very surprised when I knew the words to "Whiskey in the Jar" and "Wild Rover". I told her I'd grown up in pubs, which in hindsight may sounds kind of bad. She laughed though and told me to actually sing, since I was pretty much mouthing the words. Apparently Americans have difficulty with clapping to music. The musicians played this:

and asked all the students (it was a private show) to clap along at the right time. Maybe it was just that I'd heard the song before, but after the first time it seems like it would be easy to hear in the music when the measures run out. Ok, Bridget's done being superior.

After dessert,  our storyteller told us a few more stories and then sang a supremely haunting version of "My Lagan Love" though she only sang part of it which was disappointing. It was cool at the end though because she asked us if we would sing "Silent Night" with her even though Christmas was over. (Looking back though, it was actually the 12th Night, which might have been why she asked). Some of the people in my group thought it was ridiculous, but I thought hearing all the voices of these people I'd just met raised in song was pretty amazing. 

The show was meant to last almost until 10pm, but we were actually finished before 9. My roommates decided to go out for a drink since the night was still young, but I opted to stay in and read. That night was the weirdest I've had in Ireland so far with regard to sleep. I've talked about waking up at 3am and staying awake until 6am. That evening I remember closing my eyes around 10 because I was tired. My roommates came back in around 11:30 or so and I woke up momentarily but then fell asleep again. At midnight though, almost on the dot, I woke up and was wide awake. I finished one book, tried to go back to sleep, couldn't and so started the next book. My eyes were really sore from staring at the screen in the dark, but every time I tried to close them they popped wide open again. I think about 4am is when I made the brilliant discovery that I could access Netflix UK from my phone. Finally when I finished the movie I picked,  I must have fallen asleep around 6. I only slept about an hour though because we had to be downstairs early again for breakfast. 

Actually it wasn't even that. I woke up at 7am because our room had helpfully been designated the collection spot for everyone's bags. Not the Galway bags mind you, the Cork bags. So at 7am we had some guy banging (it may have been knocking, but after an hour of sleep we'll call it banging) on our door to leave his bag. We knew there was no point in trying to go back to sleep when five minutes later the next person showed up. Everyone was of course apologetic, but do you know how hard it is to get everything shoved back into it's proper case and get ready for the day when people keep piling bags in a room that already has three beds and at least six of our own bags? The most difficult part was not getting blocked in and trying to maneuver my duffel (have I mentioned how large it was?) through the resulting maze and then drag it down a hallway to another room. Bridget may still be a bit bitter when thinking about it

The first half of Tuesday January 6th (I swear I'm almost done, Kudos to those still reading) was supremely boring. Godawful early, so about 8:45, we met with our housing contact to hear about our accommodations in Galway. It was during this discussion that we were told that Irish people are very conscious of heating and electricity usage due to high fuel costs. We were told that unlike most Americans,  the Irish resort to layers rather than turning up the heat when chilled. Furthermore, in Ireland for the most part in residences there is no hot water on demand. Instead they use an electric immersion system which, when turned on, heats a certain amount of hot water before turning off again. Now it is important at this point in time to make it clear that while shocked, we all understood the concept....in theory...which will become apparent later on. 

Next we had a presentation on the academic side of our study abroad experience. While very informative and ultimately helpful, I was so bored by the end, not to mention hungry. Mostly I was just ready to get to Galway. Finally they told us to head back to the hotel to get our bags and meet at the buses. I'm not going to even outline the headache of getting all the bags out of the room. Let's just say the hallways of the hotel were not made to hold forty students and their bags while still leaving room for those who had  found their bags to move out again. 

I had a picture of a bunch of us walking to the buses (downhill which was interesting, let me tell you) but my email ate it. -__-   It must have looked pretty funny though, like a caravan. My plan was to stay awake for the 3-hour bus ride in order to watch the countryside change, but of course I fell asleep. I woke up just as we were coming up to Galway, though we didn't drive through the city center or anything. 

At one point I was really excited because I recognized some of the environs from my trip here five years ago. That seems pretty incredible, say unbelievable, especially when I say it was a roundabout of all things. I remember it though from driving to Headford from Ennis. It made me smile. :D

Once we got to Gort, our Galway contact left with the other half of our group who are staying in town, and we all checked in. They gave us our keys, took our picture for security, handed us our duvets and pillows, gave us the all-important Wi-Fi information, and essentially pushed us in the general direction of our apartments. Breigh (my roommate) and I stumbled around a bit dragging our bags looking for our room. We found the 70s, we found the 90s, but we couldn't for the life of us find 47. We finally narrowed it down and walked though an unmarked door into a nondescript hallway. Seeing stairs leading up, we assumed all the apartments were on the first and second floors. We tried both, with either me or her running out (the other stayed and held the door) and looking in vain for our friggin room. No such luck, they were all too high. Finally seeing the layout of the upper floors, we realized there must have been a door hidden in the corner by the stairs we didn't see that led to our room. It took us a minute to figure out how to freaking unlike our bedroom door (the building door and front door are opened by key card).

 Once inside we dropped our bags and just kind of stared around not knowing what to do. We ended up exploring! An endeavor which took all of 30 seconds. Breigh and some of her friends had made a plan to stop over to Dunnes (the little shopping mall thing across the road) to pick of sheets and duvet covers. Luckily we found combo sets that included a fitted sheet, pillowcase, and duvet cover for 20 euro. The girls I was with also decided to buy some groceries and make dinner together. So for our first dinner in Galway we had a home-cooked meal of pasta, garlic bread, and fruit. It was nice to have something so familiar and homey on the first night in our new place. After dinner we played a ridiculously intense game of spoons, like really intense, before everyone went their separate ways for the evening. Breigh and I sort of unpacked, but mostly we just made our beds before hitting the sack; we were exhausted. 

There. I'm finally done with this post. I feel like I need some candy to even think about posting again. Send me candy. Just kidding. 

Peace & Love 

B

"We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars" ~ Oscar Wilde

January 2-3

Grafton Street

Being that I wasn't able to fall asleep again until the wee hours, though I'm not sure 6am constitutes as "wee", my plan to be up and about by 8am so as to get an early start was thwarted. In the end it was the rustling and whispering of my dorm mates that woke me up around 9:30ish. I finally left my room around 10 and after filling my water bottle (I'd learned my lesson) headed out. This time around I had a plan, or half a plan at least. The two main objectives on my list were to visit St. Stephen's Green, a famous Dublin park which also figured in the Easter Uprising. The park is located at the end of Grafton Street which is the main shopping street for the south side of Dublin and is situated about a block from where I was staying. It was strange while walking down Grafton Street to see so many companies I recognized. There was a Swarovski store, a Disney store, many high-end clothing stores I've seen at the Mall of America. and even a LUSH, not to mention the swankiest Burger King and McDonald's I've ever seen. (Both had at least two stories with window seating and what looked like armchairs in one spot).
When I walked through the arch leading into St. Stephen's Green I was taken completely by surprise. Given the name I expected simply a large meadow, or perhaps a lawn is more precise a word. Imagine my surprise then, when this was the view that greeted me:

Pond in St. Stephen's Green

Needless to say I was very confused. 

In the park there is a large pond and many paths throughout. I was gratified to see many park benches, which I noticed are lacking elsewhere in the city. I sat and wrote for a little bit, but in the shade it was a little too cool to sit still. In a previous post I talked about the ever-present seagulls in Dublin. Paddling on the pond in St. Stephen's Green were the biggest seagulls I'd ever seen, bigger than any down by the river. These birds were honestly the size of chickens and looked like they ate pigeons for breakfast. I also saw many of these little guys, I have no idea what they are, but I found out that apparently they have a cousin that's part duck. It's like a mix of Tweety, Sylvester, and Daffy Duck.

.It's kind of hard to see, but the  bird above has creepy yellow eyes; I'm talking about bright matte yellow that looked like a bead. It was eerily stuffed-animal-like. Also in the pond were swimming plain old mallard ducks.I never knew how reassuring it could be to see a familiar duck. There were also some giant swans which were gracefully paddling as the tourists snapped fifty photos apiece. After walking down a path a piece I found a sculpture dedicated to W.B. Yeats. I only took of the pedestal because the sculpture itself was abstract; frankly, I wasn't really a fan. It turns out that there were memorial sculptures and statues all over the park. I took pictures of the few I thought were most important or intriguing.

W.B. Yeats Sculpture

Potato Famine Memorial Sculpture

                                                                    Theobald Wolfe Tone (Irish Revolutionary)

After walking the paths at the edge of the park, I turned off onto a side path toward the center and found the "green". 

All the maps in the park designate this as the "Victorian Design" for the way the layout reflects a Victorian garden. The fountain in the middle is quite pretty. 

Once it started to get more crowded, three tour buses showed up at once, I headed back down Grafton Street with the intention of visiting the Dublin Writers Museum on the north side of the river. At the end of O'Connell Street is a stature of Charles Stewart Parnell who was an Irish nationalist in the late nineteenth century. It was an important landmark for me at this point in time because I needed to find Parnell Square where the museum is located. 

Even though I found him though, I still had to pull my map out to locate myself. I must have looked really confused, because a nice Irish gentleman offered to help me find whatever I was looking for. He told me the museum was just further up the street and that I should be sure to stop at the Garden of Remembrance on my way, before heading on his way,

Look what I found on the way ;)

The Garden of Remembrance, I discovered, is a beautiful memorial dedicated to those who fought for Irish independence. From the entrance the park layout is a long reflecting pool at the head of which is a memorial sculpture. There is a path that runs around the edge of the pool with many small pictures for people to rest and reflect :P. The floor of the pool has gorgeous designs in tile. 

It wasn't until I was standing next to the sculpture at the opposite end of the pool that I realized it was in the shape of a giant cross. Even though it wasn't so surprising when I thought about it, it made a strong impact on the atmosphere. The sculpture, depicting children transforming into swans, represents the Irish folktale "The Children of Lir" in which the king's children are turned into swans by their jealous stepmother. After centuries as swans, the children were released from their form and became human once again. 

I looked the statue up on Wikipedia (an perfectly accurate source, don't ya know) and the article said that the statue is meant to represent the rebirth of Ireland after centuries under British tyranny. The Irish flag flying behind the sculpture was especially striking for me. I have a weird relationship with the Irish tri-color. Given my slightly brainwashed upbringing, every time I see an Irish flag flying at home I get a happy, connected feeling. So to see the flag here, waving against a beautiful blue sky, utterly took my breath away. I stayed in this spot to write for awhile but then I walked across the street (and then down a block and back again when I realized I was lost) to the museum. 

The museum itself covered writers in Ireland from the 16th to the 20th centuries, with artifacts belonging to some of them as well as many first editions (over which I of course drooled extensively). The exhibit was only two room, but there was a ton of information. So much so, that it took me over two hours to finish! Unfortunately I have the obnoxious need to read every single sign and info card posted, so as not to miss out, which accounts for the length.

When I left the museum the sun was starting to set, so I hit up McDonald's and headed to the boardwalk to watch the sunset over the Liffey. Jet-lag must have seriously addled my brains because I initially sat facing eastward, convinced that this direction was the one in which the sun set. Go figure. Realizing that the west had no view of the the sunset, I just headed back to the hostel. Once there I did some work on my computer and then hung out in the common room with a bunch of the other people watching a movie. My position in the common room was not just a matter of boredom, but rather intentional as I had heard a rumor of free mulled wine and I didn't want to miss out if I went back to my room. (Each evening the hostel has free events for the residents such as free beer night etc.) My hopes were not disappointed and later in the evening the staff offered us some free delicious sangria. :D

Saturday was my laziest day so far. After checking out of the hostel, and dragging my giant duffel half a mile to the Harding Hotel, I spent the day in my room pleasantly reading. I knew I should go out and enjoy my last day before orientation started, but the bed was too comfortable and the books (I finished one and started another; thank God for the Kindle app!!) were too good. I did go out once, to get a sandwich and some fruit at the nearby convenience store, but that was it. 

A painted electrical box I found on my walk

That evening I experienced what night life in Temple Bar is like without leaving the hotel. My room was right above two different pubs, and the music started as early as 6pm. First it was traditional Irish music, which I heartily sang along with to an empty room, and then around 10 I swear whichever bar it was turned into a combination 90s/Disco dance club. 

I could hear loud music coming from a couple blocks away too, so I knew where the night clubs were. I was fairly confused at one point when I realized that some REALLY loud music, which drowned out the Irish music from below, was coming from across the street. I was sure that across the street was a cathedral and therefore had no idea why a bunch of people that looked 18-20ish were gathering outside playing loud music. As it turned out, my geography was a little off and they were standing in the courtyard of an office building, it still didn't make sense. After about half an hour, they started to process down the street in front of my window, the leader carrying a huge boombox or speaker or something on her shoulder. I felt like I'd been shipped back to the nineties!

I guess overall I learned that Temple Bar can be a great place, but maybe not the best place to sleep. This was reinforced at 3 am when I heard people yelling at one another (drunkenly I presumed) a block away. Ironically though, once I finally went to sleep around 1 am, it was the best night of sleep I had in Dublin.