Giraffes and Wild Tea

Ireland has been quite the adventure so far. Monday Molly and I just hung out around UCD and went shopping for groceries. Tuesday, she had class until 3:00 so I just slept in and made some pasta for lunch. I had to sleep on her hard floor the first night and subsequently decided that I would sleep in the kitchen on her couches the next night, which was significantly more comfortable. Once she got back from class we went to the city and took a quick tour of the Jameson Whiskey factory.

Irish Whiskey

The Jameson factory was pretty cool, it's not working anymore but they still had some of the old machinery in there that they showed us, along with a couple of videos about how the distillery works. At the end of the tour we got to try a free whiskey drink, choosing from several different "mixes". In my opinion, the most interesting part of the tour was when they gave a list of different things that people around the world mix with Jameson (I suppose learning about the triple distillery process was mildly interesting too). Some examples are Jameson neat, Jameson on the rocks, Jameson and cranberry juice (Molly and I tried this one--shockingly good--also the Irish way to drink it), Jameson and Ginger Ale--I believe this is an English thing?), Jameson and lemonade, Jameson and apple juice, Jameson and Coke--America, and I believe they even may have mentioned a Jameson with sour milk from Japan. At the end of the tour about 8 volunteers were asked to "taste test" the difference between Jameson and a Scottish whiskey (twice distilled) and an American one (guess which one?--Jack Daniels--once distilled). Of course, every volunteer decreed that the Irish whiskey was the best. Molly said she volunteered last time she was there and she said the Jack tasted so terrible compared to the Jameson.

The City

After leaving the distillery, Molly and I walked around the city for a while. She showed me some shops (including a gigantic Forever 21 that was amazingly organized, especially compared to the one in MOA). The clothes were of a slightly different style as well. Then we went to Penny's which is a large department store here, but I couldn't find a watch anywhere. We continued to walk around the city and she showed me all of the busy shopping areas, including Graffton Street which is fairly high-end and for pedestrians only.

We then came back to her dorm to make some dinner. I tried to make cream of vegetable soup but her stove is very confusing and I accidentally turned the wrong burner on simmer (they do not coordinate!) so I ended up with mushy vegetables instead, which was still pretty good. After dinner, we went out on the town with some of Molly's roommates and friends. We went to a pub where we had a delicious Blackberry currant cider from Sweden. We tried to find some other pubs to go to but by that time almost all of them were closed! Apparently in Dublin most pubs close around 12:30 am so we didn't really have any luck. We did find one place but they needed to see I.D.s with birthdays on them and Molly's school I.D.s don't say the birthdate so we couldn't get in. We stopped to get some pizza and then came back. One of Molly's roommates is dating an Irish man so it was interesting to hear what he knew about the US (not too much about Minnesota) and to hear him speak--he says Ireland as Ayrlund and high as "hoigh".

Sleeping on the couch was much better and in the morning Molly and I got a late start to the day. However, once we were up and moving we got the "dart" train to Howth in the countryside. It was about a 45 min-1 hour train ride to the small coastal town. From there we started a fairly long walk up to the bluffs/cliffs where we hiked around for a bit. (I'll have to post some pictures once I upload them). It was quite pretty and it was nice to see the ocean. No one was about as it was pretty windy and a little chilly, not to mention in the middle of the day on a Wednesday, which was very nice. Just Molly, me, and the Irish bluffs.

We headed back to the city just in time for the rain where we got some crepes at a place called Lemon. I got a crepe with spinach, ham, bacon, cheese, and garlic mayo, it was quite good and rather filling. I got my requisite postcards and key chain and then we went back to the dorm. The bus ride was rather insane as everyone was packed in like sardines, but eventually we made it out the door. Every bus ride was about 2.15 euro, so I'm feeling slightly put out by that, but I guess that's the price you have to pay to make a trip worthwhile. Now we are just sitting (Molly doing homework and me, this blog) and drying out for a while.

Tomorrow I fly out of Dublin around noon and arrive in Paris around 6:00. Hopefully the flights go well and I can meet Jackie without any troubles.

Dublin has been a great sight to see. Irish folk are pretty friendly and I like to listen to them talk because of their lilting accents.

Safe Travels,

Sonja

I have finally arrived in Dublin with Molly. So far I have taken a good nap while she was in class and we have walked part of her campus to eat some lunch. Now I am waiting for her to come back from yet more classes (boo school!). Ireland is exciting and very un-American (shocker!) but first I'm going to vent a little bit about those trying places we like to call airports.

THE WATCH

The trip both started and ended well, but there were some minor hiccups in the middle. First, after getting out of security in the MSP airport and walking to my gate I discovered to my dismay that I had already managed to lose my brand new watch (which was really cool by the way--it was a navy blue wrist band and face from target). Of course airports these days neglect to put up any sort of clock within a short walking distance of, well anything, so throughout my trip I had to seek out other people, sneak glances at ipods or cell phones or walk ALL the way to the flight board to try and find the time. However, I was never late and boarded every plane just fine!

THE FLIGHTS

The first flight was uneventful, I slept some but otherwise just read the airplane magazines, which was actually much more exciting than you may think. I had the entire two-seat row to myself and spread out to try and soak up the good fortune of having space to spread my legs before my long flight. Once I arrived in Newark, seeing the New York skyline for the first time in person (what a wonderful sight! I can see why foreigners are inspired upon seeing New York--it seems to speak of unlimited opportunities and, of course freedom) I took a shuttle bus to Terminal C, where I spent the next 4 hours. We were an hour late arriving as we had a delayed take-off which was great because it managed to shorten my 5 hour layover to 4 hours. I spent some time looking for a replacement watch but all I could find were gaudy fake bejeweled watches for $16 or watches between $70-300, no thank you. I ate some lunch and began the book, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children on my new Kindle which is quite good. Finally we boarded the plane, a 757. I managed to get lucky twice and ended up with an open seat between me (in the aisle) and the man at the window. On the long flight I watched Horrible Bosses (quite funny) and Captain America as well as tried to sleep (no luck).

ARRIVING IN DUBLIN

Finally we touched down in Dublin a whole 1/2 hour early, not that it mattered because we couldn't park anywhere anyway. Customs and baggage claim were uneventful but when I got to the aircoach bus service that would take me to UCD (University College Dublin) they said I didn't have the correct ticket voucher. So I had to go back inside and find the internet booth, pay for internet, and print off the correct voucher. While I was waiting for the bus to come I tried to call Molly with the phone number she had given me with my Dad's London cell phone that I charged on the airplane but it kept saying that it had no network. So I asked an elderly Irish woman if I could borrow her phone but once I tried to dial the number it said that it was out of service. So I had to go without contacting Molly and waiting for about an hour on the bus ride before finally arriving at UCD and feeling quite relieved that she had waited the extra hour it took me to get there!

WHAT IS THIS?

Ireland has some cool buildings and small streets. I had forgotten that all of UK drives on the wrong side of the road so I was slightly confused when I realized we were on the left. Crossing the street is more perilous that way but I have Molly helping me out so it hasn't been a problem yet. They say the weather was a balmy 6 degrees Celsius, so slightly about 40 degrees F. It's quite warm and the sun is shining! The greatest difference I see here (other than the accents and architecture) is how very green it still is!! Molly says that this is dull but it is a nice reprieve from the brown landscapes we have at home at this time. Quite shocking really.

I hope I didn't rattle on too long, thanks for reading.
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Safe Travels.

Sonja