Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Irish Eyes are Smiling

So first day is officially in the books here in Dublin, and what a day it has been! It's about 11PM Dublin time and some of my fellow travelers are out exploring the pubs, but the jet lag hit me pretty hard so here I am illegally watching Netflix on my phone and recapping the day! But first, pictures! 

Shot of a pretty wicked thunderstorm we bypassed en route to Dublin


Christ Church Cathedral 

Outside of the Guinness Factory

Washington Monument! okay just kidding, but a similar memorial in the 
zoological gardens

Lots of interesting statues around Dublin

More zoological gardens 

Really neat pub just outside Temple Bar area

First pint here in Ireland; of course I had to go with a pale ale

So after my nap upon arrival, I had a highly questionable breakfast for my first meal in Dublin. You would think that yogurt and granola would be a safe choice, but you, my friends, would be mistaken. Whatever it was, was certainly not yogurt and had more of the taste and consistency of cream cheese. Quite unpleasant. This being said though, the thought of Irish food doesn't really scare me. Just don't tell me what it is, let ME eat it, and then fill me in :) After breakfast my other two hotel roommates arrived and we all took another well-deserved nap; like I said, this jet-lag is absolutely brutal. A little before 2PM Dublin time we walked down the street to Arcadia's Global Studies offices for our first official meet and greet with the other interns. There are only eight of us from Arcadia so we all got the chance to get to know each other. Then we decided to use our free tickets to take a Hop-on-Hop-off tour of Dublin by bus....double decker bus! They're all double deckers here which blows my mind. I feel like I'm living in a Harry Potter book. The weather was actually beautiful today so we chose to by-pass the indoor activities such as the Guinness Factory and Jameson Distillery so that we could wander around the zoological gardens, which houses the Dublin Zoo as well as the President's residence and the residence of the United States Ambassador. During this walk, one could easily think they were roaming down the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The large obelisk memorial resembles the Washington Monument and the Irish President lives in a giant white house! It was certainly unexpected. After roaming the city we decided to try and find a good pub to grab a pint and a bite to eat. We settled on Cassidy's on the south side of Dublin by the Heineken building. Only 10euro for a pint and a pizza? Can't be beat. I have to say this pub was one of the coolest places I've ever been and I wish I would have thought to take more pictures! Every surface was covered in writing: the tables, walls, bar, floor, bathrooms, everything! The whole place had a really cool vibes with low tables and couches and candlesticks made of beer bottles. In this moment, I finally started to feel at home in Dublin. It was great to just sit around, enjoying a great beer, with some really exceptional people. Everyone here has dreams as big as mine with enough courage to be here pursuing them! I can tell I'm going to like these people!

I ended the day by Facetiming some people from home even with the time difference. I'm very fortunate to get to talk to my family and friends as much as I have. Tomorrow, I move down to Rathmines and begin my adventures for real! 


Well its about 12AM Dublin time, so I should probably be getting to bed. Stay Safe USA. 

From Dublin with love. 

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