Chapter First: Dublin

Thursday November 12

Ok- So all I have to say is it rains in Ireland, a LOT. The first day we just spent walking around Dublin and got completely soaked in the process. We were staying with Trigg's friend Kyle who is also a Notre Dame student studying abroad in Dublin. He played tour guide for us, showing us the main sights of the city and explaining quite a bit of the history. I especially enjoyed visiting the beautiful Trinity college- if it had had more grass it might even have been as pretty as Notre Dame :-o And it's definitely true that there is a pub everywhere you look in Ireland- nearly every other buliding even- and each one seemed to have it's own unique charm.

Afters several hours of sightseeing- which included many rides on the famous double decker buses which comprise the main system of public transportation- we ended up at Phoenix park. It had stopped raining for a few precious moments and we were able to get life-threateningly close to some swans- I kid you not, and we goofed around on a really huge monument in part of the park. We had no luck finding 4-leaf clovers and when the rain inevitable returned we decided to call it a day and head home.

On the way we stopped at a pub for dinner where we were served- no joke- 7 different types of potatoes on one plate to go along with a healty portion of meat. I had my first sip of Guinness, and predictably, it tasted almost as gross as all other beer...I don't think I'll ever be converted. So there you go- first day in Ireland was pretty low key. We did enjoy once again being in an English speaking country and discovered several delightful Irish colloquialisms including saying "cheers" as sort of a thanks/goodbye - but more than anything we just got wet.