Dublin, Ireland

Ireland, Day 1 (Saturday, 5 October)

We arrived in Ireland around 8 am and got through customs much quicker than we had at Heathrow when we first arrived in the UK. Unsure of how to get to our hostel, we took a rather expensive cab. At least we got where we needed to go.

We arrived at our Hostel, Spire Hostel, around 9 am, with check in being at 2 pm. This proved a disappointment as we were all exhausted and hoping to rest. But, after we put our bags in the luggage room, we headed down to the city centre. 

There, we looked around at shops and wandered along the sidewalks, beyond tired. When 2 pm finally came around, we headed back to the Spire and checked in.

For our first time staying in a hostel, the Spire Hostel was quite nice. We were in a female dorm with 4 bunk-beds. The beds were comfy enough that we each fell asleep and didn't wake up until 7 pm.

With our sleep schedule thrown off, we headed down to the Temple Bar Area for dinner. I really enjoyed the vibrant night life that the area offered. While I don't enjoy drinking, it was nice to see the street performers, families, and travelers enjoying the food and drink available along the festively lit street. This was a nice change from Canterbury's High St, where the shops close at 5:30 pm...

We got dinner at a nice restaurant, sharing dishes to save money. Gotta love poor, traveling student life. After dinner, we returned to the hostel and relaxed until we went to sleep again.

Ireland, Day 2 (Sunday, 6 October)

We started our day off beautifully by locating a restaurant recommended by Katie's aunt. The restaurant?  The Queen of Tarts. If you're ever in Dublin, your trip will not be complete unless you go there. It was so delicious. I ordered a cream tea, which consisted of a fresh blueberry scone with raspberry preserve, a fresh squeezed glass of orange juice, and a pot of chai tea. So good. So so good. And the restaurant/cafe is adorable as well. Great atmosphere. If I lived in Dublin I would go there at least once a week.

Delicious and pretty

After reluctantly leaving The Queen of Tarts (we decided we'd go again the next morning), we went into shops around the Temple Bar area and took random photos along the way.

I don't even know who this guy is supposed to be...

...but we had to get some cheesy tourist photos.

Continuing to wander, we decided to visit Trinity College. On our way, however, we passed by the National Wax Museum and decided to check it out.

This was the first wax museum I'd ever been to, and it was pretty neat. Even though I didn't know who half of the figures were, as they were Irish figures. Also, it was the first chamber of horrors I'd been in. Katie, Mariel and I all ran out screaming when the Ed Gein character turned towards us. Katie didn't go back in, I didn't stick around too long, but Mariel got lots of gory photos. What a nut. ;)

Mariel's new pal

Cadet Kat

I should've made a creepier face. I could've done so much better.

We eventually made our way to Trinity College, which was beautiful. We were going to go see the Book of Kells, but the line was long and we weren't feeling the admission fee. It was really very touristy.

Going along with the trend of SO MUCH WALKING, we headed to the Archaeology Museum of Ireland. We wandered around there for an hour or so.

The entrance had all the zodiac signs, but I'm Aquarius, so...

As it was nearby, we went to the Natural Museum of Ireland afterwards. As soon as we stepped inside, however, we understood why it has the nickname "Dead Zoo". Ultimately, it was a taxidermist's dream. I have never seen so many stuffed animals in one room in my life. It wasn't very enjoyable.

With sore feet, two miles away from our hostel, we started our trek back. When we finally got back to the Spire, we decided to make dinner in the kitchen to save money. Katie and I picked up the groceries and together we made a delicious little meal of tortellini, garlic bread, and apple mango juice.

Ireland, Day 3 (Monday, 7 October)

After checking out of the Spire Hostel, we journeyed to The Queen of Tarts for round two. I ordered a cream tea again, but this time with a raspberry scone. Delicious, yet again. I also bought an adorable mug as a souvenir (I also happen to have something of a mug collection back home). 

For the rest of the day we shopped for souvenirs/gifts for family and friends back home. I got my maternal grandmother, who is part Irish, the most things. (She's really easy and fun to shop for.) 

Tired of carrying our heavy backpacks around and sore from the endless walking the day before, we decided to head to the airport early. Once there, we all agreed that McDonald's had never sounded like a better idea for lunch. How American... It was good though. ;)

We spent the next few hours writing postcards until we could go through security. It was after this that we discovered how massive Dublin Airport is. The place might as well be a mall! However, even the numerous stores didn't make the hours before our flight go by any faster.

After finally boarding the plane and returning to Stansted Airport, we ran into a big problem. It was around 11:30 pm when we arrived, so the train to Canterbury wouldn't be running until 6 am. We had been told that a taxi from Stansted to Canterbury would be around £60, and not wanting to spend even more time in Stansted, we figured that would be the best option. The taxi was not £60. It was £170. Ouch. Needless to say, we were all shocked by the price, but paid it anyway as we wanted to get home ASAP. At least we learned something...at a cost that would've been nice to avoid...

It was too bad that our trip had to end that way, but our taxi driver was nice and we arrived home to Canterbury by 1:30 am. I was able to Skype my mom and my boyfriend to lift my spirits before crashing after a hectic weekend.

I have to admit that I wasn't a huge fan of Dublin, save The Queen of Tarts. The next time I go to Ireland, I'd much rather see more of the countryside. Dublin was too much like London, and I wish I had known that beforehand. Another lesson learned. 

Thanks for reading!