Baile Átha Cliath --The land of my father... literally.
Up the Dubs!
I was very excited to spend a weekend in Dublin, I was ready to go somewhere new for a few days. We were heading out on a Ryanair flight that departed Brussels at 6:50am...so we had to sleep in the airport...soooo college.
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| Our lap of luxury for the night! |
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It was my first time walking on the tarmac to get on the plane...
I was pretty excited as you can probably tell. |
When we got to Dublin, it was only about 8 am, so we figured we'd spend some quality time in the airport until some more time passed. We knew that most things wouldn't be up and running for another hour or two, so we figured we'd rest a bit before we continued on with the rest of our day.
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| #strugglecity |
So around 9:30 we decided to head into the city and explore. Fourteen of us traveled to Dublin, but myself, Shayne, Cait, and Tissy were parting ways because we were staying with my cousin Deirdre in Killdare. All of the other kids were heading to check into their hostel near the Ha' Penny Bridge on the river. Deirdre was working until 5pm, so we decided to hop on a sight-seeing bus and buy a 2-day pass to have a tour guide for the weekend.
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| Cait and I with the double decker! |
The bus was great because we were able to hop-on and hop-off as we pleased. We took full advantage of it and saw the great sights of Dublin. From Stephen's Green , St. Patrick's, Molly Malone's statue, the Guinness Storehouse and the Jameson Distillery, we definitely got our money's worth!
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| Shayne and I outside the Guinness Storehouse. |
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| Just harvesting some grain... |
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| Outside the Jameson Distillery |
In the evening Deirdre picked us up and brought the 4 of us back to her beautiful home. We ordered Chinese food and watched a movie...SO AMERICAN and I LOVED every second of it! The next day we hit up the Dundrum Shopping Centre for some retail therapy. It was so nice to do "normal," things, it was just what we needed because Ireland really began to feel more like a home to us. For dinner, we decided to cook for Dee because she was so hospitable.
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Taco night!
(As you may have noticed, tacos are our go-to dinner) |
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| THE BEST HOST EVER! Thanks Dee! |
On Sunday Deirdre was going to drive us to see some beautiful scenery. We drove through County Wicklow, to Glendalough and Killiney. The sights were breath-taking and all of us were just so appreciative of our time in Ireland. Everything was stunning and we were just thinking how lucky we were to be there.
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Co. Wicklow
Deirdre took us along the coast of Killiney. The houses there were magnificent and they had a view of the Irish Sea. The steep, winding roads reminded me of being in the Hollywood Hills in California. Who would of thought I would have felt like I was in Cali when I was actually in Ireland?! |
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| Outside Bono's house! |
I also failed to mention that Deirdre prepared us a delicious Irish breakfast each morning! She really is the BEST! We enjoyed sausages, bacon, eggs, toast, and tea of course!
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| What a way to start the day!!! |
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The Best Snacks Around:
Meanies
Don't let the packaging fool you! Last time I was in Ireland visiting my family, around 7 years ago, I was OBSESSED with these chips (or "crisps," as they are called here). Coming back this past year, I was a little hesitant to dive into my favorite snack from years ago because I realized they are 'pickled onion flavored.' I took the chance and bought a bag and found out that I was presently surprised, they were quite delicious! They taste similar to salt & vinegar chips with a twist. I was so impressed by the Meanies that I decided I had to mail my sister Ciara a bag. She is all the way back in Baltimore at JHU, but I knew she was someone who would reminisce about the good 'ole days of Meanies in Ireland.
Lucozade
Coming from someone who NEVER sips a Red Bull back in the states, I sometimes and surprised how much I enjoy a Lucozade now and again. It is a refreshing carbonated beverage that tastes so much better than soda in my opinion. It is sometimes hard to find back home, so it was quite exciting having it at my fingertips in every shop I went to!
Flake
My favorite Irish snack of all is the Flake. As you may have realized by now, I am a "chocolate girl," it is my weakness. I am usually drawn to dark chocolate, but in the case of Flakes, I always make an exception. The bar consists of layers of "flakey'" milk chocolate and it is to die for!
To take it one step further, a famous Irish treat is called a "99." I have heard about it for years from my dad who always spoke about getting a 99 from the ice cream shop when he was a kid. It is a vanilla cone with a with a flake in it. It gets its name because it used to be just 99 cents, but as you would probably expect...it no longer costs just 99 cents!
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| My first 99 on the shores of Killiney! |
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So after I stuffed my backpack to the brim with my favorite Irish snacks and said farewell to Dee, we headed back to Leuven! It was GREAT while it lasted, but back to reality!
Back to Leuven we go!
Lucozade
Flake
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