Top Ten Experiences in Ireland So Far

As it’s summer now, I took an unexpected break. To be fair it was refreshing not having to worry about a post a week, but I did miss the schedule of it all.

I’ve officially been here ten months, wohoo!

That means I have lived in Dublin longer than anywhere else in the past five years.

Here are my top 10 photos that I’ve taken in the past 10 months. I’ve selected a mixture of travel destinations and just pictures of great memories.

The Beginning

After nearly 8 years I finally returned to this gem of an Isle. This was the first picture I took of Ireland from the plane heading down to Dublin airport.

A Halloween Like No Other

Did you know that Halloween actually originated in Ireland? Neither did I until this past year.

Howth

This side of Dublin Bay has become one of my most frequented travel spots and I plan to go back to this place right outside of city centre. It's a quaint town that's right on the water, and, on the weekends, there is a great market there filled with delicious treats.

The Cliffs of Moher

This is seriously one of the most breath taking scenes I have ever visited. I'd love to go back out west and complete the entire cliff walk someday.

The Festive Season

With all of its small alleyways and narrow streets, Dublin was ripe with opportunities to decorate for the holidays. I loved just going out at night and walking aimlessly around.

Paddy's Day

No it's not St. Paddy's, or is it ever really called St. Patrick's Day. I spent my time watching the parade with my friend Steph from Australia- I hadn't seen her in nearly two years. A lovely member of the garda- policemen- took this photo of us and everyone around was buzzed with happiness.... and maybe a bit too much of alcohol, but who am I to talk.

The Giant's Causeway

I loved learning about the formation myth of this landmark, and I highly recommend going there and taking a tour of it. 

Pentatonix

After years of watching them come together as a group on The Sing Off and then all their youtube videos, I finally was able to see them live in Dublin. If you ever get a chance to see PTX live I would recommend going. They sounded amazing, if not better, live than on their records.

Dublin Zoo

Even though it's summertime and many of my friends have gone home, we were still able to plan a day trip to the zoo. Although I can't say it compared to the zoo in Dubbo, Australia or the Tarangire in Tanzania, I thoroughly enjoyed my day. I especially loved that the peacocks were allowed to roam freely all over the zoo grounds, plus good company always makes for an amazing day no matter what.

Home

After living here for 10 months I can confidently say that I am feeling Ireland is home. I really can;t describe what drew me here, but now that I am, I really do not want to leave. I've made some incredible friends here and I can only hope to make more and gain more fond memories.

xxKim

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Normally I would put a music recommendation here but I've been listening to such a variety that I can't choose.

-Olly Murs: just feel good music, especially his earlier material

-Fleetwood Mac: I was never a huge fan, but they have some great summer tunes

-DNCE: I can't stop listening to Cake by the Ocean

-The Beatles: summer becomes my time where I put on the White Album or 1 over and over again.

Easter Rising Centenary Event

I wish I elaborate on more amazing adventures, but honestly my life has been pretty mundane over the course of the past week. Not that mundane is bad in any way, shape, or form, but just in that I haven’t done much.

Between all the work that I was doing I managed to sneak out and join the Easter festivities in town. This year it was the 100^th Anniversary of the Easter Rising in Ireland so there was a three-day celebration honoring the events that happened a century past.

 At Trinity I was able to hear some live music from the Trinitones- the all male student society singers which gave me major yearning to be back at Wheaton College hearing the Gentlemen Callers again. And then I was lucky enough to hear the Trinity College Céilí Band playing some trad- traditional Irish music- before hearing the 1916 Proclamation read in both English and Irish.

Photo courtesy of The Irish Times

There’s still so much about Ireland that I have yet to discover. Not only is this the place I know live, but I have rich family history in this country so I really should open a book and to start to learn about my past.

Saturday night I went to a friends 22 Birthday and once again managed to stay up well into Easter Sunday. My sleep patterns are really suffering.

On Tuesday I went to Lisa’s to hang out and also get her old bike! So excited to be riding once again!

Other than that I was very ill on Thursday and Friday- symptoms including lightheadedness and a fever, yet somehow managed to get quite a bit of work done.

Here’s hoping that I’ll be able to get out more next week!

Xx kim

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Throwback time

Hootie & The Blowfish

Drowning

One Month In!?

The very idea that I’ve lived in Dublin for a month terrifies me. It literally seems like last week I arrived. If one month passes this quickly I really have to take in as many experiences as possible because a year could pass in the blink of an eye.

This last week has been full of new adventures, new experiences, and new people. On Saturday night I even met my twin! Well my Birthday twin, but still I’ve never met anyone born on the same day and year as me.

Against the Grain
Photo credit: mynameisola.com

My Birthday twin and I met up at the Autobahn Pub in Glasnevin, but soon decided we wanted to journey into City Centre. We ended up at Against the Grain on Wexford Street - I highly recommended it!- and remained there for the majority of the night. I have a feeling that this place is going to be a regular spot of mine. Against the Grain is mainly known for its craft beer, plus it has one of the largest selections on tap in the city.  I even convinced some of my friends that I met Wednesday night to come and join us. We all sat around and bonded through talk and jokes, but I honestly couldn’t have asked for a better Saturday night. I love pubs in Dublin because they really are like community living rooms. No one seems afraid to strike up a conversation even if they do not know you. This is strikingly different from the US where strangers do not approach one another- and sometimes if they do, you really wish they had just stayed put.

I had originally wanted to catch the late bus back to my flat at 11, but that did not happen. The more I go out, the more I realize I probably won’t ever just “catch the last bus.” Time flies when you’re having fun, what can I say? At least the taxi's here are reasonably priced- take note Boston!

I had planned to go to one of the free museums Dublin offers earlier Saturday, but I thought I should probably go during a weekday when it is less crowded. So, instead, I dragged my flat mate out Sunday to wander around town. No GPS! We just picked a direction and started walking. Dublin is not the largest city, but there are still so many streets I have yet to explore. I tend to avoid Temple Bar and O’Connel Street like the plague. There are so many people there it can be almost suffocating, but, to get the ‘full tourist experience,’ I know my feet will eventually lead me there.

I’m also learning how difficult it is to take photos here since the sky is almost always white- meaning atrocious lighting for skyline photography.

I feel like I wrote about a lot, yet have said very little…. Does that make sense? I’m still getting used to such shorthand writing and hope to improve in the future!

Here are some pictures I took during my time around the city. I soon hope to find the right setting to take better photos.

Slán!

A lovely little craft fair hidden in an ally.

 

Graffiti filled building just north of Temple Bar.

I love all the old architecture styles, so refreshing from a skyline dotted with towering buildings.

And we're walking...

…..

To Note: There are a bunch of statues hidden around the city and I’m thinking about doing a walking tour to visit all of them. My inner art geek comes out sometimes what can I say? I particularly like one entitled “meeting place” but is affectionately known as “hags with bags.”

Meeting Place

There and Back Again: Dublin Transportation

City Centre, looking at D'Olier St. and Westmoreland St.

I live about a 15-minute bus ride from my uni and about a 30-minute bus ride from Dublin City Centre. I love how all the buses are two levels, but I don't like the price to ride.

On my second day here I went into the main city and had to pay €2.80 each way, even with my student LEAP card I’m still charged €2.05. A great plus about having a student card is that it is capped at €5.00, meaning you cannot pay more than €5 a day no matter how many times you take the bus.

This brings me to my next subject…. bikes.

Everyone here seems to be active. If people are not riding the bus, then they’re walking, or riding a bike. Bikes are prolific wherever you go- I’m even thinking about investing in a secondhand one since my roommate bought one. It’s also not unusual to get your bike stolen in town so a good bike lock is a must!

One thing to note, if you ride a bike you will be expected to ride in the same lane as regular vehicles. Out where I live this idea doesn’t bother me much, but in city centre you have to be fearless. There are so many merging vehicles and huge buses to look out for, and helmets do not seem to be required here….

I love all the exercising now integrated in my day-to-day life, I just hope the weather continues to stay brilliant.

On another note, the fabric used to cover the bus seats here is the same as in Australia. A random observation yes, but I found it quite interesting. The longer I live here the more I see the similarities between here and Oz, and the more I miss it.

O'Connell Monument