Oh, Ireland

My first night in Dublin was a total nightmare. Raph and I were instructed by our Airbnb host to get on a shuttle bus and take it until we reached a local pub, where we could then get a taxi to the house. Plot twist #1...it was a motorcycle bar and there were no taxis. Luckily enough, one of the three (very incredibly handsome) bartenders offered to give us a ride to the house. Thank god I still believe that people are naturally good at heart, cause in reality it was a pretty sketchy situation. When we arrived, we met our host. He was nice, but too friendly...neither of us trusted it. He then showed us to where we would be staying. Plot twist #2: we weren't staying in the house like pictured online, but his barn out back. The beds were wet, there was mold along the walls and a giant spider web hanging above my bed. We immediately canceled the remainder of our stay and got out of there first thing in the morning. Other than a horrible start, it ended up being an amazing trip.

After settling into our new Airbnb downtown (and taking a hot shower to rid ourselves of the barn smell), we decided to check out the city centre. On our way there, I noticed that literally every corner had a pub; I immediately knew I was going to like the city. Once we reached our destination, we noticed a large crowd that had amassed to our left. We decided to join the group and soon found ourselves looking upon on of the most prestigious institutes in the world: Trinity College. While we decided to pass on looking at The Book of Kells Library, the remainder of the campus left me breathless. While exploring, we entered an area (unintentionally) for students only. Doing so resulted in Raph and I getting locked in a tiny alley for about 20 minutes before a student walked by and let us out.

We then continued through the city centre and came across Grafton Street, which is the principle shopping street in Dublin. If you're an Ed Sheeran fan (which let's face it...we all secretly are), you might have heard him mention Grafton Street in his song Galway Girl. It's a really touristy street, but at least I was able to buy all my souvenirs at once!

As Grafton Street ends, St. Stephen's Green begins. It's no Central Park, but it was nice to get away from the city and enough some nature and fresh air. By this point, it was beginning to rain as we walked along the many ponds, coated with a layer of ducks, swans, and birds. It was here that I learned that Raph had a really twisted fantasy; she wanted to intentionally hit one of birds with her umbrella. This lust for injuring small-winged animals continued into our trip to Barcelona...but that's another story.

After a long day of touring the city's main spots, we decided to grab some dinner in the Temple Bar District. On our way over, we made a quick pitstop to check out Dublin Castle. While it wasn't nearly as captivatingly dramatic as Edinburgh Castle, it was still a beautiful work of architecture and again reminded me that I need to find myself a nice prince to marry. The winds were starting to pick up and a light rain began to fall, so we cut our excursion short and continued onto Porterhouse Pub.

We were well aware that the Temple Bar District was pricer than others but we decided to check it out, regardless. While most of the city is really modern and could be mistaken for Columbus or Cleveland, this specific district is "quintessential Dublin"; the cobblestone roads lined with dozens of old fashion pubs with live music 7 days a week...proudly serving Guinness. Raph and I split a plate of nachos and sipped on three beers while we enjoyed a local band performing for a few hours.

After our beer sampler, we continued over to The Temple Bar for one last pint before bed. During our time there, I was approached by two guys from London and we began to talk. After telling them we're from "Ohio...over in the States", they introduced us to two girls that they had met earlier. Any guesses on where they were from? O-H-I-O...Ohio State University! It was the first time I truly understood the saying "what a small world". Long story short, we ended up bar hopping all night with our two new English friends. We danced, drank, and enjoyed each other's company. Additionally, it just so happens that this particular night contained what I consider to be the single greatest moment of my life.

There was a single man playing guitar; he began to sing "Castle on the Hill" by Ed Sheeren. I witnessed a whimsical ambiance overtake the bar as everyone began to sing along. Soon, I found myself engaged in a traditional stepdance with the Irish woman next to me and the two English men. While doing so, I studied the atmosphere around me: strangers sharing a laugh; friends buying rounds without a worry of cost, and lovers intertwined. I never wanted that song to end. I'm not capable of explaining to you guys why this moment had such an affect on me besides saying that it took me to a place where nothing else has. It was a small, nameless moment...yet it left an impact on me that is too big to fathom. I simply existed in that moment with people from every single corner of the world, and none of us cared what nationality the other was. Alright, no more emotionally deep thoughts.

The next morning we awoke to Hurricane Ophelia in full blast over the city. I'm aware that Ireland does not usually get tropical storms, but I felt that the country was being a little overdramatic. Most pubs and grocery stores were closed for the day though the storm was nothing more than a strong wind. I had planned on taking a day trip to the Cliffs of Moher, but instead I laid in bed and ate the last of my shortbread from Scotland. Around 5, we were too famished and bored to stay cooped up in the apartment, so we ventured out to get some dinner and, of course, a beer. We ended up attending a college bar that was a club/pub hybrid. With no plans for the night and a full day of rest behind us, we befriended a group of Irish students and drank the night away. My love for the Irish and their pubs continued to grow from the night before. At one point, a girl bought me a pint just because I told her she had some toilet paper on her shoes and a guy bought me one because he's studying abroad at Michigan State next year...like, pure sweetness from these people.

I took a walk around the city the next morning and picked up some coffee while Raph slept off her hangover. I wasn't sure where I was walking, but each street was beautiful and full of people just starting their day. I stopped by a river and sat for a while, soaking in the blessings that had been bestowed on me throughout this journey. I remembered this quote by Freya Stark that says, "to awaken quite alone in a strange town is one of the most pleasant sensations in the world," and boy did that hit me like a train and I loved every second of that. I'd like to go back to that spot.

We drank our coffee and then caught a bus to take us over to the other side of Ireland, to Galway. Once we arrived, we only had a few hours to check out the city...which was not nearly enough time, but we made do. We walked through Eyre Square and ventured along Quay Street, soaking in the rich culture and savory smells of local restaurants. Stopping for a quick bit, we decided to spend the remainder of our time down by the water. We sat and soaked up the sunshine that we so dearly miss (shoutout to Denmark). We got to see The Spanish Arch, which while a little underwhelming, was still nice to walk under.

Once we arrived home from Galway, Raph and I walked over to the famous Whelan's Pub and had a pint. There, we established that we would not leave Ireland without being serenaded to the song Galway Girl (NOT Ed Sheeren's version...but the good one by Steve Earle). Off we ran to The Temple Bar District and into multiple bars...no such luck on finding a willing singer. But alas, my friends, we walked into The Oliver St. John Gogarty and found our man. I grabbed a pint while Raph held our spot in front of the stage. He began to sing and I felt completely like Hilary Swank...I didn't care how much of a groupie I looked like. Drunk and happy with what we accomplished, we walked home and went to bed.

Our flight to Barcelona was scheduled to take off late afternoon. Before we left for the airport, though, we booked a tour of the Guinness Storehouse--talk about a nice breakfast! All I'm going to say is if you ever find yourself in Dublin, check the place out. I was served the freshest glass of beer...I have dreams about it, really.

Overall, I really enjoyed my trip to Ireland. It was a little more expensive than I thought, and the city itself much more modern. If I ever get the chance to go back, I'd love to check out Northern Ireland, the Cliffs of Moher, and Wicklow County. I really only got to see the urban areas, but I've been told countlessly that the true beauty is found in the countryside.