Not Dead Yet!

Finally managed to find an internet terminal. So I'll try to update on the last couple days. Tuesday was very busy at work and I barely had time to do much other than work. Well, aside from taking the Intern out to a posh Thai place paid for by the firm. That was nice. After work, I had a drink with the Roving Alcoholic and the intern, after which the Roving Alcoholic and I met up with my cousins. We had a meal at Wagamama and then met up some school mates for some pints. That, of course, led to a club and a bit too much debauchery, but we went home relatively early.

Against all odds, I made it to the airport on time. I overslept by about an hour, so packing was a relentless drive to throw odd assortments of clothing and other goods into a bag. Barely making my bus, I was able to relax. Sadly, sleep was not forthcoming. I got into the Dublin airport in the early afternoon on Wednesday with little trouble. Navigating the bus to the City Centre was no trouble either. For €1.75, it sure beat the £6 rail-link service they were selling on the plane. What a rip off. The bus is easy, fast, and cheap. Unknowing tourists gobbled up those passes though.

After a brief walk, I made it to my hostel. It's in Temple Bar which is the trendy sort of area in town which basically means one thing: overpriced beer and tons of live Irish music. Walking up, I was a little shocked at what a garish tourist attraction the Gogarty's bar is (adjacent and part of my hostel). I have to remember to take a picture tonight when it's dark out. Nothing like green neon. Checking in was no trouble, although I did have to "rent" a towel for €3.50. I wonder what happens if I steal it.

I went out for a walk almost immediately. There was no one in the room (I'm sharing an 6 person room) and I was eager to get a lay of the land. First, however, I needed to eat. It was almost 3 and I was famished. Very close to my hostel was a Shawarma place that advertised itself with the statement "World's Best Shawarma". Bold indeed. I decided to investigate and I found out two things: it was cheap and the waitress was incredibly hot. Needless to say, I sat for a meal. It was not, I would say, the world's best shawarma. But it was sufficiently tasty that I went back for a second meal the next day. I mean, it was only €7 for a whole plate of food and a coke. Hard to beat, especially in an overpriced haven like Dublin.

The next task: get lost and find my way back. There's nothing like walking the streets of a foreign city with no map, no clue and only your internal compass to guide you. I found it quite easy to get turned around in the warren of side streets, but I never truly got lost. It's just not that big of a city. Finally, I decided it was time to have a quaff of the local brew. Since my hostel is so powerfully garish and well equipped with live music, I clearly had no choice but to immediately park it at the bar. Not wanting to drink Guinness, I ordered a KilKenney, which for all those Southpark fans, is self-evidently funny.

It didn't take long before I started chatting with some Irish guys. One of them was a total weirdo, but was nice enough. Just a little lonely I think. We had a few pints there and then eventually headed out in search of some better Irish music. We never found any, but we did find some more pints. I called it a night around 11 or so but then realized how futile that is. See, attempting to sleep in my hostel prior to 2:30 am is essentially a non-starter. The pub below and next door both have outdoor patios and they are directly beneath my window. It makes for a long night.

Thursday was a blur. I started out at the Dublin Castle, then: Christ Church, Dublinia, the Guinness Factory, and finally the Kilmainham Gaol (Jail). In all, I probably walked 5 miles, partially because I went the wrong way, and partially because the Jail is really far from the City Centre. The highlight of the day was the Jail, but sadly, my camera batteries died just before I got there and I have no pictures to show for it. Still, it's a great place to visit and it only cost €2 with my student ID.

The Guinness Factory was alright, but it's basically high level marketing. It's interesting for a time, but after awhile, you sort of lose interest. Of course, it helps that there's a pub at the top and they give you a pint as part of your entry fee, at least, that is, until you remember that Guinness is little more than fetid swill water delicately infused with fresh scrapings of ass. The view at the top of the factory made it worth it, though.

On the way to the Jail, I met some Aussie who's been traveling alone for 6 months. We got to chatting (he was headed to the Jail as well) and he ended up inviting me to go on a pub crawl with some people he met. It was alright, I suppose. One thing I will say about traveling alone, you have too many of the same conversations. These are the stock questions:

"Where are you from?"
"How long have you been (in Dublin)?"
"How long have you been traveling?"

Et. al. Maybe I just didn't like those folks that much, I don't know. But it was tiresome after a bit. Plus the Canadian guy was just a little too proudful of the fact that he was Canadian and that grated on me after a bit. We did meet some crazy French dude, but I'll save that story until I can actually post the pic I took.

Today I've been all over. But I'm going to save those details until I get back to London (tomorrow). This is costing me euros as I type! In fact, I wouldn't have logged on at all except that my mission tonight is to find this pub I saw on the way into town called "Fado". That will ring a bell instantly for some of you, but for those of you who are unfamiliar, I've gone to two Fado's in the US and loved them. This one looked like it had the same logo. At any rate, I'm about spent and this seemed like a good way to finish off the trip.