☘ Caitlin in Dublin ☘

Hiya! My name is Caitlin. I'm a 24-year-old American girl going to music school in Dublin. Thanks for following my latest adventure~ ☘

[caitlinindublin]

I’m not sure why, but I’ve always loved this wall on the walk to the post office in Dublin 8. It belongs to a plant nursery, which I’ve always been curious about checking out, but have yet to. It just always makes these cloudy, dreary Irish days a bit brighter. :) 

[caitlinindublin]

GUYS THIS IS NOT A DRILL: Matcha lattés are finally at Starbucks in Ireland! 

I was having an absolutely awful day on Friday. Apparently the Immigration Bureau decided in mid-September that they are no longer allowing people to walk in and take a number and wait to renew their visa--you’re required to book an appointment online, and if you walk in without one, they won’t see you. My visa expires on Halloween, so with a little over 3 weeks, I decided that I would have plenty of time to get around to the Bureau and renew. Right?  Nope, 100% wrong. According to the website, the next appointment isn’t available until November 21st, which is over a month away. Excuse me?! >_< I tried calling various numbers and have sent emails to a few different people asking for help, but I’ve only received automatic email replies and the phone lines all say that, “because they are dealing with a large amount of people requiring assistance, help lines have been suspended for the foreseeable future.” So you’re telling me that, since MORE people need help, the only logical thing to do is provide LESS help? Yeah. Makes sense. I’m not sure what will happen if I can’t get an appointment by the end of this month; perhaps I’ll get kicked out of Ireland. ;o  

Anyway, one bright side of the day was walking into Starbucks and seeing that they’ve finally caught up to the rest of the world (at least, the States and Japan where I’ve had this drink) and are offering matcha lattés. Irish folk, if you get a chance, try it out!! It’s even green, so you should love it~ ;D 

[caitlinindublin]

Back in college, I had a short 9-month stint as a vegetarian, as many of us do. Unfortunately, that lifestyle was unsustainable for me because I grew so weak and malnourished--also because bacon exists, obviously. But if I had a live-in Cornucopia chef to make all of my meals for me, I would easily and happily go back to my vegetarian ways!! I went to this quaint little restaurant on Wicklow Street for the first time today because my co-workers kept raving about it. I can't believe it took me an entire year to go! Basically, you order your main course and 2 salads at the counter and then take a seat. The place has a very cosy "hippie" vibe with pleasing wallpaper and live harp music(?!) three days a week. Sadly today was not one of those days! They even have matcha lattés, which I've been craving ever since leaving Japan and the States (the Starbucks here in Ireland doesn't serve them). My boyfriend is basically a carnivore and says he isn't interested, but I'll definitely be back by myself someday soon! Check this place out if you're looking for a fresh salad in the city center. ;D

[caitlinindublin]

Working at a delicious café definitely has its perks 😍😍

[caitlinindublin]

The Witcher 3 ~ 'Lullaby of Woe' ~ Cover

Hiya guys! Since I got a few requests for this song, I decided to finally make a cover for it! Sorry for the wait. Let me know what you want to hear next. Th...

This isn’t related to Ireland, but I made a cover of a song from The Witcher 3! If you’re a fan of the game, check it out? ^__^

[caitlinindublin]

I know I haven’t posted in a while--it’s because I haven’t really done much worth posting about! I’ve been working full-time at Queen of Tarts this summer, and haven’t done much on my days off. Though, I will be visiting Italy in September, so I’m really looking forward to that! :D I’ve also been playing a ton of Pokémon Go, like many of you probably are (Team Instinct ftw!!). I even made my avatar’s hat in real life to wear around as I catch Pokémon--it’s been surprisingly sunny here in Dublin, so it’s come in handy! c: Hope you’re having an amazing summer. <3 

[caitlinindublin]

Today is Pride Weekend here in Dublin, and it's been so great to see all of the rainbow flags in nearly every storefront in the city center! Colorful flags are also flying along the River Liffey, and even though I was working during the parade today, it was cool to see all the customers come in dressed in their pride gear. At my workplace, Queen of Tarts, we've been selling these adorable rainbow cupcakes (which I was so tempted to buy with my employee discount despite my insistence on trying to be healthier :p). We actually had to close an hour early today because it was so crowded and the streets were too rowdy..?? Anyway, I hope you all have a wonderful Pride Weekend! :D

[caitlinindublin]

I've been craving American foods lately, so I decided to check out this place in Temple Bar called Candy Lab, which sells American candy. I'd seen it before, but assumed they only sold candy and I'm not a huge candy fan. But I heard rumors that they also sold other things like Kraft mac n cheese, so naturally I had to go look for myself. 

Sadly, when I arrived, the cashier said that they had sold out of Kraft but would restock more on Friday (of course I'll be back Friday! ;3). I couldn't leave empty-handed, however, and settled on some acceptable Cheetos and AriZona raspberry iced tea--suitable American snacks (fun fact: AZ iced tea is from New York and has nothing to do with Arizona! 😱). Anyway, this story is "to be continued", and hopefully I'll be able to report back with some Kraft soon~ ;D

[caitlinindublin]

Springtime at St. Stephen's Green! So far I've taken photo sets of the park in fall and winter, so I thought now was the best time to capture it for springtime. There are definitely a lot more people out and about because of the nice weather lately, and I love all of the flower they've planted around the park. Such a nice touch. :3

[caitlinindublin]

How pretty is this purple flowering tree?? No filter necessary! There are a few of them around the perimeter of Stephen's Green right now--catch them while you can! I love spring :3 And if anyone knows the name of this plant, let me know~

[caitlinindublin]

A little while ago, Conor and I went to "Experience Japan" at an estate near Phoenix Park called Farmleigh. It was absolutely beautiful this time of year, with yellow and white flowers dotting the landscape, a pond, horses and cows, and a gorgeous mansion. I had no idea such a place existed right next to Phoenix Park. It was really great to experience a small taste of Japanese culture again--I've been missing Japan a lot lately, so it was definitely needed. I got ramen while Conor opted for yakisoba, a more traditional festival food in Japan, which we ate on the grass while watching kimono-clad people walk around and mingle. There were bonsai trees, children singing Japanese songs, taiko drum performances, dancers, and more. I wish we could have stayed longer, but I had to work that afternoon, so it was just a short-but-sweet visit.

[caitlinindublin]

Yesterday was honestly the most beautiful day I've experienced in Dublin. Sad I had to work during it!! It's been a bit warmer thankfully; hopefully it keeps up. I'm loving all the flowering trees around the city--they remind me of my days in Japan. :) Enjoy this great spring weather, everyone! 🌸🌼

[caitlinindublin]

IT'S SNOWING.

In Dublin. In April. What is this madness?! ❄️❄️❄️

[caitlinindublin]

Last September (the same month I arrived!), a Ladurée shop with a tea room opened in Dublin! I had never heard of the famous French macaron café before coming here, but after walking by the adorable exterior a few times, I couldn't resist the curiosity. Since my mom is here for a little bit, I thought it was the perfect time to finally check it out! We decided to do the afternoon tea for two (€45), which included 6 macarons, 2 fruit cakes, 2 lemon cakes, 2 madeleines, 3 finger sandwiches, tea for mom, and hot chocolate for myself. To my pleasant surprise, the hot chocolate was the richest I've ever had! Absolutely delicious. My mom also ordered us some champagne, which is not included in the price. We decided not to choose our macaron flavors and just go with a variety of our server's choosing. We ended up with raspberry, caramel, chocolate, vanilla, rose petal, and the new "Marie Antoinette", a pretty mint-colored macaron with a spiced fruit filling. My favorites were the raspberry and caramel, though my mom was partial to the vanilla. We were both a bit on the fence about the rose petal, but if you like flower flavors, then go for it! Of course, you can simply walk in to the counter and order some macarons to go, but I would definitely recommend sitting down in the tea room!! The atmosphere is wonderful--there's nothing better than sipping tea, nibbling macarons, and watching the Irish rain from a cozy chair. ☕️💕

[caitlinindublin]

I guess there is plus side to all the Irish rain... 🌈

[caitlinindublin]

Yesterday, my dad and I visited Kilmainham Gaol, a famous former prison-turned-museum in Dublin that opened in 1796. Despite arriving right at the opening time of 9:30, we had to wait in an enormous line outside for an hour and fifteen minutes before getting in for a guided tour. The prison is an incredibly popular tourist destination right now because of the 100-year anniversary of the Easter Uprising in 1916. This centennial has been a big deal for Ireland since the year began, and I’m really excited for what will happen on Easter.

It was chilling to see the exact spot where the leaders of the Uprising were executed in the courtyard of the prison. The tour revealed a lot of history about the rebels that I didn’t know before, and the museum had many items and letters that belonged to prisoners of the time. If you’re a fan of history and can get into the museum anytime soon, I would highly recommend it! With a student card, it’s only 2 euro (if not, it’s 4 euro).

[caitlinindublin]

After driving through the Wicklow mountains, we found ourselves in Kilkenny, “Ireland’s Tidiest City”. Kilkenny is also known for being a medieval city, and the only city in Ireland to have had witch trials! According to my map, Dame Alice Kyteler was the first person accused of witchcraft in Ireland (for “poison and sorcery against her 4 husbands, from which she amassed vast wealth”). She fled the country before her trial (using the connections of her powerful friends), but unfortunately her servant was flogged and burned to death at the stake on in 1324. I was delighted to see many references to witchcraft around the city (as you can see from the pictures, black cat references and “Kyteler’s Inn”).

Kilkenny is also known for being hugely into the sport of hurling, which I was not very familiar with before coming to Ireland. A hurling match was on at the pub where my dad and I ate, and there were kids all over town carrying hurleys (sticks used to play hurling). After eating, we went up to Black Abbey, where we saw the most gorgeous stained-glass windows I’ve ever seen. The Kilkenny Castle was beautiful from the outside, but we didn’t actually take the tour--perhaps next time!