Dublin 2.0

Because once wasn't enough.

[dublintaketwo]

Well, as I said before I knew I’d be posting this blog in the USA, but I’m finally excited to recap my eurotrip 2k17 with my roommate Maddy!! It feels weird to blog now that I’ve been back home now for about 10 days, but I guess I can pretend I’m still gallivanting around Europe with little to no worries :)

After I finished up work at the bank, Maddy and I set off on our adventures. First stop was Prague, then Salzburg, and our final stop was Munich for Oktoberfest!

Prague~

Prague was absolutely lovely the second time around. I had gone while studying abroad, and I always said I would love to come back because it truly is like a fairytale. We did a lot of walking around to see the amazing views of the city, the stunning castle, the Charles Bridge, and the famous John Lennon Wall. I remember it was a little chilly and rainy at times, but other than that, we had a great hostel location and met some really nice people on this trip. Besides the fact that the currency was so bizarre to us, (100 Czech krona was equal to about 4 euro), we managed to find some great places to eat with pretty cheap deals (Maddy had a handy convertor app on her phone for us to quickly check)!

Salzburg~

Okay, Salzburg takes the cake I have to just say that to start. It was most definitely my favorite stop. And, conveniently it was where we spent my 24th birthday! Wow, what a day. It was 70 degrees and sunny, what more could I ask for? Maddy and I started the day with a nice meal and ICED coffee (not as common in Europe as it is in the USA…thankfully I’m back in Dunkin territory now!) After we filled our bellies, we started the trek up to Hohensalzburg Fortress. It was quite a steep hike, but the views did absolutely not disappoint one bit. The views of the city and the alps from all around the castle were unreal. I couldn’t get over it. After hiking back down the hill, we spent the rest of the day exploring the city, which is home to Mozart’s birthplace. They also had some lovely gardens and some ideal people-watching spots along the river. We finished up the day with a traditional Austrian meal before calling it a day. 10/10 birthday for sure!

Munich~

Finally, we headed to Munich for the infamous Oktoberfest! Again, I had been to Munich before when I studied abroad, ironically at the time of Springfest (a smaller version of Oktoberfest). This one was a much bigger thing. It was so packed and a much larger deal than Maddy and I had anticipated. Honestly it was like a massive carnival with huge beer tents everywhere. We actually camped out in tents for the 3 nights we were there as part of a travel company. It was definitely an experience…but I don’t think I would do it again. Let’s just say Maddy and I were more than ready to get out of that campsite on our last day. But overall Oktoberfest was a blast - we met some awesome people and went on some fun rides, too! Prost (German for cheers) to an unforgettable time!

Once we returned from our trip, we had a little over a week to enjoy ourselves in Ireland, relax, and get all of our things packed up and ready to go! We did have one more exciting event  to look forward to, though. Maddy, Kieran, and I had bought tickets a while back for a Third Eye Blind concert in Dublin, which was so amazing. Tickets only cost 25 euro and were so close to the stage we couldn’t believe it! Maddy and I were in our 90s music glory days and Kieran was very much enjoying it as well!!

I also went down to Waterford for a few days to see Kieran’s fam one last time before I headed home. Definitely going to miss going down there, especially down in Tramore and being a five minute walk from the beach, but I’ll be back I’m sure!!

So, my year abroad has come and gone and I can’t really believe it. I’m finally adjusting back to the Eastern time zone, using the dollar, driving again, and all of the other little parts of American culture. It’s a very bittersweet feeling after being over there for a while having settled into a routine and all. I am so grateful I was given this opportunity - as much as it had its ups and downs - I wouldn’t trade it for anything!

Thank you to all for following my adventures, I really hope you enjoyed it even if I was sub par at keeping it updated on a regular basis!

On to the next chapter now!!

Slainte to that!

-VS

[dublintaketwo]

A little late to the post (you know how it goes) but Portugal was an absolutely amazing little extended weekend getaway!! We stayed in a city called Albufeira, a pretty touristy spot located in the Algarve region of Portugal, which is located on the southern tip of the country.

The view from the hotel was unreal, overlooking the city, the beach, and the ocean. Honestly, I could never get tired of it. We had a nice rooftop pool where we spent most of our mornings before heading to the beach in the afternoon. I got a nice little tan going on but unfortunately it only lasted a few days once I got back to Ireland, no surprise there!

On one of the days, Kieran and I decided to go out on an inflatable obstacle course in the middle of the ocean, kind of like a Wibbit. It was loads of fun, but man it took a lot out of us. I really enjoyed doing something different though so I’m glad we did! We had some amazing meals, usually accompanied with a pitcher of sangria because it was so delicious there we couldn’t help the temptations. Plus, when you’re on holiday, why not? 😋

We also went out into town on a few of the nights, which was pretty fun because it had a fairly busy nightlife. It was an amazing few days away, of course it would have been nice to extend it by a couple extra days, but I’m grateful we could squeeze it in!

In other news, I have finished up working at the bank, turned another year older (and wiser😜), and have done a little traveling around Europe with Maddy! I’ll have to post about those travels soon, but it will most likely be once I’m back in the US of A since I go home in…5 days…wow, many mixed feelings about it I’ll have to say! See you all on the other side soon!! Xo

[dublintaketwo]

August Adventures!

Well, it’s already halfway through September - the weather here is getting colder, and the long summer nights where it stayed light until 10:30 pm are sadly no longer.

August was another great month that flew right on by. The weekend after we went to Scotland, Maddy, Kieran and I headed down to Waterford and had a lovely time per usual. Kiers and I decided to go for a swim in the sea in Tramore just for the craic, although it was much colder than the time we took a plunge back in July. I figured it’d be our last opportunity though, which it definitely was, as summer is definitely very much over on this little island. After that, we took a ride to Dunmore East with Kieran’s dad as Maddy had never seen it before and we took a nice walk along the harbor before getting a few pints. Later that evening, we met up with Kieran’s friend Adam and headed to Murph's  - the band was great that night :) Overall a really fun time!

The following weekend, Kieran and I went to the cinema and for some dinner and drinks in town on the Saturday. Then, on the Sunday, we went to the Dublin Zoo. Unfortunately it was raining the entire time we were there, but we didn’t let that ruin our day. Our favorite part was definitely the snow leopard - such a beautiful animal!

The next weekend, I convinced Kieran to go kayaking with me on the River Liffey, which was a really cool and different experience, especially seeing the city centre from a whole new angle. I will admit I was quite sore after - it was quite the workout, I think we did about 4 km total so fair play to us. Then, we met up with Laura and Daisy at our favorite frozen yogurt place in town - Mooch - before heading back home. I took a much needed nap because this was the day of the McGregor v. Mayweather fight. Due to the time difference, the fight didn’t even start until 5 a.m. Dublin time so it was a late night for all of us. I actually ended up falling asleep after the 4th round of the fight…oops :) it was still cool to watch some of it live with all the lads.

The weekend after, which I guess was actually the first weekend of September, was pretty fun - had a girls night out with my coworkers on the Friday evening. We enjoyed our 2 for 7 euro cocktails…can’t beat that price, especially in a city like Dublin. Didn’t get up to much on the Saturday, but had a pretty fun Sunday going on a mini DART pub crawl with my friend Brian from work. We took the DART and hopped off at random stops for a pint or two. It was really fun seeing loads of different places in Dublin that I’ve yet to see :)

Finally, last weekend, Kieran and I went to Portugal for an extended weekend getaway!! It was so so amazing, but I’ll have to dedicate a whole blog post to that trip soon :)

Cheers to the last weekend before my last week of work - woo hoo!!

[dublintaketwo]

Here are some photos from our trip to Scotland a few weeks ago :)

Maddy and I had an absolute blast! We spent our first day on our 12-hour day trip from Glasgow to Glencoe, the Highlands, and Lochness, which definitely lived up to our expectations. Unfortunately it was pretty cloudy all day and there were scattered showers as the day progressed, but what can you do besides be prepared for that lovely Scottish weather…seriously though, I think the weather in Scotland is worse than the weather in Ireland, which is saying a lot. Would have definitely been even prettier with some sunshine, but we still enjoyed all the amazing views the highlands had to offer! I loved driving through the mountains in Glencoe, honestly pictures just can’t do it justice. I also loved seeing the infamous Loch Ness, didn’t spot Nessie though ;) It was quite a long day and we were wrecked by the time we returned to Glasgow, but it was well worth it :)

The next day, Maddy and I went out to explore around Glasgow. First, we went to a place called the Lighthouse, which is a building with loads of art, shops and cafes. It also has a viewpoint at the very top which you can enter for free and it gives you a pretty great view over the city. If it’s free, it’s for me :)

Then we went to the Glasgow Cathedral, which was absolutely beautiful and also free to tour. We spent a decent amount of time in there before heading to the Glasgow Necropolis, unfortunately right as a storm decided to join us. Even with an umbrella, we were absolutely soaked, so we headed back to the cathedral to wait out the storm for a bit.

Later on, we made our way to the University of Glasgow since our friend Christina, who we met while studying abroad at DCU, is currently getting her masters there. She gave us a wonderful tour of the campus, which was like Hogwarts, it was seriously amazing. Then, she showed us a hidden gem called Ashton Lane, which is a cute little cobblestoned street with shops and restaraunts. We had a delicious dinner with her there before we had to head to the airport for our flight back to Dublin.

Unfortunately our flight got delayed, thanks to the always dependable Ryanair. Luckily it was only about an hour and half late and also the flight is only 40 minutes long, so we didn’t get back to Dublin too late that evening. The worst part was the taxi queue at the airport, but that’s expected on a bank holiday weekend.

I’m so happy we decided to book this trip because we got to see so much of Scotland in such a short amount of time. It’s so close to here anyway that there was no excuse to not make the trip :)

I hope you enjoy the photos - I’ll write again soon about my August adventures!!

Until then :)

[dublintaketwo]

And, my favorite pictures from July :)

[dublintaketwo]

Some of my favorite pictures from June :)

[dublintaketwo]

July Adventures!

As promised, and in an effort to stay on top of this thing for the rest of my time here (only about 2 months to go, wow) I’ll recap the month of July~

Well the first weekend of the July was 4th of July weekend, so obviously the Americans had to celebrate properly. We went to Kieran’s friends’ BBQ for some burgers, beers, and drinking games…the true American way. It was a pretty fun time meeting a bunch of new people, many who were also American ironically. On the actual 4th of July, I had to work (boo) but that’s alright, I have plenty more of them to celebrate properly in the USA!!

Unfortunately that week, Kieran’s grandmother passed away so I made my down to Waterford to go to the funeral - it was a beautiful service, and the meal after was lovely as well. A bunch of his family and I headed to the pub afterward - there was a guy playing guitar who had an incredible voice and plenty of people in the crowd were singing amazing solos throughout the night. While down there for the weekend, Kieran and I decided to go for a swim in the Irish sea in Tramore (I’d say it was more of my decision but he wasn’t TOO hard to convince). It was great though, the water was very nice and there’s no seaweed like at the Jersey shore. I’m hoping we can go for another swim before the end of the summer but we’ll see! Later that night, we went to the cinema (shocker for us, I know) with his friend Adam and his girlfriend before heading out in Waterford city, which was actually my first time ever out there, since you know, we always stick with Murph’s in Tramore. It was a fun night as it’s always nice to switch things up a bit!

The following weekend, Kieran and I took a bus to Skerries, a small coastal town maybe 45 minutes north of Dublin. It was an absolutely lovely day and great to explore somewhere new as always. We didn’t go for a proper swim but we got in up to our knees. Also, I saw the cutest yellow Labrador retriever puppy on the beach, it was the highlight of my day I’d say. Then, we took a nice walk along the strand before getting an ice cream. Later, we had a nice meal and a few cocktails before heading back home :)

The next weekend, Maddy and I went on the Wicklow Mountains tour which was AMAZING. The scenery in some of the places didn’t even look real honestly. We stopped in a place called Powerscourt first, which is a massive estate with gorgeous gardens all around. Then, we had a nice drive throughout the Wicklow Mountains, with our first stop being at the bridge from the movie “PS I Love You.” That was cool to see, but I must say the next stop was my absolute favorite: Lough Tay, also known as the Guinness Lake. Honestly might be one of my favorite places in Ireland. It was just so peaceful and beautiful I wish I could have stayed there all day. Our last stop was in Glendalough, which is a valley with some beautiful lake views. I had actually been there before when I studied abroad, but it was cool to go back and do a different hiking trail this time around :) Our last stop was in a little town called Avoca, where we had a nice Irish stew for dinner.

Last weekend, Maddy and I went out with one my work friends to get wings and then to a pub we had never gone to, so that was loads of fun. Then, Kieran and I went into the city on the Saturday to do a bit of shopping - we got new sneakers, or as the Irish call them, runners…much need for the both of us. Then we went for a nice walk in St. Stephen’s Green before finishing the day with a cocktail in town.

Other than all the fun weekend stuff, work has been grand - I have recently moved over to the head office of the bank, so my work day is slightly different than it was in the other office. It’s a bit more strict there, but we get free tea, coffee, breakfast, and lunch there everyday so I really can’t complain too much with that awesome perk. Also, I must say one of my favorite parts is when American tourists come in looking to exchange money and then they hear my accent and usually spark up a little conversation :)

This weekend is a bank holiday weekend (yay!) so Maddy and I are headed off to Scotland. We just booked our day tour to go and see Loch Ness, Glencoe, and the Highlands so I’m really looking forward to that!!

I’ll add some pictures from all of these adventures soon🤗

[dublintaketwo]

June Adventures!

Somehow we’re approaching the end of yet another month (and I’m still behind on blogging from the previous month, oops) …the time sure does fly by when you’re having fun! My last update was all about when my parents came over to visit in the end of May, so I’ll have to fill you in for what I’ve been up to since then - good thing I’ve kept track of a lot in my journals and also that I have some pictures to jog my memory :)

I had a few more visitors in June, firstly my friend Stewart who I worked with at the YMCA. He was finishing up grad school in Scotland at the time, so he came over to Dublin for a weekend and I showed him around lots of the city centre - Dublin Castle, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Iveagh Gardens, St. Stephen’s Green, Trinity College, and Grafton Street. It’s funny because now that I’ve been here for a while, seeing those places doesn’t have that novelty anymore, but it’s still a good time to explore the city with someone’s who’s never been. This was also a bank holiday weekend so it was nice to have an extra day to relax and rejuvenate before the work week :)

The following week, my friend Lex and her boyfriend Reggie came to visit, and we had a really good time! They wanted to go to the Leprechaun Museum, so Kieran and I went with them - it was a silly little tour, sure just a bit of craic. I also took them to Killiney Hill for a hike which was amazing. We had great weather that day and the views from the top are some of my favorite views in Dublin for sure. I also took them to a lot of the touristy spots like Book of Kells, Temple Bar, Dublin Castle, and St. Stephen’s Green - again, it’s always exciting to go with people who haven’t been! We also found a pub that has free comedy nights (with free ice cream) so we actually went to that 2 different nights because we enjoyed ourselves so much the first time around.

The next weekend was the heat wave and I suppose the highlight of the Irish summer. Temperatures were about 82 degrees Fahrenheit (still can’t seem to understand Celsius very well over here, but think that is equal to about 27 degrees Celsius), and it was very sunny on both the Saturday and Sunday. Kieran and I made sure to get outside for both days - on the Saturday we went to the National Botanic Gardens which were absolutely beautiful and on the Sunday we met up with his sister at St. Stephen’s Green! It’d be nice if we could get a bit more of this weather before the summer ends, but I don’t know if that is just wishful thinking in a country like Ireland. One can be hopeful.

The following weekend, Kiers and I went down to Waterford. It was a pretty relaxing weekend - we went into town on the Saturday for a little shopping and then went to a small fishing beach with his dad before we went back for dinner and drinks at his house. Later on, we went to Murph’s but sadly they didn’t have any live music (I know, what’s up with that?), so we didn’t stay long. On the Sunday, we went to the amusements in Tramore and played some games and then I went on the log flume ride, by myself because Kieran designated himself as the photographer…sure he is a sly one, but it was pretty fun anyway! Overall was a nice weekend down the country :)

I think that might be all for now, I'll recap my July adventures very soon :)

[dublintaketwo]

A few more pictures from when my parents came over…such a great time :)

[dublintaketwo]

Here are some of my favorite pictures from my parents trip :)

[dublintaketwo]

Much Needed Update!!!

Wow, officially maybe the longest I have gone without blogging - sorry, but it’s been quite a busy month with a couple visitors including the rents :)

Anyway, I’ll try to recap as best their trip as best I can~

My parents visiting was honestly one of the best weeks I’ve had here so far. I got off work the entire time they were here, and we got to see so much throughout the country - not to mention getting to travel around in a rental car, not a bus for once :) plus my dad got to drive an Audi, so definitely no complaints there! He got on well with driving on the left side of the road…definitely took some getting used to but he was very impressive, especially in the western part of the country where the roads are legitimately too small for 2 cars to drive on at once…really though, watching two big trucks passing each other was quite the nail biter.

We started off the visit driving down to Waterford and stayed in Tramore with Kieran’s mom. It was really cool to show them such a lovely spot that they’ve never seen before! We took a few different walks by the beach and had some nice weather for that weekend (besides the odd rain shower of course)! On the Saturday, we drove to Wexford and stopped at a place called Hook Head, which is famous for its lighthouse. It was absolutely gorgeous down there, a bit windy, but still a great way to spend the afternoon. Before heading back to Tramore, we stopped in Dunmore East, a fishing village in Waterford, for some tea and a quick bite :) We of course had to go out to Murph’s that Saturday night…how could we not? It was a blast and the live music was great! Then, we headed to Kerry on the Sunday, which took a solid amount of time, but it was a nice scenic drive there.

I absolutely loved Kerry - we stopped in Killarney for dinner and ice cream :) we got the ice cream from a famous place called Murphy’s, which had a flavor called Kieran’s Cookies…so we obviously had to get that! The next day, we spent the morning with a walk on Inch Beach. Unfortunately it was a bit cloudy, but it was still nice to see it. Then, we headed to Dingle and started off with the Dingle Aquarium - saw plenty of cool animals including baby otters!! My favorite part of the day was after that when we took a long drive along the Dingle Peninsula - absolutely stunning. It was unfortunately a bit foggy, but nonetheless a breathtaking cruise. Kieran and I even got to hold a baby lamb - it was the cutest!!!

On our way back from Kerry to Dublin, we split the drive up and stopped in a town called Cashel which has the famous Rock of Cashel which was really cool! I could have stayed up there all day with the amazing view of the Irish countryside all around.

When we got to Dublin, we started off with a tour of Malahide Castle and Gardens and then went to Howth for lunch and a cliff walk. Again, the fog was not doing us any favors. It would have been great to have had some more clear views…but what can you do when you live in a shoe…just keep walking! We ended that day with taking Kieran out to dinner for his birthday which was lovely :)

We also took a bus from Dublin to see Giants Causeway in Northern Ireland which was great!! I had been before with Maddy when we studied abroad, but the weather this time around was ten times better and just so beautiful!! The bus included a stop at Dunluce Castle, the Giants Causeway, Carrick-a-rede Rope Bridge, and the Dark Hedges - it was all so breathtaking and I was so happy to have returned on a nicer day than the first time I went. After we returned to Dublin, we went out for a nice dinner and some drinks in a restaurant in Temple Bar to end a great day!

On the last day of their visit, we began with the skyline tour of Croke Park, which takes you to the very top perimeter of the stadium so you can see all around Dublin and learn about lots of different landmarks. It was also really nice weather that day so thankfully we stayed dried at the top!

After getting some Boojum in town (just like Chipotle), we did a bit of shopping for souvenirs before heading back to have a nice dinner and some drinks by my apartment. My parents also took me for a big food shop and it was the best thing ever to only have to carry the bag of groceries to the car instead of on a 20-minute walk home. Ah, it sure is the little things :)

It was an amazing week to have my parents here - lucked out with weather and was happy I could take the whole time off from work too! I already miss them tons but I know I’ll be seeing them soon enough again because time flies…seriously though, I can’t believe it’s already halfway through June. So crazy.

I’ll add some pictures of my parents’ trip here really shortly and update again soon!!! xoxo

[dublintaketwo]

So, as expected, Barcelona was absolutely amazing!!!

Maddy and I had an absolute blast. This little vacay was much needed :) We spent most of the time exploring around at the beaches, cathedrals, and parks, and we ate a lot of course 😋 it was nice that everything was fairly cheap, especially compared to Dublin. Oh and wine averaged about €2-3 a bottle, so obviously had to take advantage of that lovely price :)

We had pretty nice weather for the days we were there, except for one morning, which of course was the day was decided to hike up to bunkers del Carmel (pictured above). Luckily, it cleared up as the day progressed. Regardless, the views from the top were incredible and very much worth the climb. Although it was quite a struggle I will say. We probably could have found some type of transportation to take us up there but we figured we could use the extra exercise hiking up 😎

We also were lucky enough to have a local tour guide for one of the days. Kieran’s old flatmate from DCU, Ona, is actually from Barcelona, so she was nice enough to show us around the place one afternoon. It’s always nice to have a familiar face in an unfamiliar place, especially when English isn’t the native language there!

Definitely wish I could have stayed a little longer, but I'm happy I got there anyway! Makes me excited to plan my next trip!!

As far as craic in Dublin~ not too much has been going on! But we have had some absolutely beautiful weather these past two weeks. I’ve been taking my work breaks outside sitting at Trinity College and enjoying that sunshine! ☀️

Last weekend, Maddy and I rented bikes for an hour in Phoenix Park which was something fun and different too!

I won’t be up to much this weekend, just some R&R, but next Friday my parents will be here!!! Can’t wait for some days off work and to enjoy some much needed time with them adventuring throughout the country!

Will write again soon, cheers to it being (almost) the weekend! 🍻

[dublintaketwo]

Following up to my most recent post, here are some pictures from the past few weekends. The top two are in Tramore, which is where Kieran Maddy & I spent Easter weekend. The views continue to amaze me. Such a beautiful place!

To be honest it didn’t really feel like Easter when we were down in Waterford. People in Ireland don’t really take Easter that seriously - I think it’s celebrated bigger in the states…like they don’t dye eggs or do easter egg hunts here (lame if you ask me) and Kieran told me he never even believed in the Easter bunny. Craziness. But anyway, it was a nice weekend away, we had a few extra days off work too for Good Friday and Easter Monday so it was a much needed break from the daily routine. It was also cool to show Maddy around Waterford city and Tramore since she hadn't been before!

The bottom two pictures are from the Howth cliff walks. Nichole and I took the DART there last Saturday afternoon and it was very much worth it. We hiked for a good hour and a half and took in the amazing views along the way. After we got back to the main village to get the train, we saw a map of all the different routes and realized we only did a small portion…so we decided we have to make it back there soon to explore some more!

So the past few weekends have been great, but it’s time for a proper holiday as the Irish would say. Maddy and I are headed off to Barcelona this Saturday, bright and early for a few days! Since Monday is a Bank Holiday (not sure why…it’s kind of like our Columbus Day/MLK days), we’ll come back Monday night and get a nice full 3 days in Spain! I’m really looking forward to it :)

I’ll definitely be posting about that trip upon my return…

Until then!

[dublintaketwo]

This past month has been filled with some fun adventures throughout Ireland :) I apologize for not updating very often, but I truly try my best to post as much as I can!

Firstly, toward the end of March, my Aunt Theresa came over to Dublin. After meeting for lunch one day in town, we also met for dinner at a new Italian placed called Zizzi’s one night after work - I got the gluten-free pizza which was absolutely lovely! Then on the weekend, she, Kieran, and I did the Newgrange and Hill of Tara tour which was an absolutely incredible experience. It was something Kieran and I have been saying we’ve wanted to do for a while, so I’m really glad we finally did. The Hill of Tara was our first stop and was the seat of the Irish High Kings, so definitely some cool history there. There was also some nice panoramic views of the Irish countryside from here :) Newgrange was our next stop and is a passage tomb that is 5,000 years old…as in it’s older than the Egyptian Pyramids, so getting to enter it was pretty cool I must say. It was very tiny though, so we all had to mind our heads, especially Kieran ;) Before heading back to the city, the tour bus dropped us off in Howth - a famous fishing village along Dublin Bay. We walked the pier and had a look around in the markets before ending the tour with a nice coastal drive back to the city, well as nice as it can be in the rain :)

The weekend after, Kieran and I headed to the west coast for a little getaway in Galway :) We had the most amazing weather on the Saturday which made for a great atmosphere. There were musicians and Irish step dancers on almost every street and everyone was outside drinking pints, sitting by the water, and just genuinely enjoying themselves and that rare Irish sunshine. I could have definitely gone for a few extra days there. Our hotel was actually located in Salthill, which is a bit west of the city centre, but it is right along the beach so we had a nice walk along the promenade after breakfast on Sunday morning :) I absolutely adored Galway - the people and craic are great and although I love Dublin, it was a nice little change of pace for the weekend. I’ll have to make my way back there at least once more before I head back to the states.

I’ll write again sometime this week about Easter weekend in Waterford and my adventures of this past weekend, but right now I need to catch some zzz’s before the 5-day work week begins!

:)

[dublintaketwo]

Here are some pictures taken in the last few weeks - the top ones are from Dun Laoghaire, which is a coastal town along Dublin Bay, about 25 minutes from the city centre. Kieran and I hopped on the DART (local train service) one Saturday afternoon, and from there we just took the day to explore. We walked on the pier and enjoyed the views, looking at all the sailboats out on the bay. Once we made it to the end of the pier, we treated ourselves to some ice cream…I scream, you scream, am I right? :) We only got a little rain shower, but hey, we’re always prepared to get a little wet here in Ireland.

The bottom pictures were taken in Tramore this past weekend. Kieran and I headed down to Waterford Friday night (only with a few complications thanks to the bus strike…it’s not just SEPTA that sucks). Once we were finally there, we got some food and went to sleep because we were pretty worn out from the journey.

On Saturday we had a nice breakfast and then went into town to walk around and do a bit of shopping before heading over to his dad’s house for a while. Then we went to Murph’s for some drinks and live music…classic Saturday night in Tramore. Sunday morning we woke up and headed down to the beach to do a nice walk with his mom. It was a gorgeous day without a cloud in the sky…again, a rarity for this country. I’m definitely looking forward to going to Tramore in the summertime when it’s proper nice weather :)

Oh, can’t forget about Paddy’s Day round two in Dublin! Rather than going into town with all the madness for the parade like I did the last time I was here, we just streamed the parade on Kieran’s TV while having some drinks and then we went into town a bit later in the afternoon. Once we got there, we met up with Maddy and her family and friends who were visiting at a pub in Temple Bar. Although pints there cost an arm and a leg, the atmosphere was great and we had a blast…I do have to admit Kieran and I were a bit lame and were home by about 10 p.m. but in fairness it had been a long day.

Work has been fine - definitely nice to be in a routine, but I’m also looking forward to some days off for holidays. My aunt Theresa just came to Dublin a few days ago (along with many goodies and a new laptop for me - shout out to my amazing fam!) She and I met up in town on Monday during my lunch break and got some delicious food at this traditional Irish pub, O’Neills. It’s always nice to see people from home being so far away!

I’m sure she and I will do something this Saturday before she heads back home on Sunday, and then the following weekend, Kieran and I are heading to Galway for a little getaway! It should be a fun couple weeks :)

That’s all for now ~ sending lots of love to everyone back in the US of A!!!

[dublintaketwo]

Obligatory Irish Slang Post

After being here for just about 5 months now, I feel like I have definitely adopted some of the Irish slang back into my vocabulary...even my friends from home noticed some of different phrases I was saying while they were here. I guess it’s bound to happen being around mostly only Irish people all the time.

Some of the phrases I learned and started saying while studying abroad, but there’s definitely a few new ones too.

Here are a few I’d like to share~

It’s grand - self explanatory...the Irish way of life is that everything will always be grand. Don’t stress because sure it’ll all be grand. Definitely one of my faves and something I’ll definitely say even after leaving here.

Weapon - this is a noun to describe someone who is being difficult. The girls at work use it all the time and I find myself now saying it on the reg.

Half 6, Half 7 - this is to describe time. Half 6 would be 6:30...Half 7 would be 7:30, and so on. It’s funny when I talk to people from home because they’re always asking if it means it’s a half hour before 7 or after 7. It confused me too at first.

Cheers - this is to say thank you. I find myself saying it to bus drivers and servers all the time now.

Thanks a mill - just another common way Irish people say thank you, especially on the phone and in emails.

Sure look - couldn’t tell you exactly what the translation is for this, but I think it’s a saying for lack of knowing what else to say in the instance... maybe could be translated to “it is what it is,” or “what can you do,” or “we’ll see how it goes.” Kind of just a filler phrase I suppose.

Em - they say em rather than saying um between thoughts. I picked up on this during study abroad and definitely have picked up on it again this time around.

Proper - I’ve heard Irish people say this before a lot of things to describe something. For example, if something is not fun, they may say it is proper shite.

Like - again, this is another that I picked up on during study abroad as well...as if I need to say “like” even more than I already did. The Irish tend to say “like” after a lot of their sentences.

For (insert curse word) sake - think most of you could guess the curse word there. Honestly, it is such a common thing to say over here. But when Irish people say it with their accent, it has much more of a charm to it. Me...not so much.

Come here - I literally thought this meant to physically come to wherever the person was...I was wrong. It actually means to listen up. So, on the phone, you may be having a random chat talking about whatever, but if someone wants to change the topic to something more serious, they might say “come here, have you checked the room booking for your woman.”

Your man - Instead of saying this or that man. For example they may say something like “your man at the bus stop,” about some completely random man.

Good woman - this is a common way they acknowledge people for doing something good, like going to the gym or something.

You know yourself - this is just a common way for them to say you know how it is.

Fair play - this means good job...like “fair play to you for eating a salad when everyone else is eating pizza.”

Mad - if someone is driving you mad, this just means they’re driving you crazy. 

Doing my head in - this is another way to say someone is driving you mad/crazy.

Chipper - this is a fast food place that sells pretty much anything fried and greasy that people like to eat after a night out drinking.

“In fairness” or “to be fair” - they say this a lot when giving someone the benefit of the doubt.

Oh, and don’t worry...craic is definitely still a thing and I still use it plenty :)

If I think of anything else, I’ll be sure to add to the list!!

[dublintaketwo]

I apologize for my lack of updating this blog on a more regular basis, but I finally have a weekend where I’m not up to that much so I’m trying to use the time to get caught up!!

A couple weekends back, Kieran and I headed to Belfast for the weekend. I went there before with my study abroad program but he had never been, so it was on his list and I figured why not!

We took the train up on Saturday morning (took about 2 hours) and once we got there we started off at St. George’s Market. We both bought some yummy food and some souvenirs for ourselves. I got a nice waterfall picture for my room and Kieran got a Superman painting (are we surprised at all by that? 😜)

Then we just wandered around for the day throughout the city centre, looked around in shops and snapped some photos before stopping for a pint!

Later on, we headed onto our B&B, which was a really good set up for us. The ladies that worked there were really nice and helped us find a restaurant to get dinner at. We ended up going to a place called Wolf and Whistle which was absolutely delicious. It was only a 5 minute walk from the B&B so that was a plus!!

We had a nice 3-course meal before spending the rest of the nice there drinking and listening to the live music. It was such a great night together :)

We woke up Sunday morning and had a nice continental breakfast before heading off to the Titanic Quarter. The tour there was really good, it was almost 2 hours long and we definitely both enjoyed it!! We also got our picture taken on the green screen so we have some good photo souvenirs of us on the Titanic for the craic ~ I included one in this post!

After that, we grabbed some Boojum (it’s just like a Chipotle) because we’re pretty obsessed with it. Then, we headed back to Dublin in the late afternoon after a nice little getaway weekend!

Right after that trip, my friends from college came over to Dublin to visit for about 5 days which was awesome!! They definitely had some great craic :) Unfortunately I had to work for most of the time they were here, but they did their tourist stuff during that time. We spent last Saturday pub crawling all day around Temple Bar for Brooke’s birthday, so that was a really fun time! I wish they could have stayed longer, but it was still great that they were able to visit. It was nice to have a little piece of home here after being so far away from everyone for almost 5 months now.

Next big thing coming up is St. Patrick’s Day which should be absolutely insane, especially because it’s on a Friday this year, but definitely looking forward to it!! :)

Write again soon xoxo