Europe adventure. Day 6 & 7 of 34.

Written on Arnaud's couch.

So Sunday was a pretty uneventful day. I woke up in a car, sun shining, feet freezing cold. I changed into some clean clothes, ate a couple jammy dodgers and wandered around the aftermath of the party. It was pretty horrendous, the mess. The family who had the party made everyone who was there tea, coffee and toast, and then a lot of us helped them sort and pick up trash. I worked mostly on cans and bottles. Just that took a while, even with a bunch of people.

After the cleanup was at least a little bit done (though not really) we relaxed in the hammock, pet the very adorable cat, talked about the party and got ready to go to Dublin.

Cassie and Westy dropped me of art the luas (tram) station into the center of the city, because it was on their way. They told me which station to get off at and we said our goodbyes. I seriously miss them both. They were definitely good craic.

The luas pulled up to the station before I had a chance to buy a ticket, and thinking I would probably be able to buy one on board, like on a train, I jumped on. Well no one asked for a ticket and I saw no way to buy one, so feeling a little paranoid the whole time, I got a free ride into the city center. Once there I found my way to the street where Arnaud's apartment was, and then went to the nearest pub to use their internet and contact him, because I had no idea which door was his.

When I got back to the street (in the rain) Arnaud let me into his tiny, cozy flat and we talked for a while, introducing ourselves, talking about Dublin and Ireland and traveling and who knows what else. Then I took advantage of the rain and the internet and did pretty much nothing for a few hours, which was nice.

At around 7pm Arnaud and I went across the Liffey and got some delicious Persian food. After eating (which I don't think I had really done all day) Arnaud showed me a couple of his favorite pubs. They were very off the beaten track, ranging from very local to basically a secret to everyone. The first one was called Cobblestone Pub. It was fantastic for live music, with a very impromptu, jam kind of vibe, but with so much talent I was thoroughly impressed.

After a pint there (my first finished pint of Guinness!) we went to a very unique, very awesome place where you had to ring a doorbell to get inside and the bartender was on first name basis with everyone. The whole place felt very out of the past, or maybe from an entirely different world. Odd trinkets and antiques were everywhere, from shark's jaws to hanging glass globes. In one of the pool table rooms the bartender was playing a game, which was very fun to watch.

Arnaud got me to play a game of pool, which is slightly different than what I've played before in The States. The holes are bigger, the balls are smaller and instead of solid and striped with numbers there are simply red and yellow. I lost, of course, even though he let me cheat more than a few times. After that game I sat and watched him play with another guy, and ended up falling asleep. I guess sleeping in a car doesn't really work for me.

I slept well that night, that's for sure. Having a real bed to sleep in was nice. The next day I left with Arnaud when he went to work, and on the way he stopped and got me in to see The Book of Kells and Trinity Library for free and without having to wait in the impressive queue. Being a student there has some interesting perks, especially if you are a scholar (basically honor student). Arnaud never applied to be a scholar, but I found out later on a tour of the city that if he had he would be able to eat in a special dining common and graze his sheep on the grass. The rules were written quite a while ago.

While Arnaud was at work I saw the Book of Kells and the library, went to get some delicious bangers and mash down the street and then took an awesome free tour with a guide named Joe.

He was an Irish history major and just full of cool information. He showed us basically everything, was funny and very smart, and at least for me gave me a sort of context to the giant city that is Dublin. He was also able to tell us a good amount of Irish history in a very short amount of time, which was great.

After the tour I decided to go see Phoenix Park, which I've heard is the largest city park in Europe or something. Honestly, because it rained the whole time I was there and it was just SO big, I wasn't all that impressed. I also had to pee really bad, which makes it hard to enjoy anything. And the zoo cost €16 to get into. That is absurd. I of course go.

Then I got lost in the way back to the center. I think I got off at the wrong luas stop (I bought a ticket that time, but I kind of regret it), and when I got to the Liffey I started walking the wrong way down it. I spent a good while going in circles. The problem with bigger cities like Dublin, as opposed to tiny ones like Galway, is getting lost is not nearly as much fun. It's a lot of ugly little shops, not so nice apartment buildings, trash and blisters. I mean, Dublin has many very, very beautiful places, don't get me wrong. It is a great city, but it is a city nonetheless, and not everywhere is picturesque in a city. My point is, getting lost was not the best way to spend my evening.

I did eventually find a couple of really interesting streets and some very nice cathedrals (I didn't go in, but they were pretty in the outside). I then made my way back to Arnaud's house, listening to some music and trying to see the upside to wasting so much of the day. When I got to the apartment Arnaud was out, so I waited at the door for about an hour, reading my book. I actually had a very nice time just reading and listening to music. However, I had met some people on the tour earlier who were doing a pub crawl, and I was thinking of going with them. By the time I was able to get inside and change I was already late.

I got ready to join them, thinking I'd just be a bit late and miss the first pub. I wore the white shirt I bought shopping with Sarah in Galway and the same black pants I had worn all day, with just a tiny bit of mascara. I felt not at all ready to go. My shirt was too sheer and wrinkled, my face was sunburned and blotchy, and I was going to be insanely late.

I went anyway. And it was a lot of fun! Not at all traditional Irish pubs or even Irish people, but a good group of travelers and a very funny, soon to be very drunk, pub crawl guide. With the free shots (well, included in the price of the pub crawl), the couple of fruity cocktails I tried and the drinking I did playing a hilarious game of flip cup, I drank more than I intended to, but a lot less than everyone else. I meet cool people from New Zealand, Australia, Canada and Germany and surprisingly didn't suck at flip cup as much as I thought I would.

When we got to the night club at the end of the pub crawl I knew I was done drinking, though, and the place was a bit too crowded and my feet a little too sore for me to enjoy myself. I left and took a taxi back to the apartment.

The stupid taxi was not outrageously expensive, but the cabbie did manage to overcharge me in a very obvious way anyway. Pretending to be clueless, he started off driving the opposite direction than I needed to go, then got to the right street and drove a few blocks too far, then when I told him I could get out there he said he wanted to find it, because he was curious or something. Well eventually he got me to the door, but I was charged for all of his curious or clueless driving back and forth.

It was nothing like taking a cab in Galway, where the man had asked for just our pocket change and had known the whole city like the back of his hand. If I had been less tired and a bit more sober I would have protested more at the price, but I just got out and went to bed. It was a long day and I was already over my budget anyway.