Luck of the Irish

My room at Abagail's HostelThe courtyard of the castleThe Liffey River- My hostel was right on the river

I took my first trip outside of Spain this last weekend. Since it was a solo trip I decided to go to Ireland. I wanted to be able to be able understand the locals since I was in a foreign country by myself. I had such a great time and I met so many nice and friendly people that I am sure I will keep in contact with in the future. I met a lot of people from California which was really funny. I also met people from some other states, Australia and Italy. At one time in my hostel room every girl was from California and there were 8 beds. What a small world. The hostel was not as bad as I thought it would be. I have heard some horror stories so I was pleasantly surprised. It was pretty clean and I only had to share a bathroom with the girls in my room. There was a common area and kitchen. They also provided breakfast which was only cereal and toast. But, hey who am I to complain when it's free food. Although, I have to say the milk was pretty gross. Friday after I arrived I took a guided walking tour. It was a good way for me to learn the history of Ireland and see some of the sites. That night I went on a pub crawl. It was so much fun. They took us to 4 pubs and 1 disco. We received a couple of free shots which was nice and the places we went were not the touristy pubs, thankfully. This definitely cut down the price of drinks. Saturday I went sightseeing with a couple of girls I met from the hostel. We saw the castle, some cathedrals (which were absolutely gorgeous), Trinity College and this huge park. The park was so big I wasn't even to walk all of it. There is a big lake in the middle. That day there were so many people just walking about or sitting in the grass eating or just hanging out. That afternoon I went to Guiness Storehouse. Here they show you how the beer is made and at the end you get a free Guiness. That night I went to a pub that had live Irish music. This was awesome to see. The songs are so lively and fun. I also decided that the Guiness in Ireland tastes much better than in CA. I actually liked it when at home I don't like dark beers. I heard that it doesn't travel well so this may be the reason. Sunday I went on a day tour though Wicklow. I am so happy that I did this tour. I was able to see the countryside...which is exactly what I think of when I think of Ireland. The mountains and hills were so green with lots of rocks and trees waterfalls and lakes. There were also lots of sheep roaming around. The scenery was like something out of a movie or book. It was absolutely beautiful. I also saw the place where a scene from Braveheart and PS I Love You were filmed. We also went to a monaster. Next to the monaster was a huge park. It is a place where people go camping, can hike on the trails or come out for the day to relax and have the kids go in the lake. Needless to say I was falling asleep on the ride back home. Monday morning I left and I am so glad that I did this trip. It was so nice seeing a new country and all it has to teach and offer.

The center of Dublin

Christ Church CathedralGuiness FactoryCountryside

Lucky Monument-Back in the day they said that if you could put your arms around this and your fingers touch then you will be lucky. My fingers were so close to touching...too bad