Europe 2016 - Nothing Went as Planned

The evening of the previous day I went down to the kitchen where I knew the WiFi worked the best and there was a plug-in to charge my phone. I was on a mission to find a day trip to see more of Ireland. Before leaving home I had only reserved one day trip as I couldn't decided on which other ones I wanted to take. I would later find this to be a blessing.

I looked and looked, but all of the ones that I was interested in and that were in my price range were booked. I wasn't finding a single one. And I was getting very frustrated. I was cursing myself (luckily just in my head) for putting this off. What was I going to do with another day in Dublin? I had packed everything in the last two days so I wouldn't miss out and now I had another day to wander around. But I'm a planner, so I had to make a plan. That's when I decided that I would take the money that I was going to spend on the day trip and go to the one museum that I hadn't been to but was interested in. Kilmainham Gaol - the old prison.

*Side story - While I was in the kitchen a fellow traveler (who was actually from Ireland) started up a conversation. He wanted to know about the politicians that were running for president. This was the last thing I wanted to talk about. I was trying to escape some of the politics as that was all that was on the news back home. This man though didn't have an opinion and just wanted to know how it all worked. It even went onto other general differences between our countries. He was shocked that we were able to get drivers' licenses at such a young age. This wouldn't be the last time politics would come up in conversation, but this was definitely more about learning than stating opinions.

My first hostel. 

A farmer's market in front of the Castle. How appropriate!

I left the hostel early in the morning and took my luggage to my second hostel. Then I was off to the prison. It was going to be a long walk, but I had nothing but time.

Statue in front of Christ Church Cathedral

Dublina and Christ Church Cathedral (and the arch I love so much)

City Wall

As I was walking  I came across the above wall. It is one of the city walls from medieval Dublin (possibly 12th century). There are only 2 sections left in the city. This would have been about where one of the city gates was.

Arthur's Pub - It has been a pub for over 200 years.

I found it funny that all over Dublin, but especially right near the Guinness District there would be Budweiser signs. And I don't know what the Off Licence means.

This is where Arthur Guinness and his family (he had 21 kids) lived. 

I've never seen a church with a glass steeple.

View of Dublin

Loved the decorations

After walking all the to Kilmainham Gaol I was feeling better about the day. That was until I saw that all tours were sold out for the day. That must be a pretty awesome museum if all the tours were sold out. And once again, I was beating myself up for not planning ahead. After touring the gift shop and having a little snack I decided it was a beautiful day, so I should go across the street and sit in the park for a while.

Kilmainham Gaol from across the street

Entrance to the Park which leads to the Irish Museum of Modern Art. It used to be one of the city gates. It wasn't originally located here, but they needed to move it for development reasons, so they moved it here.

Entering the park

I soon realize that the park is fenced off for a festival that night. On to plan D. Head back to where I started and prepare for the next day. Finding the bus station and buying my ticket to Belfast.

Statue in the Park

The art museum

The courtyard. This building is the Royal Hospital Kilmainham. It was built in the 17th century and was a home to retired soldiers for over 250 years.

Front entrance to the museum

As I was leaving the grounds I noticed this sign on the fence. I have a feeling it was going to be a crazy festival that night. 

I found this quaint little waterway on my way back to the Temple Bar District. As I stopped to take a picture of it I heard "No, Hey, Wait!" Thinking I wasn't supposed to take the picture, I moved my phone slightly and took it just of the river as I couldn't resist. After I lowered my phone and saw the old gentleman sitting on his porch, smoothing down his hair with a big grin on his face. He then replaced his hat and smiled as I took a second picture.

The man is sitting right in front of the door. I know I should have zoomed in more for this picture, but I still wanted the picture of the waterway with the house.

On the way to the bus stop I decided I would try a different tourist item. One of the river boat cruises. Once again I was thwarted. All of the tours were full. I continued on to the bus station. I thought I could remember where it was from two years prior. This was not quite the case. I would end up wandering around for a few hours. I even asked a person or two, but got confused in their directions. I finally found the station, got my ticket and was glad that I went looking for the bus stop a day before I had to leave.

But what to do now? I had watched P.S. I Love You before leaving on the trip. One of the locations in that movie is Whelans. That would be an interesting place to check out. It would be a pleasant walk, as it was once again a sunny day.

This is the fancy shopping district of Dublin, Grafton Street

This store even had doormen that wear top hats. Too pricey for me, but fun to look at.

Entrance to St. Stephen's Green

I got lucky and found myself in St. Stephen's Green. This park has a deep history in the uprising/revolution. And it is absolutely beautiful. I was definitely not the only person that took advantage of the nice weather.  

I had been pretty upset about the whole day. It felt like a wasted day. It took sitting on a bench and having a moment with God for me to realize that it wasn't a wasted day and that this trip would be different for me. I made a conscious decision to take time to just wander anytime I could. Just to find my inner peace. After walking the entire park and people watching, I continued on.

My pictures of Whelan's didn't come out great. It is the building with the red stripe. I'll be honest, it looked like a place where a single woman wouldn't feel completely comfortable by herself. Or maybe that's just how I felt. Basically I chickened out and decided to find supper somewhere else.

A bunch of shops in a really pretty building

Of course I had to stop here and get my collector's pin.

Back at Temple Bar District

I did end up treating myself to a 'fancy' meal. A little Irish Stew and Irish Bread. It was DELICIOUS! I tried to eat as much as I could. The bread was so good couldn't leave it behind as was the lamb meat in the stew. When I told the waitress I was done, she saw the half full bowl and asked if everything was OK. I said "It's wonderful, I just wish I had a bigger stomach." She laughed and smiled and said "Never wish that."

The Shack Restaurant, where I got the Irish Stew

Had to take another picture of this iconic bar.

Hostel #2

Quick hostel review: If you are wanting to stay in the Temple Bar District, this is a great location. It was on the edge of the district, so not as much noise. They also have a pizza shop, so you get a discount on the pizza. There wasn't much of a community room and I don't know if it had a kitchen. The room was pretty small. It was a 6 person room. It was all clean though.

The view from my bed. I actually liked listening to the noise of the city, but my roommates didn't. It wasn't long before they shut the window and the shades.

 I ended up walking over 24,000 steps. That's around 11 miles. They next day would start early and I looked forward to seeing a dear friend again.

Europe 2016 - Busin' Around

Before I get to the fun events of the next day, a quick review of the hostel. When searching hostels when I wanted one for all four nights, it would have cost me more than my lodging budget for the whole trip. I quickly learned that if I decided to stay 3 nights in one hostel and 1 night in another it would knock over 75% of the cost off. So that is what I did.

 

This first hostel had a good location, right around the block from the main bus station (which I didn't realize until the next day). They also were very friendly and were willing to store my luggage until I could check in. This meant I could tour the city without worrying. The rooms were also a very good size and the kitchen, living and outdoor areas were large as well.

 

However in a room with 10 beds there were only two outlets that were right next to the door. I also had troubles with the door code and they way the latch worked. I know my roommates got a little frustrated at me at times. The worst part though was that the restroom was either a 1/2 floor down or 1 1/2 floors down. The one bathroom that was closest was only a one stall restroom, while the one further down had a couple stalls and the showers.

 

All in all though, it was worth the money and a very safe place to stay.

 

Now to the good stuff. I did manage to wake up early enough to make a full day of adventures. With my Dublin City Pass I had gotten a 24 hour hop on- hop off bus tour. I used part of this they day before to get to the Guinness and Jameson factories. Luckily I had used that late enough in the day that I still had some time to ride the bus again. I decided this would be a great way to see the city.  I planned on catching the bus near the Dublin Castle, as I knew where that stop was. Of course that's not how it went.

 

I decided to take a scenic route to the castle. The problem with this is that streets in Europe are not nice grids as they are in Kansas. After walking for over an hour, I decided I was lost. But as I didn't have an actual agenda I wasn't too upset. I just didn't want the time on my bus pass to run out. I decided I would aim myself towards the river, as I could then figure out where I was. (Note: I was trying not to look like a tourist, so I was being stubborn and not looking at a map.)

 

After a bit, I saw I was coming up on a park, so I decided this would be a perfect spot to stop and eat a little brunch. This was the view I got as I entered the park.

 

 

Turns out the park was actually the park of St. Patrick's Cathedral. It was a beautiful place for a break. And better yet, I knew there was a bus stop there.

 

Door to the Choir School. Founded in 1432 A.D.

Once again I'm seeing a connection to Lindsborg in Dublin. The Hallelujah Chorus will be sung for a fundraiser.

 

On to the bus I got. It was a great way to see the city.

Ha' Penny Bridge

We are looking at the upcoming blue building.

According to several blogs I found on Pinterest, this is a big tourist spot. I didn't actually go though.

Entrance to Trinity University

 

 

Once the bus tour got near the castle, I decided to walk a bit. As I was taking this picture, a person walked by and gave me a strange look. They then looked over at the building and said "That is a beautiful building!"



I remember seeing this building the last time I was in Dublin

 

I then decided to go to the castle and take the guided tour. This is a great tour to go on. It includes the castle, the chapel and the ruins of the old castle. Last time I was in Dublin I looked at the outside of the castle and the chapel was open so I went in there. I found out on this trip, that I shouldn't have been able to go into the chapel. :)

The Royal Balcony in the Chapel. Each of the carvings is a crest of the political families and the one in the middle is actually of St. Patrick. 

This is part of the remains of the old castle a story down from the current street. This is one of the towers, that no longer exists higher than this point. The small pile in the upper middle part is actually part of the Viking castle that was built on this sight. It is the only remains of that castle that have been found.



These are the entrance stairs to the old castle. They are actually very steep and different heights and widths so that people trying to storm the castle wouldn't be able to do so very quickly.



This is actually a river that was visible during the Viking Times. This was the river that ran from the Black Pool (lake) that Dublin was named after. Now it doesn't really run, but here under the castle you can still see it.

In the castle, which had been updated, so it feels more like a palace. The mirror at the bottom of that table was so that the chaperons of the balls held there could look and see if the skirts of the ladies were long enough. They could see this from either the bottom or the top of the stairs.

This throne was built for King George IV, who was a large man. When Victoria became the Queen they added the footstool so her feet would not dangle.
 

At one point our guide had to stall as the group in front of us was still in the next room. She asked if anyone knew what this couch was. Me being the nerd I am, said a courting couch. The guide was so impressed that I knew what it was. I will admit though I thought the two young people would sit on each side of the divider. However that is not the case. The two that were to be matched were on the ends while the parents were in the middle making "the deal".

The palace ballroom

After the tour I decided to sit on the same bench as I had two years earlier and take the same selfie.

After the castle tour, I decided to walk over to Trinity University to check it out.  On the way over I saw this casting call on a light pole. Too bad I missed it. :( ;)

 



Trinity University Courtyard

 

I ended the day by going back to the hostel to try and charge my electronics before my roommates took the outlets. I also needed to repack my bag as I would be going to a different hostel in the morning. This started up a conversation with one of the other girls in my room. She was from Australia. Soon a girl from Brazil was in the conversation and we talked and laughed at my poor pronunciation of Portuguese words. Talking with people from all over the world in the hostels was a great experience of my trip and one I won't forget.