Dubliners

This weekend, we went on our excursion to Dublin. My first impression of Dublin was the day that we arrived in Ireland and I was jet lagged and sick. I didnt like it too much at the time because I think I was just too tired to venture out as it was only our first day in a new country. This time however, I absolutely loved Dublin! We got to see all the corners of the city and being here for a little more than a month, I was not afraid to venture out into the big city. We arrived in Dublin on Thursday and visited the Rotunda Maternity Hospital. Our director Kathy is a nursing professor so she is really interested in health care. We toured some parts of the hostpital, but werent allowed to go into the actual ward. However, Kathy picked 6 of us to do a special tour through the ward. Since I love babies and kids and am always talking about Annie and Lucy, Kathy picked me as one of the 6. We got to see a baby that was just born named Jayjay, and even a baby that was the size of an iPhone in the intensive care unit :( I really enjoyed touring the hospital as it was a nice change from the museums that we always tour! We then got checked into our hostel the four courts hostel and went out shopping for the rest of the day. Dublin has a lot of the same stores that we have in America like Forever 21, Gap, and H and M. It isnt as fun to shop when you know you can get the same things back home so I didnt get anything. On Friday morning we met Brother Colman to take us around to a walking tour of the city. It was A LOT of walking! We saw the book of Kells, Trinity College, Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin Castle. It was a fun day, but very exhausting! I was so tired when we got back, and took a nap in the hostel but was awoken by everybody getting ready to go out for the night. I didnt really want to go out to the pubs so decided to go to a movie with some girls from cottage 6. We saw the movie Taken 2!  I though I was going to regret seeing the movie afterwards being in a foreign country and all and what happened in the first movie, but the plot line was totally different and I wasn't scared at all after watching the movie! The movie was so good and now I can say I saw Taken 2 in a foreign country! On Saturday, we got up and went to some sights with portal tombs and early shrines. We didnt have a guide for the day, and there was no visitor center to tell us anything, so we were a little lost as to what we were seeing haha! It made for good entertainment however and the long bus ride to the sites allowed us to catch up on sleep. On Saturday night, I went out to a bar called the Porter house. The porter house is bar with rare beers (and High prices) I had a hollows ginger beer and it was really good! We had a really good time there and I cant wait to go back in a couple of days! On Sunday, we got up and headed back home. We stopped along the way however to go horseback riding. I said I was an 'experienced' horseback rider even though I have only ridden a horse maybe once in my life haha My horse was named tipper and he reminded me a lot of Rylee! haha He was really slow and lazy and loved to eat! When we were walking out in the field, he would stop every 3 feet to grab some grass or drink water out of the puddles. Every time he would reach down to grab something to eat, I would almost fly off the front of him! My arms are soo sore this week from pulling his reigns back to always re-direct him! It was really fun though and im so glad we got to do something besides going to museums!! In 1 day, I leave for fall break, and Mitch and Jeffrey fly to Dublin to visit me!! I am soo excited, it will be really nice to have a break and see my brother and cousin. We will be spending a few days in Ireland, Frankfurt Germany, and Amsterdam! When I get back from fall break, it will be the 22nd of October, and then there will only be a little over a month left until I leave! The time has gone by soo fast and I cant imagine leaving, but cant wait to get home!!!

On Friday, we got a 1 hour break to go have lunch on our own in Dublin. We heard of this burrito place called Boojum Burritos and after searching for almost the whole hour and half of the group that went with us giving up and going to McDonalds, Me Abby, Amanda, and Ben Finally Found it!!! So Greatt!!!! 

Me and Pat with our Hollows Ginger beers at the Porter house

Me riding Tipper