A Smaller Dose of Ireland

Day Six:                                                                                                                           May 22, 2015

Children of Lir

          This morning we took the train to Joyce Tower. It was in a town (Sandy Cove?) on the coast of the sea. I liked it a lot better there than in Dublin. I loved looking out at the water from the top of the tower. Right now we're at Murray's. I ordered the Tower Burger...I just needed a burger!

          Ok, now I'm at Gate Theatre, waiting for Tom Murphy's play, 'The Gigli Concert' to start, so I thought I'd write about the afternoon. After we ate, we went to the Dublin Writer's Museum. It was really hard to enjoy, because we had to do an information scavenger hunt. Some of them weren't even in the museum, so it was really frustrating. After that we got to see the Children of Lir statue (which I thought was beautiful). Other than the Joyce Tower, it was my favorite part. Then we took a Joyce walking tour. Again, by that point I was so tired that I could hardly keep my mind focused on listening to what the guide was saying. When we finally got back to the apartment, we had an hour to eat and put on nice clothes. Well, the play is starting now!

Day Seven:                                                                                                                             May 23, 2015

Me and my journal at St. Stephen's Green

          Sorry I didn't write about the play last night. I'm not sure what I thought of it. It was a modern play, so of course it had drugs, sex, and rock 'n' roll (just kidding, no rock 'n' roll....there was opera though!) It also dealt with a variety of psychological disorders, which was very interesting.

          Today was our free day. [Friend] and I did a lot of walking. We walked everywhere because we weren't really sure of the bus system. We went to the National Gallery, Dublin Castle, and through the Temple Bar area. I loved all the street performers! I could have watched them all day. Oh! I almost forgot! The first thing we did (other than getting duct tape for my suitcase) was get hot chocolate at Butler's Chocolate Cafe. It was the best hot chocolate I've ever had. Ever. And it came with a complimentary truffle! So. Good. We had lunch at Grilled Burger Kitchen. I liked how relaxed it was there. Nothing was rushed and the food was very good. After lunch, we set off in search of St. Stephen's Green. In my opinion, it's the best place in Dublin. It was so green, with a pond and ducks and pigeons and seagulls and swans. We were there for a good three hours. After that we went to 6:30 mass at St. Andrews. It was huge! The church was very empty though. It made me sad how few people were at the mass. We took the Dart back home afterwards. All in all, it was a good day.


“I wanted real adventures to happen to myself. But real adventures, I reflected, do not happen to people who remain at home: they must be sought abroad.” -Dubliners by James Joyce

Ireland, again.

          Alright guys...I was supposed to write about my truest fear for the writing challenge. But I can't. My mind is far too occupied elsewhere, Ireland specifically. Shall I tell you my dilemma? There is a study abroad program through my college to go to Ireland for a little less than three weeks. And what is the program, you ask? Literature. This is like MY trip. This is the trip for me. And, as far as study abroad programs go, not that costly. I really, really, reeeallly want to go. Ireland, guys! IRELAND!

          (I'm not seeing the dilemma here...)

          Sorry, I'm getting to that. I really want to go, BUT I have some cons. I've never traveled outside of the country before (Canada does not count), and that terrifies me. I would be without anyone I know, which also terrifies me. I would have to miss my brother's graduation (but hey, my older brother missed mine, so..). While the trip isn't terribly expensive, it's not terribly cheap either. And I'm only a college freshman. The trip is open to all students, but I feel like freshmen don't belong on these sorts of things. Am I right? But I want to go so bad! Guys, this is Ireland, the one place I want to go more than anywhere else (closely followed by New Zealand). I am just very torn on this. If there is anyone that reads this other than my Franco Fan, I could use some advice. (Advice from Franco Fan is more than welcome, of course. And just so you know, I will always refer to you as Franco Fan on here now. Congratulations.) I will now put on a picture from Ireland so we can take a moment to sigh wistfully. Let the sighing commence.

"All that is gold does not glitter,

Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.”

-Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkein