weekend-end in ireland

After I got back to Dublin from my day tour (See previous post) I spent a few hours in Penney's--a cheap superstore of clothes and more. A good chunk of that time was spent waiting in line to use the change rooms. I ended up spending about €30 on tracksuit pants, shoes, scarf and pearl bracelets which are perfect for transforming into the necklace I've been looking for for the upcoming wedding I'm a part of. I happily took my things back to my room while I planned my next move. I think a leprachaun must have got in there while I was out as I was distracted at length by craziness whilst I had my camera in hand.

Finally I moved on and out into the street where it was again spitting. Perhaps a little more. I hurried to the Savoy pac-a-macless. As I was purchasing my ticket it began pouring outside. Good timing. I took my ticket and went straight in to spend some time with Jack. It was either that or Water For Elephants which I've heard is good but was a little different than what I originally thought it was about. I opted for Pirates of the Caribbean 4 - On Stranger Tides in 3D as I was sure Cap'n Jack Sparrow would give me a laugh. I was pleasantly entertained. ^^ The post box I saw on the way back to my room was amusingly irish but also note the sky. There's still daylight in that sky and it was 10:30pm! I was quite amazed at how late it stayed light. Guess that's due to the degrees north. It also meant I stayed up late coz it didn't feel like the day had wrapped up by 10pm.

Sunday morning I went down for an irish breakfast but later decided I should have gone out. For the price I paid I thought it was a poor effort. Tasty enough still. I headed out shortly after to take a walk around Dublin. I just went wherever I desired and ended up at the place below. It was museum of sorts (attached to a church by a bridge) following the history of Dublin's beginnings. After a bit of humming and ahhing I decided to pay the price and squish what I could into the hour and a half I had left before I needed to be taking my packed bags to the bus stop. It would have been nice to take a little longer but oh well. I spent most of my time on the Viking floor as I was most interested in that. I don't know a lot about them and it was fascinating reading some of the information on them. The boats and why they built them the way they did for example. There was also a spot you could dress like a Viking. Hence the photo of me in a Viking helmet.

I dashed through the medieval floor and zoomed through the archiology floor. With a whirl around the gift shop I climbed up the tower for a brief view of the city. Then dashed back through--getting one of the staff to take a photo of me with the Viking by the entrance--and then on through the on and off showers toward my waiting bags. I went over the River Liffey on the Ha'penny Bridge (that is, Half penny in irish slang) and took a photo of O'Connell Bridge. This bridge is said to be unique in Europe as the only traffic bridge as wide as it is long.

Once I got back and checked out I trapsed to the bus stop where I got a ride directly to the airport. While waiting for my flight I had the most delicious bagel for lunch. I then made the long journey home. Long on the England side with a train to the city and a train--interrupted by line works meaning a bus ride for me--and back to the train home. I really enjoyed the weekend and very glad I took the opportunity to go. It still boggles me that I can actually go to another country for such a weekend here.