Let’s start off with Friday. A group of us had heard about a few different pub crawls that you could get for a pretty decent deal. About 10 of us booked spots on one called the “Leprechaun Pub Crawl” (cliché, right?). At around 7:30, we met the tour guides at the Spire in the center of the city and began our tour. Did I mention they were offering free shots at each of the bars we stayed at? The catch was that you had to buy something in order to get the free shot, but our tour guide felt bad that his boss didn’t describe it to us properly, so he was able to get us free shots at most of the pubs we went to. One of the pubs that was really fun was the Porterhouse. We were able to watch the last 30 minutes of the Ireland-Russia soccer qualifier, and the atmosphere there was really cool! Unfortunately, we lost the game 3-2, but there were some excellent plays and it was just really fun to be in the middle of a bar full of soccer fans cheering on their country! It was a fun night overall; here are some photos:
On Saturday, a group of us went into the city, originally intending on taking the DART in Dun Laoghaire to go on the boat of Alex’s family friends. Unfortunately, we got a call from them on the way to let us know that the water was too choppy to go on the boat due to the high winds.
We were in the city though, so we capitalized on our location. We did a bit of looking around for a Halloween costume- still have NO idea what I want to be- and then went to a little café called “Nude.” It was small and quaint, and served delicious Chai! A few of the girls ordered baked potatoes with different fillings inside- cream cheese and bacon in one, sour cream and chive in the other- and they looked absolutely delicious! We stayed here for a while as we waited for another girl to join us because we decided to go to the Guinness Factory.
We met up with her, and went on a walk through the city to get to the Factory. It was a beautiful day out- very clear and nice weather- so it was very enjoyable. We finally got to the Guinness Factor at about 4:30 and began a tour at 5. It’s a building where you guide your own way through the floors to learn about the history and process of Guinness, but it was really cool and interactive. Here are some photos from the tour:
At the end of the tour, you go up to the seventh floor of the building (which has a 7 story pint glass rising up through the center), where the Gravity Bar is located. This is a circular bar with windows all around so you can see out over the city. Buildings in Dublin aren’t very high, so you can see pretty far from this height. We enjoyed our complimentary Guinness (with a Shamrock drawn in the foam!) and then made our way back to the city center.
Alex, Tricia and I decided to stay in the city for a cheap dinner. We found a place called the South Street Restaurant that had plates for 10 euro. We sat down, ordered a bottle of wine and an appetizer, and relaxed after a long day on our feet. My food was delicious- spinach and ricotta stuffed tortellini in a tomato basil and cream sauce- YUM! It seemed like I would be full for ages, but we made our way back to campus shortly after we finished.
The night was a relaxing one, and I went to sleep around 12. Well, tried to go to sleep around 12. My cough kept me up for another two hours, but I finally managed to get some rest.
Sunday was a lazy day, as usual. I had a project due in the class I just came from, so the group of girls that I was working with came over to my apartment around 1 and we got to work. The project was pretty interesting. It was for our Cultural Performance and Popular Entertainment class. The teacher- who is a very eccentric, passionate and intense woman- pointed at the ‘group of Americans’ and told us to do something to introduce the class to America for next week. What?! We all decided on a video that depicted what Irish people had in their minds as typical American stereotypes. Through the week, we got some great footage interviewing people to see what they thought, and on Sunday, I was able to compose a poem about what we thought ‘our America’ was in reaction to the video. Here’s the link for the video and the poem is beneath it!
Erin:
It’s not what you read in the tabloids,
Or see on reality TV,
The real America is different,
Just listen and you'll see.
It’s not what you read in the tabloids,
Or see on reality TV,
The real America is different,
Just listen and you'll see.
Maggie:
We value our independence,
And celebrate once a year,
The fourth of July is a national holiday
That’s filled with lots and lots of cheer.
We value our independence,
And celebrate once a year,
The fourth of July is a national holiday
That’s filled with lots and lots of cheer.
Jill:
We value our first amendment,
With the freedoms of speech, religion, and press,
We respect our founding fathers,
And wouldn’t ask for any less.
We value our first amendment,
With the freedoms of speech, religion, and press,
We respect our founding fathers,
And wouldn’t ask for any less.
Deirdre:
America is a virtual melting pot,
With people of every color, shape and size.
It’s a place where people can be themselves,
Without wearing a disguise.
America is a virtual melting pot,
With people of every color, shape and size.
It’s a place where people can be themselves,
Without wearing a disguise.
Molly:
American people vary from coast to coast
Much like the Irish state,
There’s a different feeling in the north, south, east and west
This is something to which we can relate.
American people vary from coast to coast
Much like the Irish state,
There’s a different feeling in the north, south, east and west
This is something to which we can relate.
Katie:
The global recession hit us hard too,
And we’ve been trying to make ends meet.
But with determination and persistence,
This economic downturn will be beat.
The global recession hit us hard too,
And we’ve been trying to make ends meet.
But with determination and persistence,
This economic downturn will be beat.
Erin:
The United States as a whole,
Is not a hectic and rushed place,
I’m Erin and I’m from a small town,
Where we go at our own pace.
The United States as a whole,
Is not a hectic and rushed place,
I’m Erin and I’m from a small town,
Where we go at our own pace.
Maggie:
I’m Maggie and I’m from Long Island,
I live close to the Jersey Shore,
That show doesn’t define the whole culture though,
There’s definitely a lot more.
I’m Maggie and I’m from Long Island,
I live close to the Jersey Shore,
That show doesn’t define the whole culture though,
There’s definitely a lot more.
Jill: (wave and say I’m Jill)
Some say Americans are ignorant,
And know nothing outside the States,
I’ve travelled around the world though,
And my experiences have been great.
Some say Americans are ignorant,
And know nothing outside the States,
I’ve travelled around the world though,
And my experiences have been great.
Deirdre: (just wave and say I’m Dierdre)
Not all Americans are obnoxious,
Not all of us are loud,
I consider myself a quiet person,
But I’m still sociable in a crowd.
Not all Americans are obnoxious,
Not all of us are loud,
I consider myself a quiet person,
But I’m still sociable in a crowd.
Molly: (just wave and say I’m Molly)
I like my meat and potatoes,
But not a burger and fries,
If you think all Americans love fast food,
You’re probably hearing lies.
I like my meat and potatoes,
But not a burger and fries,
If you think all Americans love fast food,
You’re probably hearing lies.
Katie: (wave and say I’m Katie)
Growing up in America,
Isn’t as easy as it seems,
I work three jobs to pay for school,
So that I can follow my dreams.
Growing up in America,
Isn’t as easy as it seems,
I work three jobs to pay for school,
So that I can follow my dreams.
All:
The six of us standing in front of you,
Are as different as can be,
This is a testament to the real America,
The home of the brave and land of the free.
The six of us standing in front of you,
Are as different as can be,
This is a testament to the real America,
The home of the brave and land of the free.
She was very impressed with our ‘performance,’ which we were very excited about. Last week, she ripped into the 2 groups who had to present on Temple Bar and the National Concert Hall for being lame, boring, lacking all emotion, etc. Needless to say, we were pretty nervous going into today’s lecture for what we would hear! We got nothing but compliments and applause J
For this class, we also have an end of the year ‘performance’ which makes up a large part of our grade. It is deemed a cultural day on campus, and the class is divided into groups of 10 and tasked with creating some sort of art/performance to present for a 30 minute slot to the entire campus. We’re getting groups next class, so we can get to work soon!
That’s all for now J
Jill
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