Day 31: The Dam

"Amsterdam did not answer our expectations; it is a kind of paltry, rubbishy Venice." -William Hazlitt




Well, I made it back to Dublin alive although it was touch and go at times. My jaunt with Norah to Amsterdam/Brussels was at the same time one of the most awesome and most infuriating trips of my life. I'm going to do a separate Brussels post, this first one focuses on the God forsaken city of Amsterdam.

The quote above surprisingly describes my reaction to Amsterdam, I didn't like it nearly as much as I thought I would. However, I am really happy I went because I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. I think I'm just past the part in my life when I would find Amsterdam cool, now it just seems a little immature. Between the drug use and other legalized entertainment, it was hard for me to respect it.

I will say that I liked the people for the most part (except when they told me that the street signs face in OPPOSITE directions!). Our tour guide was very amusing and informative, she even took us out for traditional food afterward! Everyone is extremely welcoming and very accommodating to tourists, probably because they make billions of dollars off of them each year. Everyone is also extremely tall, I was either level in a crowd of Dutch women or shorter! That was definitely a disorienting feeling.

I LOVE the food (as you'll see from the photos) and I really enjoyed the concert!

Let's get into the pictures. The one that opens the post is of a shopping center across from the Palace believe it or not. The palace is under construction right now and apparently has been for well over 7 years.


Here's me being positive on our first night in the city! I love Stroopwaffles, they are basically two waffle baked wafers filled with some kind of caramel concoction. I ate an embarrassing amount while I was in Amsterdam!


Here are the terrifying steps to our hostel! Basically you open the door and its a straight-up climb, I can't imagine trekking up with anything more than a backpack. I was pretty pathetic coming down these steps, holding on with both hands for dear life.


Here's our elaborate room. The bed was extremely uncomfortable, but I got two of the best sleeps of my life in it. Norah and I were so beat they probably could have gave us a sheet to lay on and we would have passed out. What do you want for 20 euro a night in the heart of Amsterdam? Not too bad.


This was the best part of our first day, dinner at Oud Holland! We got steak which was basically like a Salisbury steak with carrots, potatoes, salad and beets. Our waiter was hilarious, he thought we were very American for ordering steak.


Cookie bar on the morning of our second day! Great lattes and delicious banana and cinnamon muffins straight out of the oven!



For some reason Amsterdam looks more European to me than Dublin. Lots of leftover Medieval architecture, bridges and canals, extremely narrow alleys, it's definitely a very unique looking city.


Probably my favorite picture of the city.


Here is a shot of the narrowest house in Amsterdam! They used to tax citizens based on the front of their home, the Dutch are pretty tricky.


Here is a building where squatters live, basically more than half of this city is stuck in the 1960s.


I kind of forget what this is called, stroompot, stropot, something like that but it's a traditional Dutch meal. We snagged a deal, all you can eat for less than 7 euro! I only had the one plate, but Dan could have definitely done some damage.


Most depressing building or THE most depressing building? Appropriately it houses the Van Gogh Museum. I was super excited to see one of my favorite paintings "Wheat Field with Crows" one of the last paintings he did.





Word on the street is that this sign is famous, so being the exceptional tourists that we are, Norah and I took a picture. It says I amsterdam.


Waffles and Cappacino, much needed after a three hour walking tour and a visit to the Van Gogh museum.


We finally found the venue where Kevin Devine was playing, The Neuwe Anita, basically an underground concert venue because it doesn't even have a sign pointing it out. Before we ventured inside, we stopped at a Spanish restaurant next door for appetizers and Sangria!


Hilarious. No words needed. I didn't take any pictures at the show but Norah did, I'll try to swipe them off of her at a later date. Kevin was actually excited that I was strangely in Amsterdam at his show rather than in NJ or OH, I just thought he was going to be freaked out. I don't want to be "that fan."


The next morning we woke up super early to catch a train to Brussels, and all of that is another story for another post. Graffiti covers Amsterdam, so this is an appropriate ending picture from the train station. I found this one pretty amusing.

All in all, I'm glad I went, but it's not exactly on my list of dream vacations. Definitely a city that needs to be seen to be believed. Las Vegas calls itself Sin City? It ain't got nothin' on the Dam.

Day 25: The Dub in Love

Hey! Sorry I haven't posted in awhile, I just haven't done a lot of things this past week that involve picture taking! For example, they wouldn't have been too thrilled if I would have pulled out my Cyber Shot at immigration services and started snapping away. Thankfully though, I am now a legal visitor to the Republic of Ireland and will not be kicked out this week. It's the little things...

Norah and I did go to a museum earlier this week called House Number 29. It's actually on the same road as my apartment in the old Georgian part of town. The historical society has basically just kept one of the Georgian mansions intact, almost exactly how it would have looked in the late 1700s. The layout and architecture reminded me a lot of downtown Warren, especially city hall. We weren't allowed to take pictures during the tour, but I took a couple off of the web site.



This was my favorite room, it was on the second floor of the home and served as the main entertaining space. There were extra large windows and excessive lighting so everyone on the street could see what a great time party goers were having!



This was the dining room, it's amazing how much work the servants had to do just to keep the food warm!

Yesterday me, Norah, and Katy went on a "hill walk" which quickly turned into an all-out hike. We took the 16 bus outside of Dublin to a really cute area, but we didn't stay for the two hour jaunt. After climbing uphill for half an hour, the guide said we were at the beginning of the trail. So, we hung back and pretended to be taking pictures and then just turned around and headed back to the city!



Here's the view of Dublin from the top of one of the hills. Kind of a gloomy, overcast day.



Looking a little winded.



Norah and Katy on the much more relaxing downhill walk.



Waiting for the 16 bus, not amused.

Last night I went to see the movie Valentine's Day with the girls. It was a cute romantic comedy, lots of celebrities to keep it interesting. One thing I found really strange about the movies here is that you're given an assigned seat! If you don't buy your tickets together, you can't sit together, very strange!

Tonight Norah, Katy and Mae are joining me and Abby for a Valentine's day dinner of (I think) mac and cheese! Definitely looking forward to some good American comfort food.



Thanks to the grandparents for Valentine wishes!

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! :)

Day 18: Cooking with St. Kevin

History with its flickering lamp stumbles along the trail of the past, trying to reconstruct its scenes, to revive its echoes, and kindle with pale gleams the passion of former days.
-Winston Churchill

Yesterday I went on the Wild Wicklow Tour with Norah, Katie, Mae and Abby. It was fantastic, definitely the best way to see the beautiful mountain town on a budget! We boarded the tour bus at quarter to nine, did a brief tour of the city and then headed to the hills until around six o'clock. I'll provide some visuals to accompany the tour's itinerary...

At the Irish Sea, the salty breeze made it a bit chilly!

Norah (and Mae) at the James Joyce tour at Sandymount. The tower is in the first episode of Ulysses. Norah is actually taking a class on James Joyce at Trinity so this was basically a pilgrimmage for her.

View of the beach. Believe it or not we saw quite a few locals taking a dip! It's February!

Palm trees in Ireland? You were right Papa! Because of its unique (schizophrenic) weather tropical and temperate plants grow side by side. Thanks to Steven, our tour guide, for that handy bit of info.

Nice scarves.

View of the Wicklow Mountains and Guiness lake! Scenes from P.S. I Love You, Leap Year, and Brave Heart were all filmed in these mountains.

Mountain girl.

A post wouldn't be complete without a food picture! Fantastic stew at a pub in the mountains, served over mashed potatoes. Real stick to yer bones food.

The graveyard at the Glendalough monastic ruins.

The monastic cathedral on an actually sunny day! Even though it's a 1,000 years old, the majority of the structure is still standing.

Hanging with St. Kevin. Nextdoor to the cathedral is a small building called St. Kevin's Kitchen.

View from the bottom of a Viking look out tower. There are around 60 of them left around Ireland.

The second lake at Glendalough. That sunny nook in the distance is St. Kevin's bed, he often retired there to be on his own. Supposively it was the last place he was ever seen in Ireland.

It was quite an adventure! After getting that taste of the country I'm already looking through tour books to see where I can go next! I can't explain how awesome it is to see ancient ruins, walk through the house of saint, Glendalough is an amazing place.

Day 16: It's Always Sunny in Dublin (...well at least this weekend)

Where, you tend a rose, my lad, A thistle cannot grow.
-Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden

There was a heatwave in Dublin today! At one point I heard it got up to 50 degrees and it stayed sunny all afternoon. Tomorrow is supposed to be just as pleasant which is great because I'm going to Wicklow with some of the girls. I can't wait to get out of Dublin for a bit and explore the country. Although there is still plenty of this city to discover...

Here is my apartment building. I think it's actually a converted hotel from like the 60s, that's how it appears from our bathroom and the general setup.

This is Fitzwilliam Square, basically right next to my apartment building. The giant Georgian townhouses that surround it were home to some of Dublin's boldest and brightest (and richest) at the turn of the century. I'm very curious about the square because it's tended to constantly but the sign on the gate says "Private Garden." So, obviously I just assumed it was the Secret Garden.

So far this is my favorite Dublin door, it faces Fitzwilliam Square.

Three shots from St. Stephen's Green, a popular place on sunny days!

I have all my classes at this building on Aungier Street. It's actually very new and technologically advanced! The library is top notch.

Here is the shopping center at St. Stephen's Green. It's like the Short Hills mall in New Jersey and the Crystal Palace had a baby. That big circle in the middle is actually a glass clock.

Off to bed, I have to get rested for all the "wild" adventures tomorrow.

Day 15: Drenched Dublin

The best kind of rain, of course, is a cozy rain. This is the kind the anonymous medieval poet makes me remember, the rain that falls on a day when you'd just as soon stay in bed a little longer, write letters or read a good book by the fire, take early tea with hot scones and jam and look out the streaked window with complacency.
~Susan Allen Toth, England For All Seasons


There's a new fashion trend in the Dub and I think I originated it when I got here a week ago on a drizzly day...

I call it the drowned rat.

It was pouring today, but that's Dublin for you! Thankfully I'm prepared, a gander mountain waterproof jacket from Dad, a stylin umbrella from Grandma and Papa Dolan and a waterproof bookbag from Grandma and Grandpa Dixon. My family has outfitted me well for the battle!

It's just a little water, that never hurt anyone...well, I can think of one exception but Dorothy didn't do it on purpose.

Last night we went out to Dicey's Garden again last night for the two euro drink specials, but this time I took more friends! Norah and Mae joined me and my new roommate Abby along with the Canadians (including the Canadians over the Liffey) and a whole slew of other international kids we've come across! I couldn't walk around the club without running into someone I know which was cool/strange.

Also Lady Gaga was in town last night...

It took a lot of practice to get that shot!

This is Mae, she lives in Norah's building and also goes to Trinity. She's a history and English major. The girl on the right is Abby my new roomie from Pittsburgh! She's doing an internship in the Dub and taking online classes at Pitt.

It was another fun night, but now I'm realizing how few pictures I have of actual Dublin!! Vanity has got the best of me!

However, this Saturday Norah, Mae, Katie (Mae's roomie), Abby and I are taking the "Wild Wicklow Tour" to the Wicklow mountains. I'm so jazzed to get out into the country, I want to explore as much of Ireland as possible so I have lots to show mom!

Day 13: Back to school

A man who has never gone to school may steal from a freight car; but if he has a university education, he may steal the whole railroad. ~Theodore Roosevelt

Classes started yesterday at Dublin Institute of Technology and I'm already thrilled! No sarcasm! I'm taking all electives this semester so my schedule is basically filled with candy and I'm ready to dig in. The schedule looks as follows:

Monday: European Politics 10-11am and 2-3pm

Gaelic 5-6pm

Tuesday: Irish Cultural Studies 4-6pm

Wednesday: Critical Examination of Popular Culture 9-11am

World Cinema 3-5pm

Thursday: Irish Media History 2-4pm

I purposefully picked classses that I probably wouldn't be able to compare to Seton Hall courses, I want something completely different! European Politics was good yesterday, but intimidating! I'm barely passing on US politics, so this is definitely out of my comfort zone. Gaelic was terrific though, I can tell I'm going to love that course! I'll try to wow you all with some dialogue later, i can now say hello, ask someone how they are, and introduce myself. Handy.

Because Kate said I was boring, I'm going to give the going out pictures first! This one is from O'Donaghue's a pub a few blocks away from my apartment and a local favorite!

The redhead guy with the chicken was named Connor and was the band's singer. He was asking us about the states and telling us about how he lived in Australia for awhile before coming back to Dublin. The two older men alternated between guitar, banjo, fiddle, and accordian, very talented guys! They sang so many songs I know like "Ferryman," "Dirty Old Town," "Tell Me Ma," "7 Drunken Nights" and "Black Velvet Band" just to name a few! They were impressed/freaked out that I knew all the words.

Moving away from the pub and into the clubs, here are a couple pictures from last Wednesday's night at Dicey's Garden. The club is half indoor, half outdoor and about a 5 minute walk from my apartment with 2 euro drink specials.

Mirror Ceiling

The classy ladies to the left of yours truly are Marie and Froila, both from Toronto and studying hospitality management at DIT. Less classy and to the right is Erica, my four day fake roommate, and a random Irish kid that was hanging by the bathroom and wanted to jump in the picture. At least its a good picture of me!

Now on to my more domestic pictures, Kate you can stop here if you like.

First, I got this coat from a vintage store called the Harlequin off of O'Connell street for only 15 euro. It's just my size and all wool, so I've been keeping warm on those late walks back from school.

One thing I love about Dublin is the baguettes! Kind of ironic, I know, but they're always so fresh and cost about 30 cents. So, this morning I bought one and made myself an egg and mushroom sandwhich with American cheese and fresh ground pepper.

And of course, what meal is complete without a cup of tea? Fresh bread always makes me feel like I'm eating like a king!

I also bought some "shorties," shortbread cookies and tried them with peanut butter and pure honey. I think I just found my favorite dessert! 3 euro for a weeks supply (that is if I don't eat a week's supply today!)

More to come soon!