Tudor House Dalkey

... around for awhile.

Yesterday we had a more relaxed day and walked up to Phoenix park, which is the largest park in Europe. I was really beautiful and there were tons of deer just running around the park which was fun to see. There is also a gigantic cross where the Pope held mass in the 70's and 1.5 million people showed up (Ireland population was only 2 million at the time) to witness it. After the park we grabbed a late lunch and came back to ...

... River (our hotel is in the south). S*dly, *s we w*lked, the r*in st*rted! I myself h*d trusted in we*ther.com (which we h*d checked in the morning) when it s*id th*t the r*in would end in the morning. (Sometimes the internet just lets you down!). Oh well, it w*s *n interesting w*lk *nyw*y. We h*d not yet been over the Liffey (the river th*t *cts much *s Fifth Avenue does in NY); we needed to find O'Connell Street *nd the bridge of the s*me n*me *nd then keep he*ding north p*st the ...

... gardens.  They were also out in force on the streets today.  We probably saw 30 volunteers here and there selling daffodil pins and cut daffodils for the Irish Cancer Society's "Daffodil Day" which was March 20 this year.  I think Dublin must have had several squashed tourists at some point because they've painted "Look right" on the ground at most of the intersections.  There is a beautiful, walled public park in Dublin that has a circumference of over 7 miles ...

Strange how really good hostels these days are more like hotels, but then again, I think backpackers end up paying too much to share dorms or rooms. And if two or more people are traveling it is probably better value to have a hotel room. While the hostel awards released by hostelworld are good in recognising the best, we probably all know amazing places to stay that are too small to be listed on their website, even places where the owners don't have ...

Max went to Galway and he returned....jobless....hmmm... So it has been decided that Dublin is the place to stay, for the time being anyway. So put we will stay and jobs we will find....(well hopefully). Poor Max, he has been plodding away on the job search for a few weeks now and nothing is coming up for him. He is applying for science jobs, which would be the ideal, but he is also applying for anything. He has gone into cafes, shops, juice bars, etc ...

... the Barge after work. Andrew took me again, I kind of like being "taken" there and not just walking in all alone and Andrew. Omg he is just such an amazing guy, I'm def falling in love with him (in a strictly friendship only, total respect and impressed kind of way). I just had some amazing (if yet tipsy) conversations with him and I just.. gah, he's just so freakin great like : D I had loads of fun, some great times with Sophia as well and of course all the other people ...

... were no crowds. In fact, I thought I had entered the wrong terminal, because barely a soul was around. I checked in two hours in advance for my international flight. The check in process was easy - no weighing and tagging of the luggage, and then a trip, lugging your bag, to have it scanned (like Aer Lingus employs). It was a one-step process at the Delta check in, with the luggage going right on the conveyor belt. I was flying business class, so I was directed to the ...

... was sitting in the lobby, we swapped stories, i checked my pedometer (9.75 miles for the day) and we made a date for me to take a nap and meet them at our favorite pub across the street. Got up from nap and started heading down and there was Charlie in the lobby waiting for Steve. So we headed out together to our spot and ventured on the more lively side of the bar this time. Oh and ...

... which is always a plus when you first arrive in a foreign country. Early start to Day 1 (March30th) we headed towards Wicklow a small town known for its Gaol (Jail) built in 1702. Learning about the prison life and the cruelty that they went through was quite interesting but very spooky walking through all the cells and dungeons where people had been tortured and killed. There was not a lot more to be seen in Wicklow so we headed a ...

In Dublin's fair city, where girls are so pretty, I first set my eyes on sweet Molly Malone As she wheeled her wheel barrow Through streets broad and narrow Crying "Cockles and mussels, alive, alive-oh! I'll spare you the rest of that ditty, remembered from childhood and move on to my more musically appealing reason for visiting Dublin: Iron Maiden. Oh yes. Mr MS is the cheif Iron Maiden fan in this house, and when he ...