Luck of the Irish- Dublin!

Hello there!

Yours truly at Dublin Castle

I am back from the unbelievably gorgeous and cheery Dublin, Ireland! We left Friday afternoon from the Tours airport, just north of the city and it was by far the smallest airport I’ve ever seen: basically a shed with some lawn chairs and a runway. Still, for €20 each way, we had a smooth flight off to Ireland!

The first thing we noticed upon arriving in Ireland, was that the corner store, Spar, sells Tim Hortons! I’m not sure the Australian and American joining us eight Canadians understood the cultural significance of this mecca, but needless to say we instantly felt at home.

Personally, I fell in love with Ireland. It was, however, a bit of a culture shock to return to a country that speaks English! We traded in our “bonjour-s” and “merci-s” and lapped up everything we missed. For me, a pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks and some good square, homey meals did the trick. Ireland very much reminded me of Canada, particularly the east coast. The people were exceptionally friendly and aren’t as fussy and prim as the French. It was silly things like seeing people wearing sweatpants in public and celebrating Halloween that made me warm & fuzzy inside. For some inexplicable reason I missed tacky Halloween decorations. It’s so easy to embrace a country that celebrates much of the same culture as your own.

St. Patrick's Cathedral

One of my best decisions was the City Sightseeing bus tour. You know those red double decker ones? They took us right to all of the main sights and were quite informative. So we spent Saturday and Sunday touring around. We visited both the Christ Church Cathedral and St. Patrick’s Cathedral, which were both hauntingly beautiful. I’m convinced that I can never get tired of visiting cathedrals or castles. The experience was made even better by the lovely orchestra that serenaded us through our walk about Christ Church Cathedral. I also learned a lot about their historical significance. Religion figures prominently in Irish history, and isn’t my typical interest point, but from visiting the cathedrals, Dublin Castle, Trinity College and various other sites I learned something I never would have sought out on my own.

Of course, museums are always on the agenda. Dublinia adjoins Christ Church Cathedral and is a Viking and medieval Dublin exhibit. I knew very little of Irish history before this journey, and it was quite interesting and educational to see how everyday people lived in historic Dublin. I also took a quick jaunt to the National Museum of Archeology and History which was likewise informative, but perhaps the best was the Kilmainham Gaol. It is a former prison and the site of the execution of the leaders from the 1916 Easter Rising. It was rather gruesome but certainly intriguing, and our tour guide was super knowledgeable.

Pot of gold at the end of the rainbow

And, being Ireland and all, we had to visit the Guinness Storehouse and the Jameson Whiskey Distillery. Guinness is a huge operation and there were swarms of people waiting in “queues” when we arrived Saturday, but fortunately we had booked our tickets online and got the VIP treatment, walking right through! As I had zero knowledge of beer nor of its production, Guinness was an enlightening experience. At the ancestry exhibit, I found Hilliards that once worked for Guinness. Now I need to perform some investigative historical research and make the connection! By far the best part was the Gravity Bar, the highest point in Dublin, at the top of the factory, which offers a breathtaking panoramic view of the entire landscape. Top that off with my first pint of Guinness and that trip was a smashing success. Sunday saw a trip to the historic Jameson Whiskey distillery. We started by sampling a dark chocolate truffle bar as well as a milk chocolate caramel bar, both infused with Jameson. Delish! Our tour guide had a typically Irish sense of humor and took us through the process of distilling whiskey, which again was something of which I had no prior wisdom. At the end of our tour we got a glass of whiskey, and I admit I rather like it. When in Ireland.

Last night in Ireland with the other students from Tours!

Another keen cultural point of Ireland is the bar scene. The Irish are very jovial and Dubliners kick back in the Temple Bar district and embrace some live music. Ireland has such a cheerful atmosphere, despite the fact it apparently rains a lot (fortunately Sunday was our only drizzly day). 

All in all, I had a great weekend in Dublin and can't wait to return some day to see the rest of the country!

Z <3

La Pluie à Paris!

Good morning, good afternoon, good evening all!

After a whirlwind all-nighter 24h trip to Paris, I'm not actually sure what time of day it is at the moment! ;)

Outside the Musée De Louvre!

Many of us international students flocked to Paris Saturday to scope out la Nuit Blanche ("sleepless night"- apparently we have these in T.O. & Ottawa as well!). The premise is an all-night festival where museums, galleries and venues are free & open to the public. Despite the promising description, Nuit Blanche Paris was a bit of a bummer. Many of the really awesome sites (think: Musées de Louvre or d'Orsay) weren't open and many of the attractions that were open closed early (midnight or 1am, definitely not all night). 



Something else raining on our parade was the weather- it poured the entire time! I'm sure you've see the 1877 oil painting, Paris: A Rainy Day, by French artist Gustave Caillebotte (if not, it's situated à la gauche <--). Unfortunately, Paris isn't nearly this romantic in the rain. But despite this setback, we trekked across the city (with a little help from the metro) and hit all the big tourist attractions. Eiffel Tower! L'Arc de Triomphe! Champs-Elysées! Notre Dame de Paris! Because Paris is so iconic, I found it difficult to know what to expect. However, I was still in awe of everything I saw & can't wait to go back to see everything else! It's surreal to think I hopped on a train and pulled off my first all-nighter in Paris, of all places!

On another note, this weekend is Thanksgiving in Canada, and I'm a bit sad that I'm spending my favourite holiday so far away from my family. As the traditional turkey dinner is evidently not a global phenomenon, the best I could do for a pumpkin pie was a raspberry tart. At the end of the day, I have to remind myself that for everything I'm missing back home, I am having some amazing once-in-a-lifetime experiences that I wouldn't trade for anything- not even a Canadian feast of epic proportions. Joyeuse L'Action de Grâce à tous mes canadiens!!! :)   

Z <3