Belated travelogue post, part II

After Strasbourg and Murry, it was time to head to Dublin. Unlike France, my purpose in heading to Ireland was nearly all business -- it's where much of the international support for my team is located. I went out to go spread the goodwill, educate people, get feedback on the current state of things. Nothing too glamorous, but definitely worthwhile.

I arrived in Dublin late at night on Tuesday. My first action of note was to get on the wrong Airport Shuttle. Turns out there are two routes that the Aircoach takes. Luckily, when I arrived at the final shuttle stop, waaaay out in the suburbs, and realized my mistake, the bus driver was kind enough to return and drop me a bit closer to my hotel. The fact that I burst into hysterical tears may have helped.

My hotel room at The Davenport, when I finally reached it after midnight, was fabulous. It's a good thing, too, because it really became my headquarters over the next few days. I spent quite a bit of time there, as you will soon learn. Quite large and posh, right?









The next few days were just work, work, work. I didn't get out at all, because I didn't know the city, and wasn't in much mood to explore after long days at the computer. I got my dinners from the snack rooms at work, supplemented with Nutella, bread, and fresh fruit from the local Spar market. I am not proud of how much Nutella I ate, but I will not attempt to conceal the fact that it was a lot. I only eat it when I'm in Europe, so it has fond and particular associations for me, despite its availability in the US.

Saturday, however, I finally exited my comfortable cocoon. First, I went for a run around the city in the morning, to get the lay of the land at last and become a bit more familiar with the city. As luck would have it, Spencer, one of my coworkers from here in CA is doing an ambassador program in Dublin, so he and I headed out for a tourist bonanza...or so we thought.

Our first stop, Trinity College and the Book of Kells, was excellent. The highlight was The Long Room, a very old two-level library that I wanted to permanently settle in. Unfortunately, pictures were verboten. But it was just glorious to be in there for as long as we were. When I build my dream house, it's going to have a replica of the Long Room. Sound good, Josh? ;)

After that, though, things just didn't go our way. Dublin Castle wasn't open. Neither was Jameson Distillery. The line at the Guinness Storehouse was revolting. Even our attempt to go to lunch at The Cedar Tree was thwarted. Whyyyyyy? The tourism stars were simply aligned against us. Accordingly, you'll just have to settle for this picture of the exterior of Christ Church.


Finally, with tired feet, we sat down in St. Stephen's Green while we waited for our tea-time at The Merrion Hotel with a few other coworkers. And that, ladies and gentlemen, was the first high point of my visit. I'd like to have tea every day! That's a tradition I could get behind. See? Look how psyched I was!


The scones, breads, and little tarts were delicious, as was the steaming Earl Grey tea I chose. Perfect after a day of wandering outside in a chilly wind. The company was lively and fun, too, so we agreed to meet up again for dinner later that day.

After a brief rest, we did exactly that. By chance, we decided to dine at the popular (and deservedly so) Bang Cafe. I had a prawn stirfry and a chocolate mousse with banana sorbet. It was ridiculously delicious. Still feeling fairly energetic, we headed just a couple doors down to O'Donoghue's pub, where we listened to a ripe old accordion player and each had a Baby Guinness. It was surprisingly tasty. My companions, better drinkers than I, continued to swill regular Guinness, and we chatted until about midnight, when I gladly headed back to the hotel with a smidge of a sore throat.

Sunday was a great day, because I finally got out of the city. Personally, when I think Ireland, I don't think buildings -- I think rolling green hills and mist-covered beaches. I got a taste of that idyllic scenery by heading to Glendalough for a hike with Spencer as well as one of our Dublin colleagues, Uladzimir, and his wife Tania. Spencer and I hopped on the DART for half an hour, winding our way along the picturesque coast to Bray, where Uladzimir and Tania picked us up and drove us to Glendalough, an old monastery with gorgeous hilly hiking trails.

The weather was ideal -- sunny in the morning, only darkening and becoming a bit windier as the day wore on. You can see that it gave the monastery a bit of an eerie look, however -- like an oddly lit movie set.


Glendalough (aka "valley of the two lakes") is stunning. I mean, lake + hills = pretty, right? Abbey would have loved it and taken pictures till the battery in her camera died.


As it was, the hike itself might've killed us. You climb pretty steeply, aided by railroad ties that give you a bit more stability and traction. The path is thickly wooded, with a pretty waterfall. We passed a number of outdoorsy Irish folks who offered friendly greetings. When we got to the top, the view was definitely worth it.


After the hike, we were famished. We drove back into Bray where we excitedly sat down to a "carvery" lunch. It's a traditional Sunday meal for the Irish -- like a buffet, but with shepherd's pie, roast, stew, carrots, cabbage, and the ubiquitous potatoes. I particularly loved these slightly crispy roasted potatoes. So tasty. And Uladzimir and Tania were really gracious hosts. They are about the friendliest, nicest people you'd ever meet. Plus, Tania likes Grey's Anatomy, so we had plenty to talk about. :)

By the time we headed home shortly after 5, I was exhausted. I spent the evening in, happy to have finally been out and about. Still feeling the twinge of potential impending sickness, I downed copious amounts of tea as well.

However, it was to no avail. I awoke Monday feeling like dung. I dragged my corpse-feeling self into work, where I shuffled through the day bleary-eyed and aching. After work I retreated home, smuggling several Vitamin C-rich Innocent smoothies, my favorite beverage in Ireland, pilfered from work. I made tea, sprawled in bed with the smoothies, the tea, the tissue box, and the remote. A real party, as I'm sure you can imagine.

The next couple days, I continued to feel a bit wonky, but I kept working. Time was short, and there was a lot of work. Unfortunately, I didn't get to do any more sight-seeing or socializing, but I did eventually feel better in time to go home. Of course, "home" had changed by that time...but that's a different story, and one I'll get to in another post.

In conclusion, I love Irish breakfast.