Exploring Dublin

Trinity College

Trinity College again.

That tree on the right has to be the BEST climbing tree

I've ever seen. But people aren't allowed to walk on the grass,

so no one can get to that tree. Its such a shame.

Pretty public park.

Even though it was chilly, there were a large number

of people laying out on the lawn.

Part of the same beautiful park.

I want my backyard to look like this someday.

A very grand, very old church, right in the middle of the city.

Extremely talented street musicians playing Irish

folk rock. That kid in the middle could play that flute

so incredibly quickly, it was unbelievable.

The streets in the center of Dublin all look like this--

narrow cobblestone streets flanked by

an eclectic array of painted shops and bars.

One of the many bars in Dublin-- though this probably gets the award for best decorated.

After a long day of walking around the streets of Dublin, Lauren (my new friend) and I decided to step into one of the local pubs to rest our feet. Our only requirement was that the place had to have live music. That wasn't hard to find. So our second requirement became that we had to be able to find a place to sit down. No leaning against the wall (my legs wouldn't stand for that -- pun totally intended! haha!).

So we each ordered a Guinness (brewed fresh just outside of town), and we sat for at least two hours listening to first the band above (and then a second band). They were both fantastic groups of musicians. And the music was always so fun --upbeat and energetic-- though it all started to sound very similar toward the end (it was all Irish folk music).

Overall, I had a great time exploring a new place, and now I can say I've been to Ireland. I definitely want to come back here though. I can't wait to return and explore the Irish countryside-- it looked so beautiful green and quaint from the airplane.

And then maybe, after I've finished exploring the Irish countryside, I'll purchase this little shop that's for sale (the white one in the picture below) and start up a little French bakery. Then I'll make friends with the owners of the "Joy of Chai" tea shop next door, and we can swap scones for hot coffee every morning before we open our shops for the day.