What gorgeous, gorgeous weather Dublin can have, and I say that for two reasons. One, because the usual clouds and rain Dublin tends to have were away for the day. Two, because today a couple of us went on an excursion over to Pheonix Park! We spent about three or four hours wandering around, asking different people for directions (one older gentleman, Knoll, was very nice and pointed us in the direction of the café that serves really good “brown bread,” a kind of nutty, homemade bread the Irish love it seems), and basking in the sunlight beneath the Wellington Testimonial. Such a relaxing, calm way to spend the day, truly I think this has been one of my favorite experiences in Dublin thus far.
Checking out the water at Hawk Cliff in Dalkey
Although there have been a ton of other great experiences I have had that I wouldn’t want to totally gloss over! Last weekend, we took a trip down to Dalkey and saw sea lions, porpoises, and a bunch of fishermen as we perused the rocks on Hawks Cliff. And then this week I was able to explore a little closer to home when I took a walk down the canal in both directions, turning around at random points and enjoying the crisp evening air. On a roll, I also took a trip over to see the Iveagh Gardens and St Stephens Green, both of which I hadn’t gotten a chance to really see a lot of since I’ve been here and both of which are beautiful works of greenery in the midst of a bustling city. I loved every minute.
View from the Wellington Testimonial in Pheonix Park
For everything else, I would say that I think I’ve officially settled into a routine here when it comes to my classes and my internship! Though people told me before I left, “don’t get too comfortable, get out of your comfort zone as often as you can,” I feel like I really enjoy my classes and my internship enough to be able to stay in the moment with them while still getting to experience new things outside of the classroom. Things like going to new pubs (Flannery’s, O’Donoghue’s, Sinnotts, etc.), checking out new coffee shops (The Moose Café, so adorable!) and going on trips to places like Glendalough, the Wicklow Mountains, and Kilkenny (all three of which I will be going to tomorrow, so excited!)
Yes, it’s true, I feel comfortable here in Dublin now. But I also know that I will continue to step outside of my comfort zone as much as I can in order to truly get a sense of what Dublin (and Ireland as a whole) has to offer.
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One Month Ago/One Month Later
It's been a month since I took a teary-eyed flight back home.
Grace DeMun
<p>Hailing from Tacoma, WA, I'm a English Literature and Psychology major who is thoroughly excited to be traveling an studying in Ireland in the fall. I've lived my whole life in the PNW, so I'm interested to see what this new adventure will bring (although weather-wise it seems pretty similar!) I love music and dancing (badly) and I have loved reading and stories for as long as I can remember. I draw the most inspiration and creative juices from experiencing new things and ideas, so I know I'll be bursting with words to be written and stories to be told during the four months I'm away from home.</p>
