It’s finally hit me that this trip is almost over, and I’m not ready for it to end soon. Friends and family from home keep asking if I am excited to go back to America… and the answer is no. I am loving my time on this trip and wish it could be even longer! But this week went by so fast, I couldn’t believe it.
On Thursday I went to grab lunch at the Merion Square Food Market and I will be returning this week again. The park was lined with multiple food trucks offering cuisine from all over the world. There were so many options it took me three laps around the trucks to decide on what I wanted. I ended up getting some homemade samosas and fish and chips. After I got my food, I joined the crowd sitting on the grass, ready to enjoy my food, when a seagull started hanging a little too close to me. I just minded my business, but then out of nowhere it tried to attack my food! Absolutely not! I literally paid like 15 Euros and wasn’t playing around so I immediately moved somewhere else. The wild part? This bird followed me like a toxic ex wanting to get back together to my new spot. I ended up abandoning the park altogether and found a bench nearby to sit on. Other than my and this bird having some problems, the food was so good. The fish and chips has been the best I’ve had so far here in Dublin.
That same night we went to the Irish House party. I thought the food was pretty good, except the brownie. The performance after dinner was very entertaining (way better than that brownie). I’ve never seen or heard of Uilleann pipes until that night, but it was interesting that he pumped air into it using the bellow under his arm. I’ve never listened to music like that before.
On Friday Erin, Nathaniel, and I finally tried our first spice bag from X’ian. I didn’t think it was bad, but it was a bit over hyped. However, you have to get the dumplings because they were so good. We also got stopped by some people running trivia or an Instagram account and got to answer a few trivia questions. (Go follow @poptrifia on Instagram by the way).
Saturday was my solo day in the city. I visited the National Gallery of Ireland ,which had some beautiful art pieces there (free entry!) After I had lunch at this place called Biang Biang and I kid you not, this was the best food I have had in Dublin.The dish I got was the braised beef short rib with chili oil and it was a 20/10. They hand pull the noodles right in front of you.
That night, my friends and I decided to switch things up and go somewhere other than Dicey’s. We ended up at O’Donoghue’s and The Pawn Shop. We realized it was probably time to give Dicey’s a break since the bouncers there started to recognize us. One bouncer started to play this game of putting the stamp everywhere but on my hand, but he’s my favorite. Later that night, while Nathaniel and I were waiting in line for Centra, we suddenly found ourselves staring at Hillary Clinton. Turns out the guy in front of us traded shirts with a random guy that night and he was left wearing a shirt with Hillary Clinton’s face plastered all over it.
On Sunday there were Gaelic games. I’’l admit that I wasn’t looking forward to this, but I ended up having a good time. Hurling and Gaelic Football are definitely not easy, but I still had a fun time trying them out. After the sports ended, Nathaniel and I finally got to eat some Filipino food. There’s barely anywhere to get it in Dublin, but we found this spot called Filipino Bakery and Cafe. It tasted great and reminded me of home, even though it was quite pricey.
After class on Monday we visited Kilmainham Gaol Prison. It was definitely giving prison vibes! I could not imagine being locked up in there. The prison cells were so small and often held multiple people at once and here I am complaining about the size of my dorm at Bucknell!
Image 1: Hillary Clinton!
Image 2: The bouncer putting the stamp on my arm (This is twice now)
Image 3: Biang Biang noodles
Image 4: Merrion Square Food Market
Image 5: The National Gallery of Ireland
