Imelda May/Imeldamazing

Good morning! Hope you’re all well! :) I’ll catch ya up to speed on what’s been goin on in Dublin!

This week was so fun! On Monday evening after work, Louise invited me into town with her. Her mom was there and she wanted to introduce us. I joked that it was probably a good thing that I meet her since her daughter and I are going out of the country this weekend! Haha, luckily London isn’t too far away though. :) Anyway, we all got some ice cream together and got to chat for a while. It was so nice just sitting, talking, and people watching with them. Also, Louise and her mom look alike and talk alike so it was fun for me getting to see the resemblance!

After ice cream, I took the Luas back to my apartment. I expected it to be a quiet evening in, but as I was about to get into the elevator (or the lift, as they call it here), Meghan came out! This was the conversation:

Meghan: “Oh my gosh, hey!”

Me: “Hey girl! Funny seeing you here.”

Meghan: “What are you doing right now?”

Me: “Just going upstairs to chill. What’s up?”

Meghan: “Wanna go out to dinner with me and my parents?”

Me: “Duh!”

Her parents were celebrating an anniversary in Ireland at the time and ended up getting to make a stop in Dublin. It worked out really well, because they got to explore a popular city but also see their daughter while they were here! So, I ran upstairs, put my stuff down, and headed back out to town with Meghan! It was a fun and spontaneous evening. Again, I got to meet Meghan’s mom and dad and see just how alike they all are. I think it’s so cute getting to see parent and child side by side! :)

They took Meghan and I to a cute little burger place in Temple Bar, which is a very central road in Dublin. Admittedly, it’s known to be a touristy location, but sometimes I have to remind myself that that’s just what we are! We might as well embrace it! The meal was delicious and the company was even better. It was definitely a fun night of conversation and laughs. I so enjoyed being an adopted family member for the evening, although it made me miss mine even more! (Three weeks from tomorrow, mom, dad, Sara and Kate!)

After dinner, it was still freakishly light outside so we decided to seek out some Irish music. We went to this place called Gogarty. When you initially walk in, they’re playing popular hip hop songs and wouldn’t at all appear to be a traditional Irish music scene. However, if you walk to the back of the place and ascend the stairs, you’re transformed to another atmosphere entirely! As we all entered the second floor, we were pleasantly surprised to see and hear an Irish man playing the guitar and singing. We all got a drink and took a seat.

We ended up staying there for most of the evening, and I wouldn’t trade a second of it! The place was rich with talent. A man that spoke to us said he had been working there for well over twenty years and you could see the pride radiating from him. I’m still smiling thinking about the whole thing.

After the singers, there was river dancing! I was a bit skeptical at first, but after watching for only a minute, I was in awe! The dancers’ legs looked like jello as they so swiftly moved around the stage. It was interesting and captured every soul’s attention in the room!

Overall, it was a really great day! The company was lovely all around—and it was quite funny that I got to meet two different parents in a single afternoon. If my Monday were an episode of Friends, it would be called The One with the Parents.

Anyway, moving on.. Wednesday was a crazy day at work! Because of weird circumstances, I ended up being the only one in the office to answer calls and take inquires and such. It was a little nerve-wracking, but such good experience! I was happy to have been able to handle things, and by the end of the day the whole building hadn’t caught fire! That has to be a good sign, right? I did find myself struggling with one thing, though. I haven’t had any trouble with accents or understanding the people here until I started talking to them on the phone! It becomes ten times more difficult to understand a strong accent over the telephone lines. One particularly cringe worthy moment was when I had to ask a client three times what his name was, and then finally get him to spell it. He responded: M-A-T-T-H-E-W-S. Ugh. Of course it would have been that embarrassingly easy of a name. He probably thought I was crazy for needing to know how to spell Matthews. At least I can laugh at myself.

Later that evening, Louise invited me to a concert! She said she had an extra ticket and offered it to me. It was particularly exciting because the singer is Irish. Her name is Imelda May, and she rocked! I’m really happy to say that I’m now a fan of an Irish artist! Pretty cool stuff. Plus, it was only my second concert ever, which made it all the more fun! :)

Yesterday, The Fault in Our Stars finally came out in Dublin! There’s a theatre conveniently located within ten minutes walking distance, so Meghan, her friend and I all went to go see the show. We were none too pleased when we found out that release dates of movies are delayed here—so you can imagine our excitement when the day finally came! TFIOS is Meghan’s favorite book, and I’ve read it a few times as well. When we got in the theatre though, we were only one of two parties there. It was somewhat hilarious for us that no one in Dublin seemed to care about the movie’s release, whereas in the United States I’m sure there were midnight viewings and sold out theatres for the whole first day. Interesting stuff.

Today, I’m headed off to London! I’m super excited to see all it has in store. Some of the main things we’re doing are The London Eye and seeing shows at The West End. Tune in next week for a blog post about it all! Oh and by the way, as I was looking up things to do on Trip Adviser, I decided to look up Destin, Florida for kicks. I wanted to see how the recommendations actually compare since I am very familiar with the area and the fun things to do. Guess what was on it. Just guess.

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The ​midbay bridge. WHAT A JOKE. Lolololol. It really made me chuckle, seeing as the locals avoid that bridge at all costs (get it? ba da ch) since it is the only toll in the area. In fact, lots of people are bitter about it because the toll was made to pay for the bridge’s building costs, but everyone knows that the construction has long since been paid off. So, anyway, next time you cross that expensive old bridge, laugh to yourself knowing that people from out of town are intentionally paying to drive it. Stupid tourists. ;)

Thanks for reading! Cheers! :)

Xox,

Alyssa