5 days in Dublin...

Sorry to all our faithful followers back at home (DD) but we didn't have a computer at our last hostel. We travelled to Dublin by ferry and the whole time couldn't help but notice how similar the climate and boat was to our own B.C ferries. When we arrived on the other side we were met by wind and rain, again, not much unlike home. Dublin is not very large in comparison to London and so we were able to navigate withhout too much trouble. We found our hostel on the Aston QUAY or (kway) according to Lumpy. At first sight we were a little scepticle. What used to be a reception desk was now a giant ashtray littled with cigarette butts, some were even still smoldering when we walked in. Upstairs was alright though, the people were very friendly and the decor a little outdated but reasonably clean. Alana screwed up the first nights booking because she for some reason thought that booking for the 14th meant the 15th? Who knows. I slept alone the first night in a 6 person dorm and then the next night the girls were able to join me in the room that was originally booked. The only issue with the room was that the shower had no border to it and the curtain was hanging by only a few hooks so by the time I made it in there, after the 2 girls, I practically had to swim to the shower, toilet and sink. Our first real outing in Dublin was to the Wicklow mountains. The bus trip up was amazing. The Irish countryside seemed so perfect and there was lots of sheep, I like sheep. However, once we finally reached our destination, a hike through a graveyard and monastery called Glendalough, we were slightly disapointed. For some, the two lakes and semi-mountainous terrain would be impressive but for British Columbians it was like any other day. We had 4 hours before we could get back and needless to say we were bored and getting rained on. We went into the visitor center and met a guy named Dara. He told us some of the clubs and pubs that were good to go to and other tourist info and then offered us a ride back. We sped down the mountain in a fraction of the time and listened to him talk about Irish life, awesome guy, great stories, it was truly a pleasure meeting him. He even helped us figure out which tram to take into the city (he lived in the suburbs) and bought the tickets for us. That night we took his advice and went to Wheelans. Picture the Blarney stone but double it in size and then chop it up into rooms and sections with stairs leading to the most random of places, thats what this place was like. Live music and Guiness, it was a good night. We met a couple of Irishmen, John and Greg. Good guys, very generous and harmless except Greg wanted to take Lumpy as his wife. The next day we stayed in Dublin and checked out the monuments around the city. St. Patricks cathedral was pretty cool but I must say, so far, nobody builds a monument like the British so the Irish one's paled in comparison. That night we had such a good time at Wheelans we decided to go again. After a long nap we made our way there and literally spent the night crowd surfing, the place was packed, obviously there is no capacity laws there and god help them if there was ever a fire. The next day we were bunk. There is a feeling of guilt when you're in a foreign country but all you want to do is stay in a relax, plus we needed to save some money so we just hung out in the room, played card games and drank wine half of which I spilled all over the place. That night we went to YO!SUSHI. It's a franchise in the UK and now Ireland of conveyer belt sushi restaurants but longer than anything you've seen in Vancouver, in fact, they are the longest sushi conveyer belts in the world. Brandon Clark would eat until death or his visa was maxed out because the place was just so H and U. Bellies full, we went back to the room and went to bed early. Next day we met Jon, a new roomate. Again, great guy. We rode on his coat tails to some cliffs where he taught us how true backpackers are supposed to eat, baguette, cheese, some shaved hame and the cheapest wine we could find. It was so good we had it for dinner. That was our final day in Dublin, it was raining and it will continue to rain there everyday until the end of time. Today we flew to Paris via Ryanair for 5 euros plus 50 euros in tax so really not as good as it sounds but far better than home. First impressions of Paris are good, our first hostel is new and clean but not in a great area so we will be sure to book one more central in two days. We did some much needed laundry today. I have enough trouble with laundry but combine that with a language I'm fairly weak at, it was not a great experience. To bed early tonight, we were up at 3 30 this morning.

Until next time....
Jevon