Unexpectedly, the bus dropped me off in the center of Dublin; I thought I would have to get a bus from the airport. I only had to walk five minutes to get to the hostel, which I saw from the bus. And as with being in a large, bustling city, I was itching to get off the bus so I could explore.
I'm in a 6-bed dormitory, and besides one drunk Irishman who came in at 3:30 a.m., I'm the only person in the room. But today I just wandered around, ate a falafel and felt at peace with the world. Dublin has been super chill so far, and I have nothing but good things to say about the city and this hostel.
My hostel, the John Gogarty Hostel, sits above the pub named after the same person. It gets very busy in the evening, because there is live Irish music for about 12 hours every day. This pub has had a different vibe to any other bar I've experienced because of the fact most people sing along with the musicians and are committed to the song. It's very lively.
1/1 - My stay in Dublin has not followed the theme that began this trip to Ireland, namely, there have been no snags, snafus or fuck-ups, besides the fact I lost my room key (it was free to replace). It has been, forgive me for being cheesy and cliche, a perfect end to a perfect year.
Dublin, particulaly my neighborhood, The Temple Bar, is incredible. The nightlife is perfect. Inside every pub is live accoustic music. Sometimes the music is fantastic, but the price of being packed into the pub like sardines and getting knocked around by others navigating through the crowd, such as on New Years Eve last night, isn't worth staying for.
My favorite pub, The Temple Bar, is chaotic to say the least. It's always filled to capacity, there's always live music and every available space is taken up by something, whether it be pictures, foreign money, a large Santa Claus clutching handfulls of candy canes, police/EMT/fire badges from many different countries, lights and many other things.
Luckily I was able to celebrate the New Year with Jessica and Emily, two Americans I met in my hostel. We spent the afternoon and evening drinking IPA and cider, but we drank smart by eating plenty and drinking water. It's always refreshing to spend a holiday with someone, especially when they're from the same country as you.
I wandered around Dublin yesterday, stumbling across the National Gallery and Little Museum of Dublin, so my day featured much more than just the drink. I even got a haircut and a beard trim from a barber; there are few things better than a good haircut in a strange city. Dublin is turning out to be one of my favorite places.
Today was more wandering around, but I did take a tour of the whiskey museum, had an Irish coffee and saw the new Star Wars movie (which was excellent). I saw more examples of why Dublin is so enjoyable: it's very colorful. There is so much street art on building walls that gives the city so much personality.
Today was more wandering around, but I did take a tour of the whiskey museum, had an Irish coffee and saw the new Star Wars movie (which was excellent). I saw more examples of why Dublin is so enjoyable: it's very colorful. There is so much street art on building walls that gives the city so much personality.
Despite the one hiccup of losing my key card and my shoes getting soaked through with so much rain, the trip to Dublin was a massive success. The trek to Ireland couldn't have been better, either, even with some of the cringe-inducing horror stories of the crashed Ethiopian Airlines system or being presented with the idea of getting deported from Ireland. It was a balance of complete opposites, with farm work in lonely northwest Ireland to raging New Years Eve parties in a big city. Considering my plan wasn't to come to Ireland until a week before departing, I think I did pretty well for myself.
With it being 2016 now, I won't bore you reflecting on 2015; you've already read plenty of times about what I've done, where I've gone and what I've accomplished. But I will say this: moving to England and visiting 16 countries in 2015, and all of the stories that came from that, made me more confident in myself. Despite how arrogant it sounds, this past year has made me a much more interesting person as well. It made me realize I can do anything; it doesn't matter how many miles away from home I am or the language barrier of that country. Adventure never stops.
So here's to 2016, a year in which hopefully my travels will continue and one more person will be inspired by the contents of this blog. That's my New Year's Resolution.
Remember, an adventure begins as soon as you open the door. But for me at the moment, adventure means waiting in Dublin Airport for five hours in the middle of the night, flying for 10.5 hours and then spending several more getting back to Porterville. At least I'm not sick with the flu this year.
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