After flying from Rome to Dublin, Brian and I settled into our bed and breakfast and turned on the TV. Quite literally, the very first thing we heard was the quote in the title of this post. Talk about an understatement.
Greeting from Ireland! I'm sorry it's been so long since I've posted. Since I've been here, I haven't been in the same city for more than 24 hours, which is hectic as you can imagine. (I got a text from my mom that said, "What, no internet in Ireland?" Yes, mama, there is internet here. I miss you!)
Anyway, Brian and I have a mutual friend, Emma, who is from Ireland and studied abroad at Ole Miss for a semester. She came to meet us in Dublin and essentially take us around this bizarre country during our stay. "Bizarre" is yet another understatement. This is the strangest place I have ever been... in a good way (aside from the fact that it is
cold). I've been in Ireland for four days, and have visited Dublin, Belfast, and now Newcastle (where Emma is from). This is my photo-diary of the trip thus far:
Dublin:
Ummm... you are on the wrong side of the road...
Even with the reminders, I still can't figure out which way to look when crossing the street.
I knew it!!!
It was freeeeeezing in Dublin, so we grabbed some hot chocolate and walked around the park. Yes, that is a swan.
Brian and Emma in Temple Bar, the tourist area of Dublin. Brian is laughing in this picture because as I'm taking it, I'm being chased in a circle by a mental homeless woman with a white beard. That is not a joke.
Brian, Emma, and I at some bar in the Temple Bar area. I think it was called O'Reilly's... Typical!
Brian carved our names into a post at the bar. As the night went on, he added the names of the people we met and liked. I think there were six in total at the end, but we were the only important ones.
I ran into my roommate, Becky, on the street. Oh, wait a minute... That's just another leprechaun. My mistake. (I love you, Becks!)
Brian, Emma, and I only stayed in Dublin a night before taking the bus up to Belfast.
Belfast:
The sky in Ireland is absolutely beautiful (when it's not gray and rainy). Apparently, the government spent quite a bit of money to build this ferris wheel, and now it's where all the crackheads hang out. Sad.
Me and Emma in front of a monument on the Queens University campus. This is mainly to show that I'm freezing to death in my raincoat while Emma is all fine and good in her cute outfit and scarf. Irish people seem to think that their weather is normal. Not a chance.
Brian and I weren't as prepared as we should've been for the Irish climate. On our second day in Belfast, we had to flock to H&M and Gap in order to stock up on long sleeve t-shirts. This picture is taken at the top of the dome in the Victoria's Square mall. Note the horrible sky.
I wish that I had taken more pictures in Belfast. We stayed with Emma's friend, Laura, who is wonderful and was so sweet to us during our visit. On our night out, we went to a bar called Limelight, which was nooothing like Brian and I expected Irish bars to be. It was a metal club or something and there were tons of people with dreadlocks and skimpy outfits. Regardless, we had a great time people-watching (as usual). After wandering around in (freezing) Belfast, Brian, Emma, and I took another bus to Newcastle, where Emma's family lives.
Newcastle:
When we arrived in Newcastle, Emma's family had prepared a (delicious) "Sunday dinner," that they normally eat around 1 pm. It was so great to have a home-cooked meal after so much traveling. We were so appreciative.
Something is missing here... Oh yeah, the steering wheel!!!
After walking through the city center a bit, we stopped at Maud's for ice cream. It was a surprisingly beautiful day, so it was nice. I was rather chilly after I finished it though. I had Belgian chocolate chip with sprinkles. (In the background, Brian is baffled that Newcastle has mountains right next to seas.
They have this random sign that tells you how far you are from big cities around the world. I am 3782 miles from my sister, Lindsay, who lives in New York! I miss you, sis!
We went for a drive and finally were able to see the Ireland that we pictured. It was breath-taking.
Everything here is bright green (but probably because it rains all the time). It's definitely worth it for the views! Two of Emma's brothers, Niall and Daniel, rolled their eyes at me as I snapped a thousand pictures of their mountains.
We went to Silent Valley, the reservoir that provides water for Newcastle. It was really windy...
We decided to go through the forest to get back to the car. Bad idea... we didn't make it that far.
On our drive back into town, we rode next to the Irish sea. Again, they have the most beautiful skies. None of these pictures do this place justice.
I think the strangest thing about Ireland so far is its lack of scary things. This place has nothing scary. There are no spiders, snakes, bears, wolves, alligators, crocodiles, sharks, tornadoes, earthquakes, floods, cicadas, mosquitoes... and the list goes on. Seriously!?!? If it weren't so cold, I think I'd move here. We're visiting during their summer season (which is about 55 degrees Fahrenheit), and I undoubtedly would not make it through the winter. Sorry, Ireland.
Well, it's almost 3 am and we're waking up early to go on a hike in the morning, so I should get some sleep. I will have plenty more updates soon, I'm sure.
Please don't rain, please don't rain, please don't rain... Send me warmth from America!
Caroline
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