July 20, 2012

Confessions of the Euro-fluenced: Day 15, 21-22

We finally experienced RyanAir! For those of you that don't know, RyanAir is the most well-known airline out of all of the cheap, budget airlines in Europe (cheap as in 10 Euros one-way). So for us, sometimes it is more cost and time effective to fly from town to town instead of taking the train or bus. But RyanAir is a bit, well, different...

Similar to Southwest Airlines, RyanAir has a boarding system where you line up in ascending order by the number on your ticket. But instead of lining up calmly and following the clear, simple instructions, apparently its perfectly normal for Europeans to push and shove to get onto the plane!

Now, if there is one thing that I don't like, it is when people do not follow the simplest of rules (aka I always use my blinkers, I always cross the road only when the sign blinks WALK, etc). The rules are in place for a reason, people. Why create unnecessary chaos and stress when there is a perfectly capable solution at hand?

Specifically, I'd like to thank the RyanAir flight attendants for continuously reassuring us of our safety even though there was a mysterious liquid dripping from the ceiling onto the guy beside me. "Its probably just the air conditioning" they said as they stuffed wads of napkins into the crack.

After arriving safely in Ireland, we boarded a bus to downtown Dublin for the night. We were only passing through, so we didn't get to see much besides our beds that night.

However, we came back through town a few days later.Upon exploration, we found that even though Dublin was quite exciting, it was a bit dirty and dodgy. This was especially evident in the ever popular and super touristy Temple Bar area. However, we found some excellent food at Elephant and Castle, and savory coffee at The Brick Alley Cafe. I conquered the local Urban Outfitters while Andrew explored Trinity College.

There were a few surpising highlights, however:

  • We invoked in hilarious conversation with our Swedish roommates. These guys were the real deal... dirty, hairy, smelly, and proudly displayed creepy moustaches. They invited us to be part of their 'crew,' an offer that, in the moment, seemed great and we immediately accepted. We later learned that by 'crew' they literally meant an imaginary 'crew' aboard an imaginary ship which already included themselves and a few fictional animals. 
  • We learned how to pour and drink a proper pint at the Guinness Storehouse. This was my first time learning all the hows and whys of what goes in to making beer. I was very impressed with the museum and would recommend it to you.
  • We also visited The Museum of Natural History. At first, I was delighted because animals are fun! But after just a few hours of being there, I realized its basically just a creepy zoo of stuffed and jarred dead animals.

Our hostel was decently neutral. Its hard to judge a bed when you are only paying 11 Euros per person for it, and if it comes with a few funny Swedes. The only downside was that our room was located in the basement and included a flooding bathroom. Neither Andrew or I suffer from allergies, but, well, that night we did. But hey, for that price you can't ask for too much!

Oh, just one more thing. There's a relatively funny picture of me taken in the Natural History Museum. Its me pointing to a stuffed bird. I'd like to take this time to dedicate it to both my father and my brother-in-law. The former likes to make certain kinds of jokes and the latter milks cows. I think it's pretty self explanatory...


>Food 1
>Location 1
>Activities 1
>Comfort 1/2
>Hostel 0

The FLACH? 3.5 Swedish stars.


I spy Urban Outfitters.
Grabbing a bite to eat at the train station.
A Dublin street.
Kegs, kegs, everywhere.
Dublin bridge.
Trinity College.
Trinity College.
Sick humor.
Shopping in UO!

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