Dublin Down

Hello from Dublin! Lots of people have been asking for more blog so here it is. Dublin's been good so far, but I wouldn't call it great. I had a tough time with the jetlag/adjusting to the different time (5 hours ahead of Ottawa) for the first few days. I didn't sleep on the plane, so getting around Dublin on zero sleep was an interesting experience. Funnily enough, I booked my hostel based on price, and had no clue where it was before I showed up. Turns out it's literally a stone's throw (I didn't actually try throwing a stone, but even Trent Edwards could do it) away from the hostel I stayed at during my last trip to Dublin. So at least I knew the neighbourhood. I slept most of the first afternoon I was here as well as the entire night, and most of the next day. Since then, I've unfortunately struggled with getting a full night's sleep, often waking up at around 3 or 4 am without being able to fall back asleep. Ah well, you're not here to read my troubles though, so let's move on.
Dublin's a fun city, but there's only so much you can see on a budget. I think I've managed to find a decent balance between enjoying myself and not spending all my money too early. Some things I've done:

• Taken lots of walks through the city, down the Liffey, by Temple Bar, and just about everywhere else
• Ducked into various pubs for a pint. My favourite pub so far is a small one that's about 4 blocks away from my hostel, named Malloy's. Very quaint with lots of characters. Listening to the regulars bust eachothers chops about soccer, etc as I read a book or an Irish rag and sip a Guinness brings a smile out of me every time.
• Took a walking tour of Trinity College and saw the Book of Kells
• Saw the museum of art and history, mainly the history side. They have a great exhibition on the history of the Irish military and the various conflicts that have happened here (there's been a couple for those non-history buffs). Highly recommended. I've got a few photos in the album below but had to stop because I got scolded for taking pictures. I didn't know that I couldn't, I swear!
• Strolled around Phoenix park - a beautiful gem hidden away from the busy city centre.

My time in Dublin comes to an end on Sunday. I'm looking forward to moving on to the countryside, to see something new. I'll be heading out to Ennis, which is on the west coast, to see the Cliffs of Moher. Hope everyone back home is doing well. Please feel free to email me or leave a comment below, I love hearing from everybody.

As promised, here are my pictures so far: The Hockey HOF and Dublin.

And as a bonus, I didn't say "shit" once in this blog, Julie! ...ah shit