someday i'll be living in a big 'ol city

my favorite spot in Dublin, the iconic Ha'penny Bridge in city center (because it used to cost half a penny to cross when it was first built!)

Last friday I spent the day getting to experience more of Dublin, the city I get to call home for these next two months! And if any of you know me, I have always wanted to see what being a city girl would feel like :)

Dublin is a really fun, vibrant city. There are a lot of internationals here (guilty) and the city is not toooo big that it is overwhelming. It is such a charming place with genuinely nice people and there are constantly things to do and new places to discover. So Dublin suits me well :)

First, Ariel and I went to a Mexican restaurant we had heard of that was...basically a Chipotle knock-off called Boojum. We were so excited find it, because as EUSA had said, "Don't expect to find Mexican food here."

Uhm. yeah. ok EUSA. ;)

It really was exactly like a Chipotle, although sorry Boojum, Chipotle's food is better. It was the first after all.


Then we went into Trinity College, Ireland's oldest college and right in the heart of Dublin. It is absolutely beautiful, but I think UVA holds it's own too. :) While there, we saw the Book of Kells, a 9th century printing of the Gospel and the Long Room, an old library now converted into a museum. They are some of Ireland's top attractions, although I don't think worth the 7 euro we had to pay, but it was one of the things you just can't go to Ireland and not see! (or your mom might kill you for not bringing her back a Trinity College sweatshirt ;) )

Trinity College photo courtesy of Pinterest

The Long Room Library photo courtesy of Pinterest

Afterwards, we met up with Tori and relaxed at the Queen of Tarts cafe on Dame Street. It is the most precious, ah-dorable, darling, insert-cutesy-adjective-here cafe ever! They had to-die-for Victorian sponge cake, and it immediately became a spot I have decided to frequent ;)

it's love. i'm SO gonna miss this place when I leave

After saying goodbye to Tori, Ariel and I went on the hop-on hop-off Dublin bus tour that EUSA had given us FREE passes for. (FREE! had to emphasize that again. hey, i'm a college student, it's in our blood to love free stuff). But because it was raining, imma be honest and say there was no hopping off of this bus for us! It was the hop on...and that was it. Apparently for everyone else too, because the bus was packed. Except for when we pulled up at the Guiness factory (heh, I had already been there, I'm such a dubliner ;) ) and everyone and their mother (literally, grandmas scuttled off of the bus for the glorified Guiness) got off, making more room for us!

I'm tellin' ya...Ireland and their Guiness...sheesh.

Later that night, we met up with Brian and Tori at the Merchant's Arch for some good food and traditional Irish music. I probably had the best fish and chips I've ever had there, and there was free wifi! Woohoo! Sitting across from us were some truly obnoxious Americans who discovered that the people next to them were also from their hometown Philly, and they all quickly became the loudest group in the joint. I now know where the loud, obnoxious American stereotype comes from. I was happy to be the calm, relaxed American sitting in the corner, listening to music, chatting to her friends, and munching on her fish and chips. Calmly.

All in all, it was a great day enjoying more of Dublin! EUSA had always been encouraging us not to go jetsetting all over Europe during our weekends, but to stay in Dublin for some of it and actually explore more of the city we're living in. I think this definitely has some truth, Dublin has so much to offer, I could never get bored! (at least not with that Victorian sponge cake I couldn't! ;) )

Blog post title - Mean by Taylor Swift