Umbrellas Up, Umbrellas Down

On Monday Vincent drove us in to Dublin to pick up some clothes from Niall’s because Dale had his interview at the O’Briens near Dalkey. He felt that it went pretty well, and they told him they’d let him know on Thursday if he had the job or not. Later, we walked to a place in Dalkey that I had applied for online. It was down a tiny alley and up a flight of stairs, so altogether not very easy to find. I went in to give them my CV in person, and found a tiny office with a person crammed in each corner. I didn’t know who to address myself to, so I awkwardly told them I was there to apply for a “Junior…Marketing…position?” Instead of the “Junior Copywriter position,” but no one corrected me. I pulled my “resume,” not my CV, out of an envelope, and the guy was obviously surprised because he thought I was going to give him the whole package. Then I stood there even more awkwardly until he said “Thank you, Nicole,” and I smiled, thanked him, and walked out. He had to look at my resume to find my name. What an idiot I am. Hopefully I’m the only one who came all the way out to Dalkey to hand in a resume. CV, damn it! The deadline for applications is August 2nd, so I’ll have to keep applying for jobs in the meantime. That night there were seven badgers in the backyard when Vincent gave them their nightly feeding.

The next day Fionnuala drove us in to Dublin. Dale had another interview on Harcourt Street for a sales job. The street was crammed with buildings all attached to each other, and I waited outside for at least two hours. I had planned on going to the park and reading, but I realized I had forgotten my phone at home so Dale couldn’t call me and ask where I was when he was done. Thank God I had the book Fionnuala lent me. I stood leaning against the little black fence to get as far off the sidewalk as I could. Eventually my feet got sore and I sat on the step. I wasn’t as in the way as I expected to be because lunchtime had ended by then. When Dale came out hours later he was surprised to see me. My first question was, “What time is it?” since I didn’t have my phone to rely on. That was the worst. He then explained that he didn’t really want the job. After all that! It was on commission only. But he didn’t turn it down in case no other options come up. It starts at the end of this week. We took the DART back to Dalkey and eventually Niall came to visit Sennan and pick us up.

One day we went into the Rathmines area to see if we could talk to a realtor. The lady who owned the apartment near Niall and Leonie had never returned our calls. We ended up going from building to building because most realtors just deal in selling houses, not renting or letting. One realtor was actually helpful and directed us to a lettings agency, but when we walked in she told us most of their stuff is up on daft.ie anyways. She gave us a card and another website to try, but we found nothing new. We continued to apply for jobs and eat take away all the time. My skin was really bad at the start of this trip, probably because of all the changing foods, but if it gets bad again I’m sure it will be from eating pizza constantly. Good thing we’ve been walking so much too. We also took the DART back to Bray because there was an apartment right beside the sea that we wanted to look at. If Dale got the job near Dalkey, and I got the job in Dalkey, it would be perfect. But commuting to Dublin if not would be a complete hassle. We had a taste of rush hour on the way in, which required us to stand for the entire 45 minutes and occasionally get off the DART in order to let others out. Otherwise, the place was cute. Two small room, it’s own washer, a little paved back garden, and right beside the ocean. Plenty of spiders to clean up, mind you. It was quirky that to get to it, you go through a little door between two connected buildings and enter a long and skinny open-roofed hallway that turns right where it becomes sheltered by a low ceiling. When you come out the other side you go through the high gate into the back garden on the right. We seriously considered taking the place despite the creepy entrance.

We ate in an Indian shop along the coast while we mulled it over, but some hoodlums turned up with their hands down the front of their pants. When we told Niall about this later he said it was the latest trend amongst wanna-be gangsters. I was disgusted. Not only did they make some racist comments, a group of them ran out of the shop in a hurry and threw something in the garbage bins near where Dale and I were sitting outside. The store owner came out and told them to get lost, reaching into the garbage and pulling out a can of Redbull they had stolen. One of the thieves came back seconds later apologizing, only to grab a second can none of us knew he had thrown out. The owner didn’t see what he had done, and Dale and I were left feeling stupid and helpless for not noticing in the first place. Two days later, just as we were thinking we better take the apartment in Bray because housing doesn’t seem to be working out, the listing was taken down. It was already sold, just like that. Then on Thursday we found out Dale didn’t get the O’Briens job he wanted. We were both pretty disappointed, but he decided to continue to apply at their other locations. But on the plus side, one night we got to see a fox walk across the road towards us in the middle of Dublin! It had something in its mouth and looked kind of scrappy. It was the first fox I’ve ever seen “in the wild.”

From a bakery looking over the Liffey River—as central as you can get

On Friday we had three viewings to attend. We started by taking the bus into the city centre. But for whatever reason Dale didn’t have the phone number for the realtor and by the time we found the place we were 15 minutes late and no one was there. After trying a few numbers, the realtor’s office said they’d call us back to arrange another viewing, and they never did. So we visited the USIT office and discovered that Dale’s PPS number had arrived. The friendly girl in the computer section was not very enthusiastic about the sales job Dale might have, which surprised us. She didn’t say anything about sticking with it until he found something else. She did give us a little more information about the Monday socials, so we may have to get to socializing soon. We took the bus back home, then walked to the Rathmines district where we had more viewings. The walk took about 40 minutes. Oh, and it stormed. The sun changed very suddenly to lightning and thunder that crashed directly over our heads and deafened us. I had a personal-sized umbrella in my little purse, but we ended up drenched anyways. My dress looked black instead of blue from shoulder to hem and clung to me uncomfortably. We were allowed to look at the next apartment, even soaked. It was better than we had been expecting, with high ceilings and two rooms instead of a studio. The landlord said he could get a double bed put in there. But he wanted rent paid every week, the shower would take 10 minutes to heat up, there was no washer and dryer so we’d have to use a “laundrette” and he wanted work references. When we told Niall and Leonie later, they said not to worry about that part! We had another viewing in the storm, but the realtor said they’d call to confirm the time and address, but they never did. We waited under a hidden archway called Louis Lane, and tried to call them as the storm switched on and off. Eventually we had to give up and went to get pizza. By the time we got home, we were just about dry again.

Soaked and hiding from the storm in "Louis Lane"

On Saturday we went to the cinema and saw the film “Now You See Me” with Niall and two of his friends. We agreed it wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. Then we went out for drinks while Leonie was at a Bachelorette party. First we went to a pub in town and talked about playing music and hockey. One of the guys had been to Canada and done some physical testing for research with players in the NHL. Both friends were musical, one kindly offering to lend us his guitar at some point, temporarily. We talked about Irish TV because there is a show called “The Hit” that Niall’s other friend had been on back when it first started out. Basically, contestants come in with songs they have written, they sit in a port-o-cabin type box and play the song for two celebrities who decide which song they want to buy. We had just watched it the night before, and Niall explained how much the producers have already tried to fancy it up with sparkles and such since his friend had been there. Then with one member down, we went to the Temple Bar area, which was full of lights, cobblestones, and bachelorette parties. We found a pub just on the outskirts and stood talking near the bar for hours. With another member gone to rescue his sick girlfriend from the Bachelorette, Niall, Dale, and I wandered down the road to grab a chip butty, which turned out to be fries in a wrap with too much sauce, and then got a cab home. Leonie and her friend Jess arrived shortly afterwards and we stayed up until 4:00 in the morning. As expected, the next day was fairly unproductive. And full of pizza.

A Day in Bray

This week was full of job searching and house hunting. Niall took Dale and I to the north side of Dublin (stereotypically the worse side of Dublin, full of knackers—the guys who used to collect old horses and turn them into glue). Our first sojourn seemed to prove this theory right. The studio apartment was tinier than we even anticipated and certainly more of a mess. I felt bad for the very blue-eyed realtor when someone else who was there for the viewing shouted dramatically, “You expect someone to live in this? I’m an Irish citizen!” and then stormed out. We checked out two apartments across the street as well, and even if we could have lived with the size, the area seemed too unsafe. We thought that might be what we got for looking at the lowest priced houses (500-600 euros).

We then went to the Seaview house, which was in Clontarf, also in the north. Niall called it a “port-a-cabin,” as it was a box crammed next to other boxes. It was recently refurbished, so it was cute. But small. We were glad to find the bedroom and living room were separate for once. But it really was like walking six paces to get to either end. It intrigued us because it was down the street from the ocean, it had it’s own high-fenced gravel garden, and was near all sorts of transport. However, we didn’t know what to expect from the heating bills, we would have to buy internet, and we didn’t know how well we could handle constantly being in each other’s hair, so we put it on a maybe list.

Later in the week, Dale and I walked to an apartment near Niall and Leonie’s house, in a good neighbourhood where we have already been getting accustomed to the bus system. The apartment was in a corner store, between two of the shops. We walked through the door between the shops and went down a narrow hallway next to a flight of stairs. Inside was surprisingly spacious, with a full-sized fridge—unusual—a separate bedroom, and a recently refurbished bathroom for 600 euros a month. Connected to the bedroom was a door to a grimy, triangular courtyard, which was attached to the back of the shops on one side, and an empty apartment on the other. It didn’t look like it could be used for anything except smoking, which neither of us do. Leonie later suggested we could hang our clothes to dry out there since the shops don’t actually have access to it, and the other apartment may be empty for a while yet. Again, we would need to get internet set up, and the lady didn’t actually know what the heating bills were like yet, but we were interested. She even said it was going to be painted still, so it should look even better than when we saw it. Hopefully everything will be done this week and we can look again, and maybe even move in! It was amusing to us, given my back problems, that the shop right next door is some kind of massage/pain relief office.

Looking for Work

Dale and I took the bus into town decked out in our applying-for-jobs gear. It was hot outside, so I felt especially sorry for him in a full-sleeved button-up shirt and chunky black dress shoes. He dropped off his resume—I mean CV. I can’t stop doing that—in several stores we found along the way, but I hadn’t printed any of mine off yet, so I was there for moral support only. We went to the PPS office and spent far too long waiting for Dale to get his PPS number. The PPS number is needed for work, though they usually give you one when you start a job. I wasn’t able to get mine yet because we don’t have proof of address, which SWAP was able to provide Dale. The PPS number will him to set up a bank account, and may be helpful for getting an apartment. In the meantime, I’m stuck until we have a home or I have a job.

We generally catch the bus at Trinity University, which I have an eye for and Dale does not. But both of our senses of direction are improving, and we’re getting used to the transport system. You have to stick your arm out to make sure the driver will stop, and when you get on you say which stop you want, which it doesn’t say anywhere. So not only do you have to know it, you then have to keep your eye out for it and press a button to stop there. This week Dale made us sit on the top deck, which was covered unlike the tour bus in London. It turns out it is boiling hot up there. Dale also dropped off resumes in shops around Niall and Leonie’s neighbourhood. There was an O’Brien’s Wines, which he had applied online for in Canada, again in Ireland, and now in the store in person. He said the manager was very friendly and gave him the email for the HR person. Dale used the address, and now has an interview set up for Monday! They were happy to see that he did a WSET course last year, so it seems promising. Eventually we visited the USIT office again, this time to print off some resumes for myself. No one complained that I wasn’t a SWAP customer, and the girl who works in the computer area has been nothing but friendly, helpful, and encouraging.

Bray

We have been with Niall and Leonie for a week, which was the amount of  time they had originally offered. This means we need to get out of their house! We do not want to take advantage of them, or overstay our welcome. Luckily, Rosaleen offered to have us for the weekend, so Dale and I packed our backpacks and headed back for a cherry, “Welcome home!” from Vincent. We spent most of that Friday evening drinking beer or wine on the front step and chatting to Fionnuala as she did her gardening. On Saturday Dale and I took the train to Bray, which is putting on a summer festival.

The Sea-walk

We walked along the pier towards another cliff-front sea-walk, observing the carnival rides that were set up along the way and watching a helicopter land beside us on the hill. The sea-walk was tiring, with the hill rising up steeply to our right, and dropping off to the ocean on our left. The hike went on for at least six kilometres. We ventured to the edge of the cliff at one point, and on the way there I slipped and sent my bare foot straight into a spiky prickle bush. When we reached the end, we walked straight into the nearest pub. It was called the Beach House, and the staff were not very friendly. It got worse when I dropped a bottle of cider all over the floor… But at least it was cool inside, and the ciders were refreshing.

An old Carriage Stop

Thistles

Eventually we got ice-cream cones and took the DART back to Bray. We laughed our heads off on a carnival ride that spins as well as swings way up into the air like a palindrome. Then we walked barefoot along the ocean, sat in the sand as the sun set, and later wandered around town looking for a freaking hot drink because we hadn’t been planning on staying into the chilly evening. There was a gazebo where bands were playing loudly, so we listened to the music from the beach while sipping the long-awaited hot chocolate.

Taking a Peek Over the Edge

Having a Break at the Cliff's edge

The following day we walked up to Sorento Hill again and joined a small crowd of people who were trying to watch the air show across the bay in Bray. Fionnuala joined us with her dog Biff, until eventually the grey sky turned sunny again and I was relieved to get out of it’s direct gaze. The rest of the day was spent relaxing at home with a book.

A week in Ireland

A view of Dun Laoghaire

Our gentle hike up Killiney Hill wasn’t as gentle as we expected, but it was beautiful. Some of the area was wooded with tall smooth trunks that ended far above our heads in leafy branches. It was different from the ferns and pines that are green from ground to sky at home. When we broke out of the forest area it was to find grassy hills and stone walls. We paused to watch rock climbers making their way up the cliff faces, and enjoyed the view of Dun Laoghaire as the sun began to set. We took different footpaths through the heather until we reached a peak where there was a pointed Obelisk and a block-like pyramid. Both were follies built in 1741 as make-work projects. The panoramic views we enjoyed from the summit were well-worth staying for until the walk back was blurry and dim. Then we were tempted by a children’s park where apparently teeter-totters, zip-lines, and merry-go-rounds are not yet banned. And I’m telling you, I’d risk my kids getting injured for the fun of those playgrounds!

Hello Miss Molly!

Oliver St. John Gogarty's Pub

On Tuesday Fionnuala drove us into Dublin so that Dale could go to the USIT office for his SWAP orientation. He ended up being the only one attending, which meant he received one-on-one attention, and personalised advice. In the meantime, I met up with Niall, who gave me a one-on-one walking tour of Dublin. I couldn’t have had a better guide. We wandered through Trinity College, the Temple Bar area, and eyed the bullet holes in the post office and statue of Daniel O’Connell that the British left when trying to take back Ireland from the rebels. When Dale finished up, Niall took us to a few cheap shopping centres and picked up Dale’s interview clothes and even a new watch, which we’ve been laughing at ever since because we didn’t realize it would glow like a 12-year-old’s. The day was boiling hot, which made for a perfect evening out. Niall and his girlfriend, Leonie (Lay-oh-nee), took us to a pub near Temple Bar to watch some Irish dancing and listen to some “fiddly music.” There were few people upstairs with us, but plenty of clapping and energy. We spent the rest of the night downstairs, which was much more crowded, and watched the musician drain an entire Guinness in front of us. Then another. And after a couple more songs, another. All four of us were impressed. On the cab-ride home I offered a “tenner” to help pay for it, and laughed about how I jumped right in there with the lingo. I honestly think it will be too easy to pick up an accent, or at least phrases, and it scares both Dale and I a little! We stayed the night with Niall and Leonie, who don’t live far from the city centre.

Glendalough ruins in the distance

The tower at Glendalough

Wednesday included an afternoon trip to Glendalough, County Wicklow. Glendalough means “Valley of Two Lakes.” On the drive, Niall pointed out smoke up on the hill where we walked the day before. He said the brush catches fire regularly when it's so hot out. We stopped for lunch at a little café, which had high prices and only tolerable food. We wandered through the ruins of a church, graveyard, and tower where the door was 12 feet up the wall to protect the monks from invaders. We paddled in the lake, the dirt of which shimmered silver. Afterwards, they dropped us off for a last night in Dalkey before we transferred our home base to their house. The next day we spent indoors despite the weather and applied online for jobs. Finally, we went for another walk before Niall drove us back to Dublin. We found a smooth rock large enough for both of us among the bushes and sunbathed while watching the water below us. In the distance, the ocean met the sky so smoothly that the sailboats looked like they could take off into the air. Just as we were about to leave, a tiny black cat popped out of the greenery and joined us in the sun, as friendly as could be.

The church ruins

We woke up early to catch a bus into the centre of Dublin alone, and waited the entire morning for Dale to get his VISA stamped at the Garda National Bureau. It was the longest process imaginable. It was lunchtime when we finally walked out 300 euros poorer. Much of the rest of the day was spent in the USIT office working on Dale’s resume. I tried not to be too antsy that we were stuck inside again, but it was difficult when Dublin and the could-go-anytime-sun were right outside. We called a few people to make appointments to look at houses. Niall and Leonie helpfully took us to them, but one was sold by the time we arrived, and the other turned out to be a room. Nice big window, sure, but seriously all bed. I could have stayed home if I was looking for that. And for two people, for an entire year? I don’t think so. It was a shame that it was in such a great area. There is one other little place that I like, though we have our eyes on a few places.

An example of burnt bushes, at Howth

A view of the cliffs

Saturday saw us hiking with Niall and Leonie in Howth. The cliffs overlooking the ocean were exactly what I hoped to see from Ireland, and it was almost a shock to actually be standing on them rather than looking at a picture. Expecting a walk, Dale didn’t bring his camera, and I wore sandals that fell apart. Luckily, Leonie let us use her phone. The blues aren’t rich enough, and the greens aren’t dark enough, but I’m very happy to have captured some of the scenery. The fact that Niall and Leonie came along with us on all our sightseeing is a testament to what great hosts they’re been. We paid for dinner in an America-style diner in an attempt to thank them.

Niall and Leonie with "the Eye of Ireland" behind them

Roisin’s birthday was Sunday, so Leonie and I went to the shops near her house and picked up flowers, birthday cards, and a thank you for Rosaleen and Vincent for letting us stay with them in Dalkey. We talked about our very old cars, and how hers was actually reliable. But when Dale and I arrived back at the Dalkey house with Niall, Leonie called to say her car was smoking. That was bad timing. The barbeque was very nice, and had us wearing sunglasses at the same time as switching from garden to garden to avoid the breeze. It was comfortable to sit and talk with the Callaghan’s. It really felt like we were family, and even more so like we had been in Ireland for more than a week.

Dale and I on the cliffs

London to Dalkey, Ireland

By the end of our time in London, I felt like we could have been in Paris, which I hadn’t expected. Dale and I stopped short of gross public displays of affection, as usual. But the people around us didn’t seem to have a problem. I will say that just as the plane was about to leave Canada and I was watching nervously out the window, Dale turned my chin towards him and gave me a tiny kiss. There were plenty of times in London when I was short with him, mostly due to tired feet, tiredness in general, anxiety from running late, or hunger and being unable to find food because Dale was picky for some reason. But mostly I will remember fondly how he carried my purse without a word of complaint for half our stay. It’s probably a good thing the purse looks satchel-like.

Trafalgar Square

The train trip to our hostel wasn’t as bad as we expected it to be, though it was long, and our hostel was almost right around the corner from the station. I dropped my bags a few times because it was awkward to carry it all. Our first 20 pounds was spent on the security deposit, our next 4.50 each on keeping our luggage in a security room, and 3 pounds each went to the lockers under our beds for the rest of our belongings. Each night I got out the clothes I would wear the next day and slept with them on my bed, quietly doing my makeup there as well. I was able to avoid any line-ups for the bathroom this way, and avoided rummaging noises by planning ahead. Dale didn’t pack his London gear in his carry-on, so he ended up wearing the same shirt for four days. The first two nights we spent on the third story bunks, which were the very top and felt more private behind the curtains than the lower ones. It was hot in that room, but there wasn’t much noise. We had to change rooms on Friday because our first room had booked up before we got to it back home, and we ended up hauling our bags with us to a restaurant and brushing out teeth together in the bathroom while we waited for check-in at 11. I only bothered to shower on one evening, and it was an ordeal. I headed into the basement and it took opening door after door before I found them. The girls’ shower room was mostly deserted, and this felt more creepy to me than it felt private. I had to keep pressing a button to get the water going, like those awful taps you get in some bathrooms. Then when I left, I got lost. I ended up upstairs by a common room full of people in my pajamas and with wet hair, so I turned around and booked it the other way. I saw that same common room a couple more times. By the time I found my way back, Dale said he was going to give me five more minutes before he came looking for me.

But that first day when we arrived we were exhausted by 10pm. All we did was wander around the Russel Square area, sitting in the park, eating fish ‘n’ chips—typical, I know—and just scoping the place out. Dale commented on our surroundings, “Isn’t it so weird that this is normal to them?” The next day we grabbed lunch at a Tesco grocery store and ended up eating it because we couldn’t find breakfast. We went into the British Museum and had to kill an hour for the good exhibits, such as Egypt and Greece, to open. I suppose we didn’t need to be there for opening on a Thursday anyways. Dale killed the camera battery in there because by the time we had grabbed Subway sandwiches and taken the tube to Buckingham Palace, that was the end of it. The palace is actually pretty boring if you aren’t going to buy your way in, but it was still packed out front. We shelled out money for a disposable camera because this was our big sightseeing day. We purchased the expensive Big Bus Tour for £30 each, and enjoyed sitting down while a recording told us about London.  School boys in uniform liked to wave at the bus, and as the only one waving back, I received an accented, “Ah yes! Your are cool!” from one of them. We chose to hop off at the Tower of London and spent £18 pounds with the student rate to get in and check out the prisons, battlements, mock bedroom, and more. People were amused to see our disposable camera. They just aren’t around anymore. Just as we were deciding that London doesn’t gouge you like Vancouver does, I has to pay 50 pence to use a toilet. What?

Trafalgar Square

The bus tour gave us a free River Thames cruise, so we took that gratefully, arriving at Westminster for pictures of Big Ben. We missed the Ghosts and Gaslights tour that came with the bus tour because we couldn’t find the meeting point, and I was disappointed. We ended up at Pizza Hut for dinner, and sat at the fountain in Trafalgar Square for a while. Then we hung out on the far side of the Thames so we could see Big Ben light up in the evening.

On the top tier of the monument in Trafalgar Square

The following morning was the one that required the room change. We took our bags to a café and got to use the internet while we killed time and charged the camera. Then we checked back in and tubed it to Leicster Square for our Harry Potter tour! We ended up running across the square and through the crowds to make this one on time, and luckily managed it. We got to see more of London on the three hour tour than tourists might typically see, including the business district, which was hilarious in the evening. All the people in suits flooded out onto the cobbles and shade of a covered market and stood around drinking pints to celebrate that it was Friday. It was a massive amount of well-dressed and happy people. The tour itself was alright. We saw the inspiration for Diagon Alley, the place where Harry, Ron, and Hermione abduct a Ministry worker to make Polyjuice potion, and the grand finale, Platform 9 and ¾. I couldn’t resist buying the photo of myself there for £8.

Dale and I wandered after the tour ended, hopping on and off the tube and finding markets off the usual path while looking for food again. The funny thing is that we ended up desperate and ate a very cheap meal at MacDonald’s. We then tubed back to Westminster and strolled along the outside of Westminster Abbey. The National Galary was open late on Friday, which was a nice surprise. We got to enjoy some Picasso, Da Vinci, and Monet. I saw “Bathers” and thought of my friend, Julie, who loves that painting and would probably love to have been there. Then Dale and I climbed up the Trafalgar Square monument and sat at the highest tier eating McFlurries. They still have Smartie McFlurries in London! The view was great, and it was something I had never done before. It was relaxing to sit and people watch without a time frame. Although it was the most beautiful of several great days, the evening was more chilly and I had to borrow Dale’s sweater as we returned to our hostel. We stared at the bottom of my bunk that night, listening to his iPod and appreciating where we were. However, our new room was awful. We were surrounded by a group of Asian girls who, despite whispering, made all kinds of incredibly loud crinkling noises and other general inconsiderateness late at night and again for an hour at 5 in the morning. I rolled over noisily to show them that they had woken me up and ended up accidentally throwing a flying purse of rage down at them from my top bunk. They went silent for a second at the crashing sound, which was satisfying, but then I had to climb down into the middle of them to retrieve it, and that was embarrassing. Luckily, I was able to nap on the train to Holyhead, Wales, the next day, and Dale slept almost the whole time. The classic rolling hills flew by under another bright blue sky, some of them entirely yellow with flowers. Listening to Mumford and Sons as I watched was exhilarating.

London to Holyhead train

The ferry terminal was right beside the train’s last stop, but the ferry ride itself went on forever. At the end of it, we collected our bags and looked around for Niall, who was going to pick us up. I made eye contact with a dark-haired guy in shorts and he pointed at me, tilting his head and grinning as if to say, “You?” And that was that. He drove us to Dalkey, a half hour’s drive from Dublin, giving us tips and pointing out places along the way. In Dalkey I recognized the red door behind which we would be staying. Rosaleen came out to meet us, followed by her husband Vincent. Fionnuala (Fin-oo-la) arrived in time for dinner, and we did some catching up over a home-cooked meal. Vincent gave Dale and I directions to Finnegan’s pub, where I made an ass of myself. I asked for “two Guinnesses” rather than “two Guinness.” Then, the rule for Guinness is that the bartender pours it, then lets it sit for a minute, then pours more into the glass. I knew this, and I waited, and it took so long that I thought he must not be doing that. I swear he was waiting so that when I grabbed the glass he could say “They’re not ready yet!” Which I did, and which he did. Damn it!

Dale overlooking Dalkey Island

We must have had a lot to drink because we slept until 1 in the afternoon. I was very confused about the time when I woke up, but the sun was shining in from our floor to ceiling ocean-view windows. We finally got out of bed and went for a walk just the two of us to a park along a cliff that overlooked the ocean. It was called Dillon's Park. We took some footpaths through purple-flowered bushes swarming with bees to rocky cliffs covered in soft grass. Then we went up a different hill, Sorento Park, for an amazing view. The day was warm again, but not hot like Canada. There was an ocean breeze so gentle it was like drinking a glass of cold water. After taking our time overlooking Dalkey Island and planning to get across to it one of these days, we walked to Dun Laoghaire, buying 99ers at a tiny market—whipped icecream cones with a stick of flaky chocolate jabbed into it—and strolled down to the ocean. People were sitting along a stony pier rather than on sand or grass, and we watched a girl cliff jump in a wetsuit while a seal watched too. We returned in time for dinner, then spent the rest of the evening online trying to decide how to progress from there.

Me overlooking Dalkey Island. Who says it always rains in Ireland?

Today we went for coffee with Rosaleen at a tiny shop in the market where we got our 99ers yesterday. It was inside an old tram station that was shut down and was light and full of flowers. It was too bad we had to sit inside, but the atmosphere was once again very relaxed. We then left Rosaleen to take the Dart, or train, to Dun Laoghaire. We very easily picked up a phone plane from 02, which was amazingly cheap compared to Canada. For 20 euros we get unlimited calling in Ireland, 250 texts, and 200mb of data each month. It should be more than enough for now. After that, he and I walked to the pier, which was a mile long, and he got to touch the Irish Sea for the first time. It was a very long walk back to Dalkey since we only bought a one way ticket, and I am burnt as a result. Everyone keeps saying that it's a heat wave and that it should stick around for a month. The days are also very long here, the sun not going down until 10:30 or 11:00 at night. When we finally got back home, we sat in the grass in the backyard while Fionnuala did some gardening and Roisin (Row-sheen)'s little son Senan (Sen-nan) toddled around with the dog. Now we are heading out for a gentle hike.

My Arch Nemeses...and Taking Off in Two Hours!

Carry On...My Wayward Son

This week was surprisingly surprising. First, we found out that my relatives expected us to stay with them all along! So we did not need to book any hostels in Dublin. We will be staying in Dalkey, south of Dublin,  for a few days. The last two times I visited Ireland I stayed with Rosaleen, my grandad’s sister, and her husband Vincent in Dalkey too. Their son Niall will be picking us up from the ferry terminal in Dublin. Then we will be going to stay with Niall and his girlfriend Leonie for a week in Dublin. It’s crazy that we left our hostels so last minute—which is very out of character—just to have this work out in the end.

We unfortunately missed out on the Harry Potter Set Tour, but I must insist that we return to London for it at some point in the future. It sounds like friends and family who will eventually be travelling to London will make for a good excuse. Don’t tell them that’s the real reason, though. Luckily we did snag tickets for the Harry Potter Walking Tour on Friday. “Merlin’s Pants!” it’s going to be good!

On Thursday we moved Dale out of his apartment and into my house. The two of us did all the work ourselves except for a little cleaning help from his sister Tina. Our friends Brandie and Tyler lent us a truck and it only took a couple trips. And one fall up the stairs, one heavy picture frame dropped on a poor toe, and one pen scrape to the instep of my foot to get it done. Dale figures it’s stress, but it didn’t really rear it’s ugly head until it came time to print off our receipts and bookings. Then my arch rival, the Printer, and arch nemesis, Slow Internet, descended upon me like Thor on a second cup of coffee. Another! Every article we needed was agonizingly painful to get a hold of, and became increasingly lighter in colour as the ink ran out. I didn’t handle it any better than I used to when the nasty buggers attacked right when my various university papers were due. I got angry and wanted to pull my hair out. We are currently sitting in the airport with a flight delay of two hours so at least we know those particular tickets were legible.

We had to sort out what to do with Dale’s car at the last minute as well. His work backed out of storing it the week before we were set to leave, and other options turned out not to be viable. I put the word out to my grandparents and they turned to my uncle Dave, who came to the rescue. At his and my aunt Shandi’s house there is a paved platform where it can stay for the year, so we dropped it off before heading here. Thank goodness. And thank you so much to both of them!

My luggage decided to die on me the night before we left. A seam popped despite the fact the Sara lent me a vacuum seal bag, which I folded my clothes into rather than rolling like I had originally planned. It was the third time I repacked that bag. It also had no handle for dragging, and one of the wheels split. My mom went out to find a repair kit and came back with a much better piece of luggage. It has to return in decent condition because even the broken one was actually hers. Basically, my mom rocks. And the bag is no longer strained because it has an expandable pouch. In the end it weighed 49 pounds and headed down with the check baggage no problem. I found a neat trick that I used for my jewellery: straws to keep the necklaces from tangling. And I put all my earrings in a thermos I got for a grad gift. I also got away with a side-strap purse and a little backpack. Dale did the same, minus the purse, and plus a few bras because he rocks too. Did I mention we both have a little pink ribbon tied to our luggage to help us identify it on the other end?

No Tangles for this Necklace

My 24th birthday was Saturday. Our friends visited us from as far as Victoria and we enjoyed an evening on the patio furniture in the backyard. It was so hot out this weekend that I was able to enjoy two lazy days doing the same thing, followed by Canada Day at Cultus Lake. It was a great way to say farewell to my country and get ready for a whole new one. Or two. Or three. Danielle is already suggesting we meet her in Barcelona, or Paris, or Morroco, or a couple other countries. People have been constantly asking me if I’m excited or nervous. But apart from anger at the little inconveniences and stressors, I haven’t felt much of anything. Hopefully I snap out of it soon. Maybe when we board and I can actually relax for nine hours. Hah. We are seated at the very back right against the bathrooms. Wish me luck! But seriously, I’m sure I’ll appreciate where I’m going as soon as it seems real. Having said that, I’m quite glad no one in my family or friends circle cried when we said goodbye, and that includes my mom—which was impressive. Feeling nothing but stress has probably been quite helpful. I’ll have to muster up some excitement for Dale’s benefit though. This is an adventure, after all! Take off is in two hours!