It's March....Already?!

I can't believe it's already March, time is flying! I obviously have some explaining to do, since I haven't updated this blog in awhile, but don't worry I can explain.

This past weekend (26-28 February) I went down to Dublin with a flat mate of mine, Ruth. Ruth is from Toronto, Canada, and is studying drama and economics.  She has an aunt who lives in Dublin finishing a bachelors degree in Philosophy/Religion, so we stayed at her aunt and uncle's home.  Having some 'in's' with the younger crowd in Dublin, Ruth's aunt Hannah spoke with students from her course and they invited to a club where this student was DJ'ing.  Ruth and I arrived down to Dublin and had dinner and caught up with Hannah and her husband, Tony.  After dinner, Tony took Ruth and I down to Temple Bar where we stopped at THE Temple Bar for a drink.  This bar was pretty obviously a popular place for tourists because we were not alone.  Norwegians, French, Germans, Americans, Canadians, etc. it was a nice bar with so much going on.  We did manage to meet some Irish artists (sculptor and carpenter) and some of their friends who were very welcoming and like most Irish, very kind and happy to meet people from around the world.  Eventually, Ruth and I made our way to the club that Hannah's classmate was DJ'ing at and we got to meet Sarah, the DJ, and we stayed there for awhile dancing and enjoying the music.  Coming home, we crashed, but woke up to a hot pot of tea and an Irish fry.

Saturday we wanted to get the most out of our day, so we got up early and Tony had offered to make us bacon, sausage, toast, and eggs, and honestly, how could you refuse!? It was a delicious and filling breakfast which set us off to a great day in the city where we spent hours walking and enjoying the beautiful SUN that actually decided to come out! We spent most of our day just walking around looking at the different parts of the city like Temple Bar, Grafton Street (above right), and Trinity College, but eventually took a rest at a place called Bewley's Oriental Cafe (above left; which actually used to be an old bookstore where the Trinity College students would go and read for hours) which is located right on Grafton Street in a beautiful old building! We had tea and a scone and rested our feet there after our day of strolling through Saint Stephen's Green and checking out the various sculptures and Gazebo's placed throughout the gardens.

Finally making our way home, Ruth and I helped Hannah make some dinner and I got to meet Ruth's cousin Marcus who spoke to us for most of the evening about everything from Lost to Irish Politics.  We stayed in and watch the film, Milk with Marcus and then got up the next morning and went to church then hoped back on the bus to go back up to Belfast.....quite the trip!

Yet Sunday didn't end then, there was a benefit concert for Haiti called Folk for Haiti where 15 bands came together on Sunday and played from 2pm until midnight. I couldn't make it there until later, but even for the portion I saw was incredible. Some of the most talented musicians I have ever seen, it's crazy to believe that most of these musicians really only ever play in pubs during sessions when they're that talented, but I guess in Ireland, it's just tradition.  And that's exactly what the music was, tradition, which has been kept alive through the pub sessions and culture which makes Ireland so unique.

My week has now continued with courses and work and lots and lots of reading, but this week, all my hard work will pay off with the visit from my best friend from home, Michelle visiting! Tomorrow (Saturday) I will catch an early morning bus down to Dublin to meet and show her everything great about Dublin, then we'll come up to Belfast for a couple days before heading down to Galway to visit other friends and see some country side in Ireland!