First Day in Dublin

I was sidetracked several times en route to get supplies. Leaving my apartment, I made a point to pass through campus. It is fairly spectacular in its architecture and arrangement. I was told by a coworker at GQRR that Trinity was designed to face inward, as a fortress, so as to protect its Protestant students from the various rebellions that occurred just outside its doors. And while the campus has greatly expanded since it was founded in 1592, it is still very secure – especially at night – surrounded by high metal fences and stone walls.

Exiting through the main gate and taking a left led me to Grafton Street. On both sides of the brick and cobblestone road were numerous outlets and establishments, from the uniquely Dublin to the somewhat classier looking McDonald’s. Crisscrossing the buildings were large white-light displays for Christmas and New Year’s Eve.

Soon after stepping onto the pedestrian-only boulevard, I recognized that it must serve as a prime tourist destination. With that in mind, I forgot about getting supplies, not in small part because I left my list back at the apartment, and set about exploring all the side roads that branch off from Grafton. While there was some evidence of the state of the economy, with a few vacant buildings, most of the shops were bustling. A tactic that I had not seen anywhere else was for vendors along the side streets to hire individuals with large signs to wade amongst the crowded Grafton street. So not only were your eyes enveloped by the mass of shoppers, the old-style architecture, the lit signs of stores along the road, and the lights across the street but you had an added jumble of individuals waiving their sign poles to attract your gaze.

At the end of the street is St. Stephen’s Green and a large shopping mall. As with most of the buildings in the city (forgetting the 70’s style Arts building at Trinity), the mall managed to blend modern stores with an intricate and ornate exterior and interior. Three stories high, the mall fit a wide variety of stores – but not the grocery store that I believed was inside. So instead of buying groceries, I stopped at a local variant of a fast-food burger joint, and ate my meal overlooking the Green and the end of Grafton.

After lunch, I stole into one of the two Vodafone stores along Grafton, and purchased the cheapest pay-as-you-go phone that was offered – a Nokia that eerily resembles my first cell phone, albeit slimmer. Even though I forgot to purchase minutes, I was a little more confident strutting through the streets of Dublin and knowing the time. I guess I will purchase some minutes tomorrow.

Returning to Goldsmith, I met (and startled) my roommate Maeve – she had not heard me arrive around 7am that morning. We quickly introduced ourselves, but she apologized that she was late for a wedding, and ran out the door.

Back in my room, I desperately tried to connect to every available wireless internet network that I could locate. My efforts were fruitless, but I did download the required program to use Trinity’s wireless. Now all I need is my login information that will come during orientation. Not able to remain disconnected from the internet for that long, I will probably head to the Starbuck’s near Grafton, and hope that they – like in the States – offer free wireless.
After setting up my new phone and failing to find the internet, I noticed that it was getting towards 7 and headed out to find a pub for dinner. I also left to look for a plunger (turns out I was just confused by the toilet). My search for a good looking pub took me in the opposite side of campus and the streets along Goldsmith. I wandered down and across without finding one that particularly peaked my interest – though I did find one named after Irish revolutionary Paedrig Pearse (thanks Joe).

Nevertheless, I stumbled across an enormous theater with a magnificent light display across its façade (think random points of light against an otherwise dark background). Immediately after passing that theater, I found myself at the banks of the river. There was a particularly interesting looking building with a neon striped display across its exterior (think Northern Lights), but I was hungry and was not willing to cross the footbridge to find out what purpose it served.
After taking a large square route, I found myself back by Goldsmith. I pressed forward and along the back of Trinity, and came into a pub called Kennedy’s. Despite the great name, I was told that they had turned their grills off at 6pm. Undeterred, I headed towards the one section of town that I knew would be bustling even at the “late” hour of nearly eight.

I can’t remember the name of the pub that I entered, but it was massive (The Porterhouse). A sign by the door advertised the special events held each night of the week, and Saturday night was reserved for sports. I took up a seat along the bar and by the large screen, ordered a Red Porterhouse - Dublin beer, a Classic Burger, and watched a rugby match between Munster and Glasgow. I left a few minutes before the end since I was feeling exhausted, but I had picked up the gist of the rules. With its fluidity and determined competition between teams it is definitely a sport that I can watch (not the 11 minutes of motion in American Football).

After a short stroll back to my apartment, I grabbed the copy of Michael Collins that I spotted on the kitchen table, and proceeded to watch it on my laptop. Always terrible Windows Media player warned that to play the disc I would need to reformat my DVD drive, and that such reformatting can only be done four times and never again. Instead, I simply played it with VLC Media Player and had no trouble at all. Nevertheless, after reading Malachy McCourt’s Brief History of Ireland, the movie was put into more perspective for me versus the first time that I picked it up a few years back.

Alright that is enough for now. I suspect that my posts will never be as detailed (read: mundane) as soon as I start meeting people at orientation tomorrow night or once I can access the internet.