Adventures on Francis Street, Days 1 & 2

DAY 1
Before we left the U.S I was informed that at the last minute the apartment we were supposed to rent in the Rathmines fell through and that CEA would have to find me a new place to live. We had already done tons of research about the neighborhood that we thought we would be staying in and I was disappointed to now have no information mere days before we were to travel to Dublin. I was assured by the folks at CEA that they would find me a good place, a better place. The day before we left I was told that they had found me an apartment, but it was on Francis Street. Although this address puts me basically in the middle of the city, it meant that we were now 25 minutes or so from Tim. And, CEA had no pictures to share with me. So, sight unseen, we ventured to our apartment on Francis Street and met our landlord, Ian. From the street, the place is pretty unimpressive--metal gate, brick building, a few windows. But, inside there's this:

The apartment is gorgeous. We have incredible views of the city, skylights, hardwood floors. Everything is new, fresh, and bright. And, best of all, we're so close to everything in the city. Tim already has his bedroom picked out.

Sometimes we hear horses trotting by the living room windows.

The apartment is right across from St. Patrick's Cathedral, which is impressive in that cathedral sort of way. After we settled in, we decided to lay down for just a little while. No sooner than we closed our eyes, the chimes began. And, not like one or two chimes, or a pretty song, these were loud cacophonous chimes, manic chimes, chimes for the sake of chimes. And, as soon as we thought they were finished, they started right up again. Today we haven't heard a peep from the church, so we're guessing this is just a Sunday thing. But, I have to say that if the Catholic Church is looking to recruit a few new souls, they could find some better chime jams. On the bright side, we have an amazing view of the church steeple from our bedroom window.

After a rest and a shower, we decided we need to procure some vittles. Our charming landlord had left us with a few bottles of wine, some water, eggs, orange, juice, coffee, and other essentials, but we needed a few additional foodstuffs. So, we headed on over to St. Stephen's Green to our favorite Irish grocery, Dunnes. I'll be honest, I'm a little obsessed with grocery stores when we visit new places. Dunnes is one of those lush grocery stores with tons of little specialty items to ogle--interesting cheese, fresh baked bread, a deli that's decked out with all kinds of fancy foods. But, we were there for more practical items, Taytos, Brennans bread, milk, digestives, etc. You know, the essentials. As exhausted as we were, we gladly walked 1/2 mile there and back.

Then, a few hours later, we headed back to our ol' stomping grounds at the Stillorgan stop on the Luas. At Eleanor's we were greeted by adorable Irish children, a home cooked meal, and the company of old friends. 

We left full and exhausted. I nearly fell asleep on the Luas, but we had a near perfect first day in Dublin. 

DAY 2

After a perfectly reasonable breakfast of toast with black currant jam and tea, we proceeded to do nothing but gorge ourselves on food and drink for the rest of the day. We started off by grabbing our first pints and then meeting the students at O'Neill's for lunch and updates--we all had massive heaps of food, like gluttonous amounts of food. 

Imagine my face instead of this glass of Bulmers.

And it's only noon. 

After lunch, Peyton went back to the apartment to sleep off his lunch. The rest of us did a short walking tour around the area. Tim managed to get himself locked in a Spar bathroom and nearly bought a CD of Irish flute and beatbox music on Grafton Street. I'm sure we're making an impressive first impression on the students... While Tim was locked in the Spar bathroom, I took this picture for Peyton. 

His obsession with chicken stuffing sandwiches is known far and wide.

We took the students to the CEA offices, Temple Bar, Ha'Penny Bridge, John's Lane Church (which was unfortunately closed) and ended the day at The Brazen Head, which is the oldest bar in Ireland. 

Tim is imitating what a college professor looks like on a walking tour of Dublin. Pretty convincing stuff.

 I've been getting this look pretty frequently.

Our wonderful students looking much fresher than we do at this point.

After The Brazen Head, we said our goodbyes and Tim and I headed back to my apartment. We then decided that the best thing to do would be to check out the fire escape that leads to the roof of our building--it was worth the effort, the views and breathtaking.

The fire escape looks like one of those ladders leading up to an attic crawl space, but once you go up, you're on the roof top. 

 He's squinting, not glaring.

I love the juxtaposition between wildflower in the rain gutter and razor wire. 

We ended the day with a glorious dinner from Spice N' Rice--you've never seen three Americans more thrilled with their massive bag of Indian take away than we were. The food was incredible. 

We finished the day with one last pint from Fallon's and then headed to bed. We're exhausted but delighted with Dublin. We walked, we ate, we drank. Tomorrow is the first day of school!