04 May 2013
lá amháin
Ten hours in Ireland, and counting. It’s my first time here, my first time in Europe, my first time spending new currency, and I’ve lost track of the number of times I commented on their “backwardness”.
It’s already been an experience being here. The people, the money, the food, the sports, for starters. Little things like these and more really make you realize not only how little you know or even think about other parts of the world, but how unique your own home actually is, even if it is all you’ve known your entire life. Here, I could listen to the travel agents ramble for hours and hopefully pick up on some of the common slang they throw in. I could lay out with all the locals at the Trinity College field and watch cricket for my first time for hours (or maybe one) and make “terribly wrong” assumptions on what is going on (like we did). I could walk around town as long as my sleep deprived eyes would permit, just reading the names of shops and restaurants, and admiring the architecture of the historic buildings down each bustling street.
After getting situated in our rooms at the Trinity Lodge, our excitement overpowered our exhaustion and we set out to grab a bite from a local restaurant. The seemingly miniature aged wooden tables and wooden stools assured us that this was an authentic spot. We each had our own Irish meals which varied from crispy chickens and chips, to red pepper coconut soup, to real deal Irish stew. Oh, and in case you were wondering, chicken wings come with an all-natural version of our familiar wet naps: a lemon slice floating in a small bowl of hot water. “You dip your fingertips in,” I believe were the waitress’ exact words. After a quick meal, we headed off into the crowd, doing our best to blend in. We stopped by a shamrock-covered souvenir shop, a quaint coffee house to refuel, and a local three piece band set up along the road selling their cd for €10, before finding ourselves field side an afternoon game of cricket.
Needless to say, this first day was well taken advantage of, and if it wasn’t for our sneaky friend, Mr. Jetlag, we would barely be able to sleep, just awaiting to see what the rest of this island has waiting for us.