A city after my heart

I have really fallen in love with Dublin. Although my flight out was yesterday, I opted to stay 4 additional nights. It's easy to get around, it's cheap, the people are super nice, and there's a big tech scene here. Who knew?

Nick left after St. Patrick's Day, so his Cambridge friend Sofia and I hung out yesterday. We walked miles around the city to see many sights including the jail (Kilmainham Gaol), the Irish Museum of Modern Art (they had another Picasso), St. Patrick's Cathedral, and Dublin Castle. We also had a number of amazing meals with hot chocolate and sushi. It was a very eventful day to say the least.

Today was a little less smooth. My original hotel had no rooms tonight and since I wasn't plAnning to stay, I moved to another hotel a 1/2 mile away. This seems close until you figure in the snow and the 45 lbs. of backpacks I was carrying. By the time I completed the move, my hip felt like it was on fire.

I've been trying to take it easy today so that I can rest up. For lunch, I went to a nice pub where I ate an amazing goat cheese / tomato / roasted red pepper soup. For dinner, I went to a tiny wine and pizza bar where the owner (who I suspect was my exact age) gave me tons of tips on the local bar scene. Tuesday is apparently the night to go out here.

Also today, I did a little shopping. I finally found a pair of boots. My shoes have been getting wet. It made me disappointed that I didn't bring my own boots, but the upside is that I now have a cool pair of boots... And an official pair of skinny jeans.

Last, I stopped by what I heard is a famous clothier to the stars (think Lansky's) call Copeland and brothers. I heard that I just had to check out this high end men's tailor. Sure enough, I got to meet the famous tailer, Louis Copeland, himself. Apparently his daughter lived for a short time In Nashville and he's visited Tennessee. He was so nice and we ended with him giving me his business card just in case I need something. I'm traveling alone again for a few days and this was another reminder of the positive things that happen when you're alone. People are so nice!

I don't think I've mentioned it yet... last year, I did quite a bit of genealogy research and found that most likely part of my family is Irish. A few times, people have thought I was Irish. That paired with the beer, all the goat cheese, and the friendly people inspired me to stay a little extra.

Well, I should go to sleep. Hopefully I will wake up rested. There's another big day tomorrow!