Thursday was the day I had been dreading since the first day of traveling- my sister had to leave to go back home. Luckily, I just had to go one day without her then I head towards Finland to reunite with my California roomie.
Savannah and I had returned the car to the airport and she headed in to catch her flight and I got on a bus to take me back to downtown Dublin. I almost shed a few tears but I held myself together as I hugged her goodbye. It had been an amazing, much needed trip for the both of us. (We’ve already started planning the next one!) I’ve traveled with many different people throughout my life, and I must say that she’s been at the top of my list of people to travel with. We got along very well and it’s always nice to be with someone who fully understands you and takes you for who you are.
I was a bit nervous to venture out on my own at first. I got on a bus to take me to a hostel downtown that I had reserved for the night. The people at the hostel were very friendly and helpful. Turns out, there was even a free walking tour of the city so I joined the group.
I met several different people from all over and exchanged numbers even though I only had 1 day left here. It was so stimulating to meet different people and hear about their travels and experiences.
Our tour guide did an amazing job showing us parts of the city and explaining history about Dublin.
I teamed up with another girl that was traveling by herself from Canada. We had lunch then explored Trinity College and saw the Book of Kells. We parted ways and stayed the night in different hostels.
The night in this hostel was an adventure in itself. I was tired from nonstop travel for the past 10 days, so I decided to stay in for the night and catch up on some rest.
I was awakened from an extremely deep sleep by an old man (who happened to be my bunk mate) whom reeked of straight alcohol and body odor. It was not the noise of his loud breathing, the shuffling of is noisy feet, but it was the distinct foul odor that encompassed him that awakened me as if a tornado hit the building. Of course, he then proceeded to climb right into the bunk below me.
Right when I thought my life couldn’t possibly be any worse, he began snoring extremely loud. (For the next 3 hours straight) I noticed other people in the 12 person dorm room began having what seemed like a snoring competition to see who could snore the loudest. My bunk mate totally won that battle.
After a solid 4 hours of sleep and that hostel experience, I determined it was time for a drink. After all, it was my last day in Dublin. The Guinness storehouse was the last place I needed to check off of my Dublin list. The friend I had met the day before said it was also on her list.
The hostel that I stayed in was a superb location, so I just hopped on a tram that took me close to the Guinness storehouse on the other side of the city. I met my Canadian friend there.
We even got certified in pouring the perfect pint!
The last stop on the self guided tour was the Gravity bar, which had beautiful panoramic views of the city.
Slainte! It means “good health.” The Irish say this instead of cheers.
I headed back to the hostel, grabbed my bags and hopped on a bus to take me to the airport. I am here now, currently waiting to board my flight to Helsinki, Finland! I’m super excited to be reunited with my roomie from when I lived in Cali!
The Aud Blog 