What Did I Do in Dublin?

I did all of this! All times are approximate.

Thursday

• Landed at Dublin Airport at 10:00 p.m. [Corrected 2009.06.23]
• Took a bus to Isaacs Hostel
• Signed in at 10:45 [Corrected 2009.06.23]
• Went to Farrington's pub in Temple Bar with Caitlin, Sam, and Katie H.
• Sam and Katie went home, but Caitlin and I went to Fitzsimon's Hotel and Ballroom with three Dubliners we met at Farrington's
• Bought a €5 footlong from Subway with a bill I found on the dance floor
• Fell asleep in hostel at 2:30 a.m.

Friday

• Woke up at 7:45 a.m.
• Ate free breakfast of bread, jam, butter, orange juice, and apple at hostel
• Went on tour of Dublin Castle at 10:15 [Corrected 2009.06.23]
• Visited the Chester Beatty Library at 11:30
• Had lunch at Copper Alley Bistro at 12:10
• Went to Christchurch Cathedral at 1:00
• Went to the Guinness Storehouse at 2:30
• Got free ice cream at Powerscourt Shopping Centre at 6:00
• Walked around Grafton and Dalton streets looking for an authentic Irish dining experience
• Sam, Katie, Katie, and Sarah ate at Eddie Rocket's (just like Johnny Rocket's) while Caitlin and I ate at Chick King (kinda like Chick-fil-a)
• Went back to hostel at 9:00
• Checked e-mail and Facebook, rested, and watched most of Unfaithful (because it was on)
• Fell asleep at 11:45 p.m.

Saturday

• Woke up at 7:45 a.m.
• Had free breakfast (with a banana, too!)
• Went on tour of Kilmainham Gaol (pronounced "jail") at 10:15
• Had lunch at The Patriot's Inn at 12:45
• Went back to hostel at 1:45 while the rest went to Howth
• Checked e-mail and Facebook, rested, and watched YouTube videos (because they're better than Unfaithful)
• Walked up and down the east end of the River Liffey
• Ate dinner (ham sandwich and a pint of Guinness) at Davy Byrne's pub (James Joyce's hang-out that he references in Ulysses) at 6:00
• Visited St. Patrick's Cathedral at 7:15
• Met the rest of the group at the hostel at 8:00
• Left hostel with Caitlin at 9:20 toward O'Donoghue's pub near St. Stephen's Green to meet fellow IDSer Shannon McEnerney
• Never saw Shannon. We couldn't use our phones for some reason to reach her.
• Stayed at O'Donoghue's. Enjoyed the live Irish band, talked to them and two awesome women who are still kickin' it in their 50s, and generally had a night I couldn't have anywhere else.
• Returned to the hostel and fell asleep at 2:15

Sunday

• Woke up at 8:15
• Had free breakfast (no apple this time)
• Checked out of hostel at 9:15
• Went on tour of Trinity College at 10:15
• Saw the Book of Kells
• Got souvenirs at Carroll's at O'Connell Street
• Got a Royale with Cheese at Burger King (strangely enough, it was not what Pulp Fiction said it was)
• Took at bus to the Dublin Airport
• Walked to God-forsaken platform D74, way at the end of the LONG row of terminals
• Got a massage (in a mechanized chair), which felt great after carrying clothes, a camera, and a laptop in my backpack all weekend
• Left the airport at 3:45 p.m.

Souvenirs

• Guinness sweatshirt (from Carroll's)
• Two Guinness pint glasses (from Carroll's)
• Guinness playing cards (from Carroll's)
• Receipts from tours, restaurants, pubs, etc. (from various)
• More than 200 photos (from various)
• Irish music stuck (gladly!) in my head (from O'Donoghue's)
• Two drink coasters (from Fitzsimon's and Davy Byrne's)

Programming note: A longer blog entry will follow on either Monday or Tuesday. I want to focus on a few specific things, some on the itinerary... and some that transcend it.