Perambulation: Big Birthday Blog Post.

Yeah, Yeah, here it is. I've been waiting for my friends to give me the pictures because I forgot to grab my camera before I left. (Note to self: pack camera this weekend.)

DISCLAIMER: YES, I HAVE A BEARD. IT LOOKS GROSS AND UNTRIMMED IN THESE PICTURES. IT IS FOR A GOOD REASON. YOU WILL SOON SEE WHY AFTER THIS WEEKEND. STAY TUNED.

Last weekend I decided to venture off to Dublin. It was a special weekend. It was my birthday weekend. :) I had kind of a crappy week and I was excited to get away. When we arrived at the airport on Friday, Ryan Air had delayed our flight by five hours because they had lost the crew. You might ask yourself: "Self, how does one loose a crew?" Well, it beats me, but they made us wait. My friend Jesse and I finally got into Dublin at 8:30 PM. This wouldn't have been so bad, but our other friend Yashoda had taken the flight schedule an hour before ours and had been waiting the airport for six hours! Oh no! :( Well, the mood changed quickly when we got to my friend Brynn's house. She is studying in Dublin for second semester. We hung out there for a while and then went out the Temple Bar area. We got the lay of the land, but didn't stay long. We were all tired from the long day.

The next day, we took our time awaking. After a fabulous breakfast of pancakes, Brynn, my friend Tim who is studying in Dublin too, Jesse, Yashoda and I headed off to Trinity College. We saw the Book of Kells, the Long Room, and the Brian Boru harp. It was pretty cool.

From there, Jesse, Yashoda and I (above) left Brynn and Tim and met my friend Brian. He, believe it or not, is also studying in Dublin. The four of us went on a tour of the Guinness Storehouse at the famous St. James Gate. At the end of the tour, Guinness invites you to join them for a pint at the top of the Storehouse. In 'The Gravity Bar' as they call it, you are treated to a pint of Guinness and a 360 degree view of Dublin. It is breathtaking. While we were enjoying our free pints, I look over and in the group standing right next to ours was no other that Danny Christiansen, whom I went to high school with! He's studying in Florence for the year, and was in Dublin for the weekend. It was totally random, yet totally cool.
After our tour, we left Brian and joined Tim and Brynn again. They had prepared a delicious meal of fajitas. We relaxed, we listened to music, we laughed, we had a great time. We got all did up for our night out. We then went out. While I can't exactly divulge what happened (Hey! What happens in Dublin, stays in Dublin!), I had a great night.

The next day, we again took our time awaking. It was a little doing getting to the airport as the city was gridlocked due to the rugby game of Ireland v. France (France won in the last seconds. Damn those French!). Fortunately, we made it to the airport just in time, Ryan Air had our crew, and we made it to London in one piece.

Looking back, it was a great weekend. It was memorable and spent with all the right people. Turning 21 (oh, I don't think I mentioned that) is kind of scary to think about. I'm going to have to get a real job soon and won't be able to spend my days watching Saturday Night Live in DVDs (Sigh) ;)

Tomorrow morning I'm off to Cologne, Germany. You're probably asking yourself: "Self, why Cologne, Germany in the middle of winter?" Well, it's Carnival! Some of you might know it as Mardi Gras. I'm uber (See? I know the language!) excited. Be sure to watch for the pictures. I'm taking my camera this time so it won't take so long for me to get them up.