9/12/2011 I had to skip my last class for this year just to join my house trip to Ireland. Though there’s a slight guilt attached to me all the time, the trip was worth all the trouble. Ireland, which lies opposite to the UK, is 1 hour away from Birmingham. We boarded the plane at 8.30 a.m. and touched down at the Dublin International Airport at 9.30 a.m. The place was hot as spitfire – NO! The place was lot colder than Coventry and four layer clothes were not close to protecting anyone like me from the freezing-cold-almost-negative Leprechaun’s country.
checking out our photos
Not my bag =P
I cannot find a reason why I should hate the place. First, the people are not like the intentionally snobbish racist British (too many incidents to describe) who kept on complaining on the erratic weather. They are completely the opposite. Talk about friendliness and warm welcome, they are surprisingly helpful and love to make jokes. I mean there’s no acidic sarcasm in their tone. Second, there are no pesky mosquitoes and no snakes at all. Third, Irish do not inherit posh accent that all the English are so proud of and irritably displaying. They sound almost like Americans! I will definitely visit this place again one day.
the participants of the day trip. And Mr. who's our tour guide wasn't in this photo (he took the photo, apparently)
Us
Us again
So many differences and Ireland is unique in its own way. It is so calm. The places that I went when I was in Ireland were mostly countrysides where the lavish green pastures spread widely across the Celtic land and the gush of cold gale swept against our skins. Owh yeah, like any European country, Ireland is one of those countries that is experiencing the effect of the European’s crippling economy. But surprisingly! With that huge exclamation mark, the price of the souvenirs were extremely expensive and £1 is equal to one euro. Don’t be shocked though and I almost chocked myself when I found that one plate of ‘Wan Tan Hor’ that I ate for dinner at the ‘Nyonya Restaurant’ that is a Malaysian restaurant cost me bloody 10 euros. I could have three grilled whole chickens from Chicken Cottage with that same price. Okay, maybe that’s too much since Chicken Cottage is a fast food chain. Nevertheless, the point is Dublin is expensive! Still not learning from the mistake, I fulfilled my gastronomic craving with 'Apollo Chicken’ (I do not know how to pronounce its real name) at a fine dining restaurant for 13 euros. The food was fine but it was still expensive.
On the first day, I was both whacked out and sleepy. We managed to visit the Trinity College Dublin (TCD) that is in the heart of Dublin. Okay, we were just aimlessly walking in the city and spotted the place. Well, seriously this was no coincidence since I am a die-hard Star Wars fan and of course I should know this place, duhhh. I made a research through Mr. Google (owh thanks Google) that the Jedi Archive was a replica of the TCD’s Old Library and so here we were. Starring at the magnificent piece of art that was a habitat of old books and smelled of yeah old books. Owh yeah, for Harry Potter’s fans this same place was also used for Hogwart’s library scene. The place is now a museum and most of the arts displayed were based on the Book of Kells something that is significant to Christian Worshippers and I was glad to see senior citizens so absorbed into learning the history behind this building.
TCD where all doctors gather...
Apollo Chicken
Sicilian Chicken
As for the second day, we took the day trip to Wicklow. People (almost all the Malaysian Dubliners that we met) said that we should never miss the place since it is breathtakingly scenic, green and totally a mesmerising place to get over the hassle bustle of life. Owh maybe I have said too much. One of the reasons why Wicklow is popular maybe because it appeared in one of the scenes in ‘P/S I love You’ movie that is a movie-based on best selling novel by a well-known Irish chic lit writer, Cecelia Ahern (that movie where the heroin can't get over her dead husband. get a life!). Having said that does not make me a fan of chic-lit especially by Cecelia Ahern but Wicklow was beautiful. Too beautiful and too cold. No wonder those Irish are so attached to Whiskey. That evening, I had my first macaroon from Brown Thomas (a store that resembles Harrods in another word, it’s a filthy expensive store that sells designer clothes like Chanel, Burberry, Jimmy Choo and yada yada). Don’t worry, the macaroons weren’t expensive. They’re affordable.
U2 (Irish coolest rock band that I ever known) recorded their first album here. Okay looks like I'm the only one who knows about them =(
Sniff...sniff. Goodbye Ireland
I was shivering most of the time not from fear but the shocking freezing weather. Wicklow has many lakes and valleys. You can imagine that already. There’re green glades. All in all, I just wanna say I had great time in Ireland especially with my cool housemates and Dubliners. Thanks guys! Subhanallah, the place was beautiful and Alhamdulillah that I went there and made it home safely.
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