You have 24 hours in Dublin anddd…. GO!
The time I got stuck in Dublin for twenty-four hours
Did you know that the U.S. has a special deal with Ireland where you go through U.S. customs before you actually enter the country? I definitely did not! Well, that’s the reason why I got stuck in Dublin… Let me paint the scene.
I went to Paris before the 2024 Olympics because I wanted to see the construction for the Olympics and to be like “I was there!” when I’m watching the games with my co-workers. I flew through Aer Lingus because it was cheaper which meant I would have a layover in Dublin both going to Paris and leaving Paris. While riding the metro to Charles De Galle Airport, I got an email saying my flight from Paris to Dublin would be delayed. I tried not to panic and proceeded to head to the airport. Started off as an hour delay and it ended up being 3 hours. There were two types of people on the flight: Americans connecting in Dublin getting home and Germans/Italians going to see the Euro League Football Championship playing in… you guessed it! Dublin! We landed in Dublin and I ran so hard that my mouth went so dry. As soon as we got to the connecting flight station, they announced that there would be no more flights to the States. I instantly dropped to the floor and chugged my water. It was like a scene out of the movie. Thankfully, I wasn’t alone. There were at least 100 other Americans who missed their flights. Aer Lingus provided us with flights home the next day and free accommodation/food/transport. I was freaking out! I had to work the next day! I instantly texted my mom. She said, “It’s alright to cry if you need to,” and then said that I had to message my boss, which I then did. My boss was so understanding and as I was about to cry, I thought, “Rowan, you’re in Dublin for 24 hours… YOU’RE IN DUBLIN FOR 24 HOURS!!!”
Pub Life
The people next to me were from the States and ended up taking my picture!
Excited and overtired was an understatement. I ended up talking to everyone I met. First was the customs officer who I swear looked like Nicola Coughlan (Bridgerton S3 Part 1 has just come out!) and I knew then that it was a good omen. I then met up with people from the flight because we all needed to get to the hotel. Turns out, the airport shuttle comes every half hour and only take 8 people each time. So, 7 of us set out on a journey by walking to the hotel. There we are walking on some random roads in Dublin with our suitcases and backpacks. After all that, it turned out the hotel was booked up and they were moving us to another hotel which was even closer to the city! They got us taxis and I got on the first one. The taxi was driver was so nice. I asked him where to go to watch the football match and he gave some great recommendations. After getting to the hotel, I threw on some heavier clothing because it was 60 degrees compared to the 80 degrees in Paris! I got on the double decker bus and headed into the city. It was a very active night because of the match and I felt so instantly at peace. It had a very similar feel to London but also was a bit different. I, of course, got a pint of cider and a pint of Guinness and watched the match in a very packed pub. The beef and Guinness stew was so heavenly and made me forget that I was supposed to be home by then. After the match, I walked towards the very famous Temple Bar to see it lit at night. It was very pretty, yet touristy, and then I proceeded back to the hotel.
My pint of Guinness
No, I didn’t split the G! It was my first Guinness but I enjoyed every second of it.
The next day I got up early (because I’m only in Dublin for 24 hours, once!) and had an Irish breakfast which included black and white pudding… yes, it is basically a sausage with pig’s blood and oatmeal. AND YES! I ate it and I would eat it again! After a very hearty breakfast, I went to Trinity College, the most prominent university in Ireland. There, I saw three of the most well-known pieces of Irish history. First, I learned about the most ancient Irish book, The Book of Kells, a bible from the 800s that survived the famines and wars. Then I saw the oldest harp in Ireland, Brian Boru harp, also known as the O'Neill Harp or Trinity College harp. This is the one that is on the Guinness logo and Ryanair logo. Trinity College also holds the 1916 Proclamation of the Irish Republic. It’s like seeing the Declaration of Independence which is funny because both documents resist against the British. And of course, I walked through the very famous Reading Room. Many scholars have studied here from Oscar Wilde and James Joyce. It inspired so movies from Harry Potter to Star Wars.
From there, I went to the National Art Museum of Ireland where I saw the “The Meeting on the Turret Stairs," created in 1864 b y Frederic William Burton. The painting depicts the lovers meeting on a winding turret staircase, sharing a brief, intense embrace before their impending separation. It was voted Ireland’s favorite painting in 2012 and is a water color painting. And if you know anything about water colors from your childhood or seeing young children paint with it, it’s extremely hard to be precise! All those intricate details with water colors is so hard to accomplish. Also, because it’s a water color, it can’t be shown all the time. They have it in the gallery in a cabinet which they open and close throughout the day. Thankfully for the 15 minutes I was in the gallery, it was open!
Then I just had to get a cheeky Nando’s! Before I got on my flight, I had to stop by and see the portal from Dublin to NYC. It was crazy to think that I was supposed to be on that side of the pond. There were old friends seeing each other through the portal who haven’t seen each other in a while. It was nice to see people from different sides of the planet interacting! This was the same week that it was taken down because someone in NYC decided to flash the people in Dublin. The portal in NYC was surrounded with gates… and the one in Dublin just had a man in a fluorescent vest!
The Dublin Portal
Guess I was supposed be on that side of the world! Oh well!
Overall, it was such a fun experience and I would do it all over again! Never sweat the small stuff… they’re going to be memories down the road. And this sure was a memory worth remembering! Thanks for reading my ramble!
