The Longest Day
My long trip began with delays. Never a good start to an international trip. It was raining in Chicago, so they had to ground the planes. ::Blink:: Gotta love Chicago. Air traffic is disrupted by rain.
Anyho! I ended up arriving in good old ORD just in time to catch my flight over the pond. The plane was a Boeing 767 and didn't have the cool individual screens in each headrest with five different films and the little map that shows you where you are. I was rather disappointed. On the upside the flight wasn't full, so we could spread out a bit. And of course since we were going to Dublin there were many people with wonderful irish accents.
My time in Dublin was a bit more exciting. We arrived almost an hour early. Quickly I was hit with a dose of cold. I'd really, really left summer behind. Ever since booking a flight with a layover in Dublin, I'd been debating whether or not I wanted to try and leave the airport in search of the Guinness brewery. Well the question was solved for me because they made all passengers go through passport control and customs, and the stairs for "Departing Flights" was next to the exit. So I walked on out into the brisk irish morning, bought a one-day bus pass, jumped on a double decker bus, and headed to Heuston Station. For the next 45 minutes I sat on top (which was enclosed by the way) and watched Dublin go by. The first thing I noticed was that all official signs had two languages. First was what I assume was irish and second english. Dublin is an architectural patchwork quilt. Like anywhere in Europe, entire blocks of buildings are juxtaposed, but the architecture of any building will likely not resemble the building on either side of it. There is also alot of traffic on the rather narrow streets. I was so enthralled that it took me a good half an hour to realize that we were driving on the wrong side of the road! In fact at some crosswalks the words "Look Left" and "Look Right" are painted on the street to remind people to look in the appropriate directions.
So I get out at Heuston Station sporting a map I picked up from Dublin Bus at the airport and went out in search for the brewery. I then learned something rather annoying about Dubln: They don't believe in street name signs. The only way I could have any idea which street I was on, was if I found a building with the address in the name, such as "St. James Bank". So here I am wandering around Dublin carrying my backpack and laptop, with I map I later learned to be very misleading, and no idea what street I'm on. Finally on my third attempt to find the brewery I ignored the map and just walked in the direction of the big white building that said "Guinness". You'd think I'd just done this in the first place but no. I put my faith in a map that had me going south and west, when in reality in needed to go south and east. (I later checked the map I found on the website for the Guinness Storehouse, and yes, the Dublin Bus map has Heuston Station in the wrong place. Wonderful!) Eventually I did find the Guinness Storehouse, which houses the museum and gift shop. Unfortunately by the time I found it, I only had an hour before I wanted to catch a bus back to the airport and didn't figure I had time to get through the tour. Though honestly I was being a little overly careful with the timing, but I didn't want to miss my flight to Germany. That would've been a disaster. So I had to be satisfied with looking around the gift shop for a few minutes. I must say the whole Guinness complex is HUGE. As I was walking to the Storehouse, I could smell whatever it is they roast to make the dark color, and oh my did it smell good. It made me want to go on the tour even more. Oh well. Next time I'm in Dublin I'll know exactly how to get there.
I then took the bus back to the airport and waited to board the plane. By then I was REALLY tired and fell asleep almost immediately after boarding. But that was not the end of my time in Dublin. Due to a mechanical problem we had to disembark, wait, and get on a new plane. By the end I arrived over an hour late into Düsseldorf and kept my friends waiting. Dorothea and Mattheus took me back to the house, and I went to sleep. So ended my long day.
Anyho! I ended up arriving in good old ORD just in time to catch my flight over the pond. The plane was a Boeing 767 and didn't have the cool individual screens in each headrest with five different films and the little map that shows you where you are. I was rather disappointed. On the upside the flight wasn't full, so we could spread out a bit. And of course since we were going to Dublin there were many people with wonderful irish accents.
My time in Dublin was a bit more exciting. We arrived almost an hour early. Quickly I was hit with a dose of cold. I'd really, really left summer behind. Ever since booking a flight with a layover in Dublin, I'd been debating whether or not I wanted to try and leave the airport in search of the Guinness brewery. Well the question was solved for me because they made all passengers go through passport control and customs, and the stairs for "Departing Flights" was next to the exit. So I walked on out into the brisk irish morning, bought a one-day bus pass, jumped on a double decker bus, and headed to Heuston Station. For the next 45 minutes I sat on top (which was enclosed by the way) and watched Dublin go by. The first thing I noticed was that all official signs had two languages. First was what I assume was irish and second english. Dublin is an architectural patchwork quilt. Like anywhere in Europe, entire blocks of buildings are juxtaposed, but the architecture of any building will likely not resemble the building on either side of it. There is also alot of traffic on the rather narrow streets. I was so enthralled that it took me a good half an hour to realize that we were driving on the wrong side of the road! In fact at some crosswalks the words "Look Left" and "Look Right" are painted on the street to remind people to look in the appropriate directions.
So I get out at Heuston Station sporting a map I picked up from Dublin Bus at the airport and went out in search for the brewery. I then learned something rather annoying about Dubln: They don't believe in street name signs. The only way I could have any idea which street I was on, was if I found a building with the address in the name, such as "St. James Bank". So here I am wandering around Dublin carrying my backpack and laptop, with I map I later learned to be very misleading, and no idea what street I'm on. Finally on my third attempt to find the brewery I ignored the map and just walked in the direction of the big white building that said "Guinness". You'd think I'd just done this in the first place but no. I put my faith in a map that had me going south and west, when in reality in needed to go south and east. (I later checked the map I found on the website for the Guinness Storehouse, and yes, the Dublin Bus map has Heuston Station in the wrong place. Wonderful!) Eventually I did find the Guinness Storehouse, which houses the museum and gift shop. Unfortunately by the time I found it, I only had an hour before I wanted to catch a bus back to the airport and didn't figure I had time to get through the tour. Though honestly I was being a little overly careful with the timing, but I didn't want to miss my flight to Germany. That would've been a disaster. So I had to be satisfied with looking around the gift shop for a few minutes. I must say the whole Guinness complex is HUGE. As I was walking to the Storehouse, I could smell whatever it is they roast to make the dark color, and oh my did it smell good. It made me want to go on the tour even more. Oh well. Next time I'm in Dublin I'll know exactly how to get there.
I then took the bus back to the airport and waited to board the plane. By then I was REALLY tired and fell asleep almost immediately after boarding. But that was not the end of my time in Dublin. Due to a mechanical problem we had to disembark, wait, and get on a new plane. By the end I arrived over an hour late into Düsseldorf and kept my friends waiting. Dorothea and Mattheus took me back to the house, and I went to sleep. So ended my long day.
posted by laura s at 1:40 PM
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