Dublin Hunt

Today class was a scavenger hunt in Dublin. Dr. Harbin randomly split us into groups of four or five, gave us a map and a list of clues and sent us on our way. Our train departed Greystones at 9:30 a.m. For most of the DART trip, my group read and slept, then two stops before Tara Street we got smart and started asking Irish people about our clues. They helped us out a lot, so we should have known where we were going when we arrived in the city. Um… not so much.

We found everything on our list and got back on the DART just before 1 p.m., although we spent a lot of time walking in circles. I still don’t know Dublin very well, but perhaps eventually I’ll figure it out. We weren’t too interested in staying in the city, so we didn’t linger. We ate our sack lunches on the DART (I drank Club Rock Shandy!) and discussed what it means to fall in love.

Greystones was a welcome sight after a morning in the city. I usually like cities, but Dublin just seemed so strange to me. I’m sure I won’t feel that way forever, though. As we walked up to Coolnagreina, we looked over to the Loft and saw the Harbins in the window waving at us. We decided to stop in and hang out for a bit and they offered us drip-brew coffee (all we’ve had is instant since we got here… ugh!) and gingerbread. We ate and talked and just had a really nice time. I enjoy the Harbins SO much. I’m so glad they’re our trip leaders.

Below is a photo I took of the River Liffey from the Ha’Penny Bridge, one of the most recognizable features of Dublin. One of my group members was trying to find out if we were on the right bridge, so she yelled out, “Is this the Ha’Penny Bridge?” An Irishman who didn’t want to be bothered said, “I don’t know.” His companion laughed and confirmed that we were, indeed, on the Ha’Penny Bridge.