Ireland

The Republic of Ireland was much different than what I had imagined. From the minute I stepped out of the airplane and onto the runway, I knew my experience here would be different from life in the UK. It was also my first time attempting to get from an airport to a city center on my own, and I was surprised at how easy the task was accomplished. However, life in the hostel for the next two days proved to be anything but easy.
The first problem developed when the staff would not accept credit cards due to an internet problem and they required full cash payment before they would give us room keys. After that problem was handled, I began walking to my room and was disgusted at the dirtiness of the place. The sixteen bed dorm was not any better as it had no windows and required a 2.00 euro charge for use of a blanket or towel. The bathrooms were equally dirty and simple amenities such as hand soap were not even provided. The experience of living in such a place showed me the wide range of hostels available and taught me to better research hostels in the future.
The city of Dublin was more inviting and exciting than the hostel. The Dublin Castle was much smaller than I expected and changed my views on what is considered a castle. However, the interior was simply gorgeous and filled with much history of the area. I also visited Christ Church which is where the city of Dublin began and an original Viking settlement still exists today although it is several feet below ground. These old, historical attractions fit in well with the quaint feeling of the city; however, some modern structures did not fit so well. One example is the Spire, a very tall point made out of stainless steel which was created for the millennium. While it is an impressive structure, it does not keep with the traditional theme of the city.
One tradition that the Irish seemed extremely proud of was their Guinness! Everywhere I looked I could see a Guinness advertisement, so it was only fitting to take a trip to the factory. The factory was seven interactive levels where I learned about the beer making process and the history of Guinness. The tour ended in a bar with a 360° view of Dublin and the essential free pint! The experience was a lot of fun, but it did not compare to the exciting atmosphere of Grafton Street. I was enthralled with the endless blocks of shops and took a couple hours contributing to the Irish GDP.
In the end, I once again found that the people prove to be the best part about traveling. Most people I met were extremely friendly and thrilled to talk about their great country. However, I had a conversation with a man about the change in currency to the euro, and he was not so happy with this conversion. He believed that the price of many goods drastically increased because a profit could be made, and the government did not step in to fix this problem as they promised they would. It was interesting to hear other people’s negative opinions about their government’s actions. The two days I spent exploring the historical and cultural aspects of the city were a time that I will never forget, but I would like to visit the countryside of Ireland in future travels to observe the different lifestyles of the Irish citizens.