Day Tripper

I going to try and keep this reasonably short. Basically, I'm going to try to do a highlight reel of the past few days. So, let's begin. When I get to my room, I realize that there isn't a bed for me. Tom, the head resident, said that they were supposed to have them in yesterday or earlier that day. He said he would get on it. Besides that, our room is nice. There is a decent amount of space in the bedrooms and the living room. The bathroom is alright, but the amount of hot water is limited, so I'm happy I take quick showers. The kitchen is decent. I'm sure it will do the job. I didn't really do too much that first day except head down to Grafton Street with some friends. For those who are familiar with Church Street in Burlington, VT, basically Grafton is Church street on steroids (like Barry Bonds...zing!). Thursday, orientation started. We got to check out the acdemic center, which seems nice. That night, we went out to dinner. It was a place called Porterhouse. I was able to get a pint. They didn't have any Guinness, but I got some other beer that was good. After, we went out to a bar where there was a decent traditional Irish band playing. I got some Guinness there and it was very good. As Tom said, when pouring it into a glass, it takes forever. I had to wait for a few minutes just for a pint. When I did get, it is so much better. I understand what they say about the Guinness in America being not so good. The next day, we took a tour of Dublin. We took a stop by the Trinity campus. For those who don't know much about Trinity, it is basically like Harvard or Yale. The tour guide mentioned that the harp that is the symbol of Ireland (the same harp on Guinness). Trinity gave the rights for Guinness to use the harp, but for a fee. In the dining hall, there is Guinness on draft for free for the students for as long as Guinness is still brewing (grad school at Trinity anyone?). We got to see some other sites around the city including the oldest parliment room. It is the old House of Lords. It was supposed to be destoryed, but then the British just forgot about it. Now the building is Bank of Ireland. Yesterday, we went to Howth. It is a fairly quick train ride north of Dublin. It has a very stunning "classic" Irish coast line. It has very high cliffs and plenty of wind. I will try to post a picture soon. For those on Facebook, feel free to take a look at the pictures I have posted. I will post a video of the coast line. I just have to download the video from my camera. Classes start tomorrow. I'm excited for them. I will have a post later this week on how those are going.

With peace and love,
Scott

"Love may not make the world go round, but I must admit that it makes the ride worthwhile."
-Sean Connery