UK and Ireland, done.

Dublin was Day 15, 16, 17, and part of 18. (March 16th, 17, 18th, and the morning of the 19th)

On the 16th (day 15) we took a train from Cardiff up to Holyhead, where we got aboard a ferry from Holyhead to Dublin. First. Ferry. Experience. Ever. And I tell you what, it was the coolest. (Although admittedly, I walked around possibly jinxing us as I continued to mention to Alex how much it reminded me of the Titanic. What?! That's my frame of reference for giant boats... You know you'd be thinking the same thing.)

It was a three hour ride, and we enjoyed free wifi, a neat assortment of restaurants and levels to explore, a stellar (but expensive) game room, and my favourite, the marvelous view of the ocean. (Little did I know it would be an even more incredible experience on our ferry from Ireland to France, where for 18 hours it was just me and the sea. Sheer tranquility.)

Our host in Dublin was Berenice, who can only be described as truly an inspiration. At such a young age she's done so much, travel, learning German, hitchhiked, etc. She loves art and sees the world and herself with such an honest optimism, you just can't help but want to see more of the world through her perspective. She was also an incredible host, feeding us, showing us around, and providing such splendid conversation.

Seriously, we are loving this couchsurfing thing. 100% of our times surfing have been over-the-top incredible.

We arrived on the 16th, and by the grace of God met up with Berenice. Against the hurdles of only communicating via internet, having no phones or working phones with which to reach each other, and directions we seemed only capable of misinterpreting, we did indeed find each other. On the bus out to her part of town on the evening of the 16th, we met some vivacious, crazy, and legitimate Irish teenagers, who were headed out to party but were kind enough to direct us to the appropriate bus stop we needed. (The Dublin bus system doesn't announce the next stop or really have signs that are easy to read from a distance. The stop is quick, and you pretty much have to know your exit as it approaches, otherwise it's really easy to miss.)

They were hilarious and helpful, and we found a welcoming and warm home and host Tuesday night. Wednesday was St. Patrick's Day, and the city certainly knows how to party. But as it turns out, the locals are more interested in relaxing on the day off, drinking casually at home, and enjoying a barbeque with the family, instead of getting out and about in the madness with what seems to be mostly tourists. We didn't find any green beer, they don't seem to dye the river green (as it's apparently green enough from being so dirty), and while the pubs and streets were packed with people, it was mostly tourists they were packed with. We had a good time experiencing the atmosphere though, and Alex was able to meet up with a camp friend he knows from back home. We went to Dublin's oldest pub, and had as legitimate a St. Patrick's Day as we could find.

Unfortunately this trip to Ireland we didn't make it out to the coast and countryside, but not without trying. The trip would have taken all day, so we decided to chill in Dublin and spend more time with Berenice. She gave us a nice tour of the city on the 18th, and pointed out quite a few neat sights, including cathedrals, famous parks, the birth place of Oscar Wilde, Trinity University, etc. We met a few of her friends, and saw an art exhibition in the evening.

The morning of the 19th we got up and had a relaxing time before heading off on the DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transit) to catch a train down to Rosslare Europort.

The first part of our trip is completed. We've traveled the UK, and experienced at least a part of Ireland. Now it's off to the rest of Europe, to begin our Eurail passes, and to explore the parts that speak a different language than we're used to. After being over here about 3 weeks, it's finally stopped feeling like a vacation, and started feeling more like what it is, a 2.75 month break from what normal life typically entails. Hopefully we're learning tons of good, character building things. We're certainly having adventures, mishaps, meeting tons of great people, exploring, experiencing tons of cultural differences, and most likely growing in tremendous ways. One can only hope that after 2.75 months we return to you  changed, better versions of ourselves. :)

Talk to you soon.

“People don’t take trips – trips take people.” –John Steinbeck