Global Warming at its Best

So I arrived in Dublin early yesterday afternoon, and as long as I've been here it has not, I repeat, has NOT rained one drop! It's a miracle! Dr. Facinelli was overheard saying that she'd never arrived in Dublin on a sunny day before. This was a very good thing, because we had to lay around outside for a couple of hours until our rooms were ready.

I must say, the rooms were worth the wait! Compared to the dingy little flats we had in London, these things are houses! There are four people per flat, and there are four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living room with two couches, a dining table, and a kitchen! This definitely beats three bedrooms and one shower for six girls! Of course, there are downsides, such as the fact that we have a pretty decent walk anywhere, and we have to attempt to figure out the buses instead of having the extraordinary convenience of the tube. That's been just fine so far, though- Mel, Diana and I managed to take a bus into town today, where we caught the "City Bus Tour" which is a "Hop-on-Hop-off" bus that goes to several of the sights in town and has commentary from the driver. We got off and, not noticing that our destination was across the street when we disembarked, walked around a small park to get to the National Gallery. ^^; My fault, I'll admit- though the lousy map of the tour bus' route contributed to the fact that I had no idea whatsoever where we were. We found our way there eventually, and went pretty quickly through, since we were more excited about lunch than about seeing still more paintings. It's really a nice gallery, though, and it was very empty. The privacy was really nice, because it gave Melissa and I a chance to talk about some of the paintings. There were some nice Vanitas paintings, and we got to see a Vermeer and a Caravaggio, which were both very good, and both very obviously better than those shown near them who were attempting to imitate their compositions and styles.

Having seen the biggest works at the Gallery, we hopped back on the bus, and took it to a famous fish and chips take-away place called Leo Bradock. I had the smoked cod and curry chips, and we took our meals to a green just next to Christ Church Cathedral where we ate and tried to write poetry and laughed at the awful results. Never try to spontaneously recite an ode to a blade of grass. Seriously. It gets weird.

We had gotten back on the tour bus and got thoroughly entangled in rush hour traffic, when, much to our dismay, Mel and I discovered that we had to go the bathroom ASAP. We therefore consulted the driver, and, with great haste, hopped off the bus, made a mad dash through the train station and into the pay toilets, and walked leisurely out the other side of the station to find our bus still stuck in traffic, ready and waiting. ^_^

That drama done, we hit Tesco (the "big" grocery store in the British Isles), and let me tell you, sustenance is expensive! Even their canned spaghetti costs 2x as much as it did in London, and that's factoring in the improved exchange rate! I'm going to be eating a lot of rice with chicken soup, let me tell you! I'm kicking myself for buying cheese yesterday- it's tasty, but dang! Too much $!

Anyway, my cold is improving, and I think that with some more sleep I'll be good to go. The mystery spot is thankfully gone, and my mind is clearing, if not my sinuses. Of course, that doesn't mean I want to do my homework now. ^^;

Oh, I forgot to mention, I sent out a couple of postcards today from the GPO, and a second wave should be coming soon. (speaking of which, Dad, what's your new address?)
Alright, I have yet another paper to write, and we're going to Glendalough tomorrow, so I'd better get it done tonight. Or, you know, started at least. ;-) I hope all is well with those reading this! I love you, and miss you all! :-*

~Ellie A. Nor