Dublin Day 3: The Dead Zoo, Irish National Gallery, and Night Bridge

Having purchased a 3 day Do Dublin pass, I had had access to a Dublin tour bus for the past 3 days without my knowledge. Wanting to get my full money’s worth, I started today by riding the tour in its entirety, which consists of 33 stops, across 2 hours. It was very enjoyable, as the tour guide I had was named John, and he did a very good job of conducting the live tour, with humorous commentary. After completing the tour, which allows riders to hop on and hop off to experience attractions, I decided to visit the National Natural History Museum, since it was free and looked enticing. Known as the ‘Dead Zoo’, it houses over 2 million species.

The first floor consisted of mainly birds, insects, and species that reside in water. The room was densely crowded full of jars and cases, each one packed to the brim with specimens. A walk up an ornate staircase at the end of the hall led to the second floor, which had natural light(what could make it through the clouds) streaming in through opaque sky lights. Along the walls were cases full of various stuffed animals, from birds to flying squirrels to monkeys. In the middle, were cases full of larger animals, such as lions, tigers, and Irish wolf hounds. Suspended from the ceiling in grand fashion were the carcasses of two whales. This floor had two more levels that consisted of walkways along the tall walls that were lined with more specimens above, but unfortunately these were closed off.

After the Dead Zoo, I briefly walked through the Irish National Gallery. The trip was just long enough to look at some art, and use the wifi as it began to drizzle outside. Later I hope to visit here again for a more extensive visit, maybe in conjunction with the Science Gallery down the street. After the Gallery, I sat down in a local Insomnia Coffee(Irish Starbucks), and got a warm drink to sip as I read my book(The Demon in the Freezer) and charged my phone.

I then hopped back onto the tour bus, and took it back to the Millennium Spire, which is pretty much the center of Dublin. After this, I walked around as the sun set(I got a pretty late start to today). Eventually I settled on the Rosie Hackett Bridge, which connects North and South Dublin over the River Liffey. I read my book and enjoyed the sunset, and had a calm ending to my 3rd day in Dublin.

Dublin Day 2: Google & Dun Laoghaire

Today started with me waking up, and walking around one mile to get the Google Dublin offices, where I met with an employee by the name of Uladzimir. I was put into contact with Uladzimir through a friend of my Dad’s, whose brother manages Uladzimir’s team. Uladzimir’s team specializes in protecting Google apps from malicious use, and also in protecting the consumer, specifically in the context of ad services. Our tour began on the 13th floor, which is the highest. There I got to see Dublin, from the current highest point in the city. It was truly something to behold. Looking out over the city, Uladzimir commented on how Google had spurred on growth in this portion of the city. Apparently, up until around 20 years ago, this area was extremely poor.

From there, we made our way down the building, stopping on interesting floors; ones with music rooms, pool tables, outdoor courtyards, and beanbags. Each floor however, is equipped with a mini kitchen, stocked full of different drinks and snacks, along with a state-of-the-art coffee machine.

On one floor, Uladzimir pulled me aside. “This,” he said, “this, is something I really like about Google”. He pointed to an ordinary looking counter tucked in the corner of a floor by a copying machine. “A lot of us move around, so here, you can receive mail! Right here, at your office. You can also send things from here as well!”. Besides the desk side mail service, Uladzimir was also a big fan of the different seating arrangements that Google has. We walked several times by modular pieces of furniture, of all colors and sizes.

“Right here, I could have a focused conversation with a co-worker in the middle of a busy office. Google is always trying to stimulate us like this, and promote creative thinking".

After we made our way through the first building, we walked across a bridge that connects all three Google buildings across a street. Then, we had lunch at one of the three cafeterias. I had a panko crusted filet of fish, sauteed green beans, lamb bourguignon, scalloped potatoes, and bread. It was quite good.

After that, we parted ways. One thing I really liked about Google, besides the obvious perks and amenities, is its global atmosphere. Everywhere you turn, there were flags from different nations above the desks of the employee who came from there. Along with this, everyone was very friendly, and would come up to Uladzimir and me to say hi. Uladzimir also gave me some valuable insight into my college search. I have been thinking a lot about where I want to go, and what I want to study. My main influencing factors have been cost, location, and degree viability. I have thought of my personal happiness, but only as a secondary consideration. However, Uladzimir told me something I don’t think I’ll forget.

“I hope you make the decision that will make you happiest. If you make the decision that will make you the happiest, you can never go wrong!”

While this seems like common sense, I hadn’t really integrated it into my decision making process. Surely a degree and career will ultimately make me happy, but shouldn’t I try to make the process as fulfilling and enjoyable as possible too? But more on that later.

After my visit at Google, I again took the DART to Dun Laoghaire(which I have now learned is pronounced ‘dun leary’). I strolled up and down the coast, and just enjoyed being outside and in a new place. A solid Day 2.

Dublin Day 1: The Caburry Creme Egg McFlurry

This morning at around 8:30 AM, my flight from Philadelphia landed. While I was in the queue for the flight, I met an Irish man who was going back home after a vacation in Florida. He had studied at UCD(the school I am visiting for), and we had a nice chat. It was a fairly uneventful flight, besides the child next to me who slept horizontal in his seat with his feet pressed against my leg(his mom was very apologetic). During the first half, I watched Beautiful Boy, with Timothy Chalamet and Steve Carell. It was a really good movie, and I wrote more about it on my Things I Like page.

Once I got off the plane, I went through customs, where I got a bit held up because the officer wanted me to describe every detail of my trip. Once I got through, I took the 747 bus from the airport to Dublin. It was a gigantic double decker beast, and sitting on top felt like being on some type of carnival ride. However, the views were unmatched, and I enjoyed it nonetheless. Then, I missed my stop(Talbot Street), and went one more. Thankfully, bus stops are close together and I only had to walk around 10 minutes to get back to the stop I wanted to get off at, which is right by the hostel I am staying at.

I dropped off my bags at Isaac’s Hostel, and then sat in the lounge area for a little bit as I recollected myself. From there, I walked west along the river, over Ha’penny Bridge, and into the Temple Bar area. Here the narrow cobble stone roads are lined with old buildings ranging from 2 to 3 stories. It was very cute and quaint, with a lot of trendy restaurants and shops. As I am writing this, I am in a cafe on the roof of a department store near Trinity College Dublin. I’ll probably get back to you later regarding what I did with the rest of my day, as it is only 11:58 AM right now.

I’m back again, but now it is 8:10 PM and I am sitting in the basement of my hostel(which has been converted into a work space). After I left the roof top cafe from which I was last writing to you, I went back to the hostel and swapped out some of the stuff in my bag. I then took the Dart, which is Dublin’s train system to Dun Laoghaire, where I walked along the beach until the famous Forty Foot. There I saw people diving off of high rocks into the dark cold water below, in glorious fashions. I wasn’t dressed to join them today, but perhaps tomorrow I will return. Then I walked back to the Dun Laoghaire station(a 30-40 minute walk or so. It was probably so long because I was stopping to admire the ocean, and climbed around the bulk heads. After I got back into the city, I once again swapped some of my items and then went back out, this time in the search for a Cadburry Creme Egg McFlurry. Unfortunately, the McFlurry was not available, so I continued on to a convenience store where I got some type of pear ice pop with an ice cream swirl around it. I ate it as I walked along the main river in Dublin, which was nice since the sun was setting. After the sun set, I returned to the hostel where I am now, because I want to get a good night’s sleep before touring Google tomorrow.

Overall today was a good day that gave me an introduction to the layout of the city, and how to use the public transportation. I’m really excited for tomorrow.

Philadelphia Day 2: Art & Airplanes

Today started with me waking up with the idea I would go out at 7 AM and see everything the day had offer. Notice the key word, idea, because that is all it was. In actuality, I ended up getting out of bed around 10 AM, at which point I finally got ready for the day. To begin, my sister, her boyfriend, and I all went to V Street, and had lunch. There I had a vegan philly cheese steak that was made of seitan and mushrooms, with what seemed like some kind of turmeric-flavored cheese substitute. Needless to say, it was really good.

After lunch, I parted ways with my sister and headed up town. I walked up Benjamin Franklin Parkway, past such sights as the Shakespeare Memorial, Logan Square, and the Franklin Institute. I walked into the Franklin Institute, just to say hi to the giant statue of Ben that is there. It is truly a sight to see. From there, I continued on to the Philadelphia Art Museum. With my backpack and carry-on with me, I wasn’t able to run up the steps Rocky-style, so I walked up. There were many schools visiting today, so the steps were a flurry of children wearing the same neon shirts.

For $14 I went into the museum and walked around. The museum’s collection is extensive and varied; on the first floor you can find contemporary art, and on the second you can find medieval armor. With little to no knowledge of art, I still had a good time walking around. One of my favorite rooms was one full of shelves of glass cups, bowls, and other ornaments. All the shelves were lit with fluorescent lights, which allowed you to see every intricate detail within the glass, and it was really cool. Besides that, I also enjoyed the medieval exhibits. Besides armor and weaponry, there were also rooms that were made in the style of the period, and it was pretty cool to see the lavish lifestyle the elite of the time had lived. There were also some contemporary pieces from artists that I had seen in LA(such as Bruce Nauman).

After the art museum, I walked along the river back towards Center City. From there, I took an Uber to the airport, and arrived early, so I could both write this to you, and edit my short video. In around 1 hour later tonight I will board my flight, and by tomorrow morning I will have arrived in Dublin. I am very excited for tomorrow, and am looking forward to it. On the topic of Philadelphia, it is a great city I would love to come back to.

Philadelphia Day 1: Random Sights

This morning, I left my house in a clouded state of mind, as it was 3 AM and unless you have a marathon to run, hardly anyone is able to be awake at 3 AM. I got to LAX, fumbled through security, and made it onto my flight(which was completely full). Looking back, it was exciting, but in the moment it felt numb.

When I landed in Philadelphia around 2 PM local time, I felt refreshed. Ready to take on the city for the next 32 hours, I got onto the train from the airport and arrived in Center City 30 minutes later. There I met my older sister who has been living here for the past 4 years as she studies bassoon performance. This summer, she will move to Houston, where she will continue her studies. She had a rehearsal to get to, so after I dropped my bags with her I was free to roam the city.

I began by walking up Broad Street, and over to a Wawa for something quick to eat(for those who aren’t familiar with Wawa, it is a convenience store/fast food restaurant that is very popular in Philadelphia, and very good). I got a box of chicken nuggets, and a pretzel filled with cream cheese. In terms of fast food, it was wonderful, and was nice as I ate in the courtyard of City Hall. From there, I wandered around, hitting up famous spots such as Reading Terminal Market, the Liberty Bell, and Independence Hall. It was a nice sunny and cold day in Philadelphia, so I had a great time. You can read about the murals of Philadelphia that I documented on my Things I Like page.

By that time, my sister’s rehearsal was over so I met back up with her and we went out to dinner at Dan Dan, a local trendy small bites place, that specializes in Szechuan food. We got dan dan noodles(traditional noodles smothered in a spicy Szechuan peanut sauce with salty minced pork on top), a scallion pancake, kung pao tofu, and pork belly buns. Then, we went back to her apartment, where we relaxed and where I am writing this now. Tomorrow at 9:55 my flight will depart for Dublin, so I will figure out some more sights to see and things to do tomorrow.