Monday, February 2, 2009

Dun Laoghaire: "Dun Lee-ree"

a Christian Science building with beautiful architecture
the Dun Laoghaire International Food Fair
no caption needed
a church in Dun Laoghaire
Dun Laoghaire harbor

I'm so sorry it's been so long since my last post! To tell you the truth, there wasn't much to tell about last week, but I've been meaning to write this since Sunday.

As you can tell from the pictures, I got off campus on Sunday with a few friends. We went down to Dun Laoghaire, which is on the coast--should have worn more clothing. What with the wind, and the sea spray, and the extreme cold that has settled on Ireland in the past few days, it was absolutely freezing. Luckily, we were on our way to a food fair that made it all worth it! My friend Danielle was disappointed with the lack of Spanish/Latin food, but I love all food, and what variety of food they had was great. I had a gargantuan falafel wrap for lunch; it had some sort of spicy sauce in it that went perfectly with the as-good-as-the-falafel-from-Israel falafel. It was really that good. After my never-ending falafel fantasy, I convinced myself to try a suspicious-looking substance at the sugar-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free dessert stand. It turned out to be some sort of cacao and coconut mixture, with a naturally sweetening ingredient, and it was amazing. I will be attending many food fairs this semester, I can tell! Next week, Thai cellophane noodles and savory crepes.

I was also a huge fan of the location, despite the cold wind. There's a causeway with a lighthouse that I didn't get to explore, and the (slightly terrifying) waves were breathtaking (so much so that I risked my camera lens trying to get pictures of them...sorry if there are little dots on the pictures. That's the salt!). It made me miss Maine, and think of traveling to more natural sites in Ireland. Horse trekking, caving, hiking...it all sounds like fun.

It's been alternately snowing and hailing here for the past few days, which was pretty to begin with, but has ceased to be amusing. Lugging my laundry to the laundry room seems less and less appealing. Yesterday, since it was my day off from class, I thought I'd take the opportunity to register with the Garda Siochana as a foreign resident. I also thought that I'd have to wait in a shorter line because of the slush outside, but little did I know that I am apparently a wimp. We arrived at Burgh Quay at three in the afternoon, waited half an hour to take a ticket, and were told that our numbers wouldn't be called before 5:30. After a leisurely lunch, we showed up again at five, and didn't leave again until eight. At least I have my identification card! I really hope that no one asks to look at it, because it is honestly the worst picture ever taken of anyone anywhere. Imagine, after a day of sloshing through the snow and waiting in line for three hours, that you were surprised by a camera that was inconveniently at the wrong angle to your face, and you have just imagined my picture.

In other news, I finally discovered what 'Americano' coffee is: watered-down espresso. I feel slightly insulted! Or I would, if the scones here weren't so delicious.

1 comment:

  1. haha i laugh a whole lot when i read your blog, laura. i think you should send me that pic you mentioned so i can make a cardboard cut-out of you and stick it in the office. just a suggestion.

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