One is Silver, the other Gold

I MADE FRIENDS. New ones! They are all from America, but they're new to me, and we have so much fun together. My flatmates went on a International Students Society trip to Galway the same time I did, and met a few new people. We all went out for drinks last Tuesday night, and lo and behold, these people and their friends are all lovely. This is my biggest piece of news in a long while.

Three of my new friends and one of my comparatively older ones went to see Of Montreal at the Button Factory Wednesday night. Perhaps because the Irish hipster patrons were not very aggressive, perhaps because I didn't have to worry about helping to set up the show and then make sure people came to it, or perhaps because Kevin Barnes wanted to make an extra-fantastic impression on his Irish fans, it was one of the best concerts I've ever attended. I was right at the front, smooshed against the three-foot tall stage, at the red patent leather heels of Kevin himself, in all his glittery, nearly-naked glory. He knelt down right in front of me and two of my friends, and I got a handful of his thigh (Bryce from Bryn Mawr said she was more intimate than that). I danced like I have never danced before, they played every song I ever could have hoped for, and Kev came out covered in shaving cream for his big finale. I exited the venue coated in sweat and red paint. I'll post pictures soon, I promise.

The weekend only improved with a visit from Caitlin Dickinson (we're seeing each other more often in Ireland than we see each other at home). We spent Friday night at a pub called Devitt's, which was probably my best pub experience yet. We went up to the second floor, where a few musicians were sitting in a booth, casually playing folk music. I have to say that I can't mix pub and club nights--I go to the pub for a mellow, chatty evening, and I go to the club to dance, and the two don't mix very well. 

Caitlin and I woke up bright and early(ish) Saturday morning to eat crepes and then hit up the Dublin Bus-sponsored bus tours. We were really gung-ho about riding on the opened top of the double decker for the first half of our tour, even though it was probably 30 degrees and raining. We were frozen though before we decided to get off at the Kilmainham Gaol, which held prisoners from the late 1700s to the 1920s. The jail is really popular because it is where the leaders of the Easter Rebellion were held, and where most of them were executed. Also, Daniel Day Lewis made a movie there. At any rate, we had a spot of tea (EVERY tourist attraction has a tea room, it seems) before we took a tour of the grounds. Because the jail was built out of limestone, and before there was much heating technology, it was FRIGID for the entire tour. The jail cells were really cool though, as were the theories behind their design. Ideally, everyone was to have their own individual cells with solid doors and walls rather than bars. The cell doors had peepholes on front of them. The idea was that prisoners would never know when they were going to be watched, and by whom, so they'd always have to be on their best behavior. The east wing of the jail was actually quite beautiful--I think it would make a good tourist hostel.

Once thoroughly frozen, Caitlin and I jumped back on the bus and rode out to Merrion Square. We were attracted to this particular square because, adjacent to the building where Oscar Wilde attended school, there is a statue of Oscar lying lazily on a large rock at the entrance to the park. It is one of the only painted statues I've ever seen, and my, was it gayly colored.

That evening Caitlin and I feasted on torellini and white pudding, and then Caramel Digestives, which are God's gift to Ireland, as far as I'm concerned. We went out to the Porter House and met up with some NEW FRIENDS, but all in all it was a fairly blah night. I'm learning that Saturday nights are not for the faint of heart--we trucked ourselves all the way out to Temple Bar only to find that we might have had a better time in our own neighborhood.

On Sunday my flatmates and Caitlin and I brunched at Lemon, this hip little crepe place close to Trinity. Lemon apparently attracts aging hipsters and their darling children, so we spent the entire meal oggling the precious and well-dressed urban children. After breakfast, Caitlin, Sarah and I went to the Dublin Zoo to celebrate the first day of spring (according to the Gaelic calendar, anyway). The zoo featured baby monkeys, a baby elephant, and a baby giraffe (!!!). Obviously, the zoo attracted many nuclear families, so these darling Irish children were all over the place, calling the monkeys "cheeky" and pronouncing "tortoises" with pristine diction. The cutest moment of the trip occurred when three small girls met a mischievous chimpanzee in the African Savannah area. The chimp would knock on the window at the girls, and then run from one end of the window to the other and back again. The little girls would chase him and make faces at him and squeal. It was evident that each party was enjoying the other equally.

Moments before Caitlin left yesterday morning, we found a Ticketmaster desk at the tourism office and purchased tickets to see the Swell Season on Thursday (for those of you who have seen Once, the Swell Season is the group Marketa Irgova and Glen Hasard put together for the movie. For those of you who haven't seen Once, go see it right now!) At any rate, Caitlin's coming back next weekend. Hurray!

That's all for now. I hope to update more often, with less in each update, so it's easier to swallow. Thanks for making it this far!