Hello to all of you back home! This is Jen.

I just flew into Dublin at 7 this morning and met Nolin at the hostel (he has already been here for a couple of days). Exhausted from two plane rides and my first encounters with thick Irish accents (not good when you’re trying to get directions), I was glad to finally get here. After an accidental 1 1/2 hour nap (sorry dad, I know that’s exactly what you’re not supposed to do, but I couldn’t help it!), Nolin and I headed out into the city streets. Kudos to Nolin for keeping me awake for the rest of the day despite major jetlag. We went to a beautiful park a few blocks from our hostel with winding cement walkways through thick woods, where they were holding the “Street Performer World Championships.” Oh yes. It was even more exciting than it sounds. It ranged from the talented to the absurd. There was the self-proclaimed “Beautiful Stu,” who managed to keep the crowd wildly entertained while doing almost nothing for 40 minutes (his claim to fame is his quick wit and his “blatant lack of any real skill”), and the English Gents, who did comedy and some awesome strength-acrobatics. Our favorite, however, was Charlie Caper, a charming and hilarious magician from Sweden.

the English Gents:

We also visited Trinity College, a beautiful college just about a block from us. While walking around the “classic collegiate” campus, we saw two old professors with white beards, canes, and tweed three-piece suits. They were discussing philosophy and politics, and one of them actually exclaimed something very Irish-sounding and clicked his cain against the ground. Classic. We could barely hold in our laughter. My first day in Ireland and we just so happened to see one of the most stereotypical scenes possible.

Trinity College:

old professors:

We’ve also discovered the most delicious chipper (fish-n-chips vendor) around. Apparently it’s the famous original chipper, with a huge list of well-known people who have eaten there posted on the wall.

Dublin is a great city. It was hard to see that at first because I was tired and was feeling rather confused in this new place with people who couldn’t understand me. It grew on me quickly though. This morning, after some sleep, a bite to eat, and walking about 5 blocks, I really began to like it here. It’s not one of those so-blatantly-beautiful cities like Paris. You have to look closely and be open to it, and you’ll realize what a cool place it is. The streets are lined with tiny shops all squished together, made up of a highly varied mix of pubs, cafes, pharmacies, music shops, and more pubs.

So far, Nolin and I are having a great time, and can’t wait to explore the countryside before Josh gets here, and then hang out in the city when we’re all together.

Hope everyone is doing well at home!

We’ll be posting pictures of the trip so far once we get to France in roughly a weekand a half.