Needless to say, there was some sleep to catch up on today, despite the seemingly endless naps of yesterday. Keep in mind we have a weary traveler in our party who just arrived in the country, a girl recovering from a pesky not-so-little cold, and Nolin… who loves to nap. We had a glorious and much-needed sleep-in day today, and then headed out to one of the many Bagel Factorys in town, where they serve the most delicious egg-and-sausage or sandwich-fillings clad bagels you’ll ever find. Afterward, we went out for a waltz around the city, ending up even deeper in the Temple Bar area than we were aware existed, and around Grafton Street (a busy main street that starts near our hostel and extends south). We sauntered through St. Stephen’s Green, a large and beautiful park on the southern end of Dublin, with green grass, trees, flowers, and a duck pond. You wouldn’t expect to find such a nice park in the middle of a brick and cobblestone city, but it works well here in Dublin.

Besides our relaxing exploration of formerly undiscovered areas of Dublin, we did some more napping back at the hostel. Yes, I did say MORE napping. No, that is not a typo. It’s important that we get Josh well rested and on Ireland time, me feeling better, and Nolin…. well, he’ll pretty much sleep or read whenever he gets the chance. He’s very good at both, for which Josh and I are very grateful when it means we get to take part in some recovery-sleep (whether from jetlag or sickness).

We found Japanese candy and delicious Chinese food for dinner. Again, this is the culture mix you’ll find in Dublin. We thank Josh for his delicious-Asian-food-finding sixth sense. I’m eating a strawberry hi-chew at the moment, and I have chocolate pocky in my bag. We’ll be sure to make fast work of that during the soccer game tonight, which has actually already started. It’s Turkey vs. Croatia tonight, and I’m sure that the box (the TV) is currently on and crowded around back at the hostel.

It was a beautifully sunny day in Dublin today… even permitting the donning of flip-flops and short sleeves. A very exciting time for us Dubliners. We’ll be heading to bed early tonight to make sure we’re alive, awake, alert, and enthusiastic for the outdoor food and flea markets tomorrow, and any parade-like festivities linked to the 25-year anniversary of the first gay pride parade in Dublin. No matter what we do, it promises to be an exciting day, so plenty of rest will be needed.

We’re heading back home now (from the internet cafe) to catch the end of the game with our friends at the hostel, eat some Japanese candy, and curl up in our bunks.

Goodnight to all back in the states. Hope your days are sunny in more than just a weather way.

Love from across the world.