Men in Kilts and No Sleep

Everywhere I look, there are kilts. Old men in kilts. Yikes. Dublin, Day One!

St. Stephens Green Shopping Centre

I got into Dublin at 5:00 am this morning with JP, one of the students in DukeEngage with me. I flew a red-eye, so I got absolutely no sleep. Dublin is 5 hours ahead of Eastern time, so it was really midnight when we were touching down in Ireland.

It was hard to feel sleepy when we were gazing out the window at the green pastures and farms, though. We had a fun cab ride to our apartments with a vivacious man who told us that we absolutely must watch the Scotland-Ireland soccer match tonight. That's why there are men in kilts everywhere.

Our hotel is right next to the Embassy of Malta. As JP said, "I love the Maltans."

However, once we got to our hotel, we discovered that the reception desk didn't open until 8 am. So, we stashed our bags behind the counter and took a sunrise walk through the city. We walked in circles, greeting groggy Dubliners who were likely still out from last night. Finally, it was late enough (7:30) for a little café to be open. We sat down and had a nice breakfast (my body thinks it is 2:30 am???).

St. Stephens Green

After exploring the city some more, we learned that our rooms would not be ready until 3. So, we set off to kill some time. The shops began to open, the streets became busier, and the sun even peeked out a little.

Everything is green, green, green. And the weather wasn't even too bad. It was about 50 degrees in the morning, and felt like late fall, but once the sun came out it was nice!

Maybe I can comment more on the city once I lay down for a few minutes. For now, I'm just blindsided by the kilts.