So, to tell you the truth, I don't really remember what I did Thursday morning. I probably spent some time at the internet cafe down the road from Kevin's apartment, and I probably downed some Irish Fanta and some pastries from the convenience store. I'm not saying this because I have any specific recollection of that happening on Thursday morning; only because I know that it happened regularly. :)
Probably around noon or so, Kevin met me at the apartment to take some copies of A Year With The Very Most, our new CD, to Road Records in Dublin. It's a good thing he took me over to the store, because I doubt I could have found it otherwise. It was a decent walk, and if I remember correctly, it involved going near Grafton Street. There were lots of twists and turns in getting there, but it was a fun walk nevertheless. It kind of opened up my eyes to a part of Dublin I hadn't seen before. It was kind of the fancier section of Dublin for lack of a better word, with lots of high end shops and restaurants. Within half an hour or so, we reached the record store. It was a small space, but they used the space well, and the guys behind the counter were nice and knowledgeable. They had done well with the Candy Claws' CD that came out on Indiecater, and we're of course hoping for the same with our CD.
After we dropped off the CDs, Kevin took me around that part of Dublin as we looked for a place to eat lunch. We walked through some cool, narrow streets and through a couple shopping centers (is that the right word for something as cool looking as the places we walked through?). We also visited Waltons music store on Georges Street where part of the movie Once was filmed. Apparently, they've had enough people coming in asking questions about the movie that they had to post a sign asking people not to do that. It was a great store, with a better selection of guitars than any Guitar Center I've ever been to, as well as a large selection of pianos, percussion, and of course, Irish instruments. Probably the most impressive music store I've ever set foot in.
After we were done in the music store, we went to a nice restaurant (again, I can't remember the name). It was in this beautiful older building, and we were up on a second floor overlooking the ground floor. I got a panini and some soup, and it was quite good. Kevin and I had more of a chance to chat, which was good because we've been in contact over email nearly every day for the last year (at least), and this was our first real chance to hang out face to face. After lunch, we walked back to the apartment and we made plans for everyone to meet later that night at a pub near the apartment.
Soon after I got back from hanging out with Kevin, all of us (Sarin, Jake, Lisa, Gia, Zach, Elijah, Kendall, Karen, and I) decided to walk to Trinity College to see the famous library there, as well as to see an exhibit of The Book of Kells. On the way to Trinity College, we crossed a bridge over the River Liffey. Here's a photo of Sarin and I on the bridge. Aren't we photogenic?
After twenty five minutes or so, we made it to the college and the Book of Kells exhibit.
Unfortunately, for us, the Book was being repaired or something, and it wasn't being shown when we went to see it. However, there was a replica being exhibited, and they were offering admission at half price, so we decided to go anyway. Between the time that we left the apartment and the time we reached Trinity College, Zach, Karen, and Gia had gotten so far ahead of the rest of us that we lost them, but the rest of us saw the exhibit and the old library together. The Book of Kells exhibit was interesting. Irish Monks in the 6th century (I think?) spent thousands of hours creating the book, which is an elaborately illustrated Book of The Gospels written in Latin. The exhibit also teaches you about the history of Christianity in Ireland.Next, we went to the old library, which was an amazing building with high arched ceilings and beautiful wood work. It was built, IIRC, in the early 1600s. We spent probably 45 minutes to an hour just sitting in the library absorbing the beauty of the room and looking at the displays. I saw one of the few remaining copies of the Proclamation of the Irish Republic and got choked up. It was really touching to be in the presence of a document of such historical importance, let alone one that declares human rights and equality under the law. Clearly, you don't have to be Irish to be affected by that.
After we left Trinity College we got dinner at an Indian restaurant in that same part of town. The food was good, but the service wasn't that great. The bus boy spilled water all over Lisa, and not only did they not offer her a discount on her meal, but they basically hid in the kitchen because they were so embarrassed about what happened. They did eventually give Lisa a discount, but only after Elijah mentioned how disappointed we were that they didn't offer her one. Lame. Oh well. It was still good food, though it was pretty expensive, and they charged extra for rice and nan.
After dinner, we all met Kevin at the apartment to go to the pub, which was about a 10 minute walk. It was exactly what you'd expect an Irish pub to be: pictures of JFK on the wall, Guinness flowing freely, Irish flags, very friendly people. There was a band playing traditional Irish music, though I was having a hard time hearing any instruments other than the guitar. No matter. It was more of an atmospheric thing anyway. At the pub, we met Kevin's friend John, and his brother Philip, who were both great lads and a pleasure to hang out with. Overall, a great time was had by all, even by Sarin and I, the teetotalers of the group. (For the record, I was drinking Lucozade that night, which is, apparently, the drink everyone grew up on in Ireland. It's a kind of energy/sports drink. The next night I tried the orange flavor, which I dug more than the original flavor.)
After the pub, we went straight to the apartment and got some rest. Some of us had a very early plane to catch to Glasgow.
And thus ends day three.
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