Starting with the rest of my birthday. Wednesday.
It's unfortunate that my birthday had to fall on a Wednesday.... the only day that I have class all day. I spent the majority of the day mapping out our Irish Road trip and packing. I showered and went upstairs to Laura & Claire's for birthday dinner (at 4:30... not only am I 21, but I became an early bird). Claire and I have class at 5:30 so we had to eat earlier. The lovely girls got us pizza, garlic bread, and coke (made with vegetable extracts?!) from Centra for dinner. It was like an all american birthday! Then they surprised me with a cake and candles. Now I don't know why, but it's not your birthday until you blow out some candles and make a wish. And it was good chocolate cake, so thank you ladies. Yous the greatest.
I had to end the fun and go learn about the Great Potato Famine in Irish History. Now nothing is a buzz kill quite like learning about starvation, death, and disease.
After a meeting with my group, I went back to my apartment, got my stuff and took the bus into the city centre to meet the ladies at their hotel. The magic of IPOD shuffle (which I sometimes look to for direction--kind of like a fortune cookie) was in my favor...and New Kids on the Block came on singing Happy Birthday. It reminds me of the time we played it in cream puff for Nicole's 16th birthday. It was the perfect signal.
Off the bus and walking like a champ to the hotel with my luggage. Arrived. Opened presents :) Lindsay got me a flask with a clover on it (how appropriate). Aunt Kath sent along some socks (surprise surprise) and some fun cards. Brent and Allie sent along a collection of movies... some kind of strange ones, Miss Jones. Or Classics I suppose. Like Mallrats, and Look's Whose Talking Now. Tracy got me 21 chocolate bars and a shirt. I guess I have more chocolate supply to add to the Doves Momma sent me (with the Martha Stewart tips...). And then I got a wonderful surprise from Jan...her famous cookies sent all the way from Tampa. I shared some but horded the rest for myself. I need to put them in the fridge so they are nice and cold!
We headed out to Temple Bar to celebrate 21 properly. We met Stevie, Laura, and Claire there in our favorite statue room. We sat for a bit then me and Lindsay headed to the bar to order a drink. Now normally I get cider at the bars, but I'm more of a foo-foo drink kind of girl and figuring it was my birthday, I thought it was only appropriate. But this isn't Kams or Uncle Mike's Bar... so I couldn't just ask for an O & O or a Pomegranate Martini. So I did the logical thing, I asked the bartender what he would recommend. Well actually, I told him I didn't know what I wanted, but I wanted something fruity. Now he was a nice looking guy, a little scruffy, and he looks at me, and goes, "Then eat some fruit" and walks away and into the bar store room. He was gone for a few minutes, and I looked at Lindsay like what? I honestly thought he was going to go get me an apple or something. He comes back and says, well you are in Ireland so how about a Jameson and cranberry. Sure, I say. Jameson Irish Whiskey seems like a legit first drink as a 21. He limed my glass for me while I told him it was my birthday, he responded with well wishes and handed me my drink. Lindsay bought it for me...at something ridiculous like 9 euro. We joined the rest of the group and listened to our live irish band (Lad Lane) play some traditional music. The type that makes you want to slap your knee and get up and jig. We enjoyed the fine tourist and some high quality people watching... including a couple who may or may not have gone to the bathroom together. And I'm pretty sure they weren't not using the facilities. We sat around and joked and I laughed a lot at the image of Laura buying an accordion and playing it on the plane ride back to Australia. 24 hours of live Irish music down the aisles.
The girls had to catch their bus back to campus, so they left about 11. But before they went, they played a good game of stealing glasses. Extra points for Guinness glasses. We would feel bad about it, if:
1. we had glasses in our apartments, which we don't.
2. the bars didn't get them from the breweries, which they do.
3. if the bars didn't charge you 5 euros ($7.50) for a pint, which they do.
Lindsay and I had another drink. This time we went to the old man at the other side of the bar but our sassy bartender gave us a wave. Lindsay insisted I try Midori and 7 up which is like a green liquor that is fruity tasting. I'm not sure it's popular in Ireland because when we ordered it, the bartender pour us the liquor and then opened a 2 litre of 7 up and set it on the counter. We weren't sure if we were supposed to take the whole bottle?! or what....so we waited, and then the bartender was like, no...just fill it with 7 up to your own preference. Jameson and Green Liquor seem like high quality Irish mixed drinks.
The cost of alcohol makes it ridiculous to "rage"...so we made it to midnight and headed back to the Maldron Hotel. Not quite a wild and crazy 21. I'll have to post-Ireland celebrate with my lovely friends when I return to the good ol' US of A...where being 21 is actually a big deal.
And then bed. TwentyOne. Done.
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