HOT HOT HOT

So we survived our first day...barely...

After finally getting settled in our hotel room we had lunch at the Bleeding Horse. Yesterday was the Ireland v England rugby match so the place was packed with fans. It was a fun time of pints and new friends. We even met some students from Nova who are studying abroad in Brussels and came here for the weekend.

After the match we left to find transportation to the fireworks show. It turns out that they didnt plan any special train or bus schedules so we could get out there, but we wouldnt have been able to return til this morning. That plus the fact that it was freezing and raining we decided to just stay in Dublin. We went back to the hotel, took a nap and then got all jazzed up to go out. We did catch the show on tv and well we missed out on a really amazing display of pyrotechnics.

This is where the luck starts to turn. First my hair dryer refused to accept the voltage converter and burned itself up. Guess I have a little more room in my bag now. Meggies curlers worked fine though so perhaps it was just my dryers time.

Finally we were off to the pub. We chose a place called Whelans since Meggie said it was the HOT spot last time she was here. Her point would be proven later. We met some nice people in line and hit the dance floor like it was our job. We tried several beers and the bud light here is not the bud light we have at home...very carbonated.

Around 1am we hear something that sounds like an alarm. We couldnt tell if it was the music or if someone had actually pulled it. Of course the crowds first response is "who was the jerk who pulled the alarm". Meggie who was in the process of having a Smithwicks bought for her turns and gives me the "oh great" look. Then suddenly...smoke, lots of smoke. I will say they did a good job of getting us all out on the street....without our coats or umbrellas which were checked upstairs. After some time spent waiting it out and then finding shelter in a pizza place we gave up and went home.

This morning we woke to smoke stenched hair and clothes that will definitely need to be washed before putting back in our bags. After a nice breakfast in the hotel we walked back to the bar to see the whole front burnt and exposed. There were some workers out front though and we asked about the coats. He said "sure come on in". Apparently it was the place next door that caught on fire and the smoke was just coming into their place so they were cleaning up and will be open for business again tonight. So in th end we had a great time, found an awsome bar and still have our coats which somehow magically dont reek of fire!

Time to start day two... Guiness tour, Trinity college and maybe Jameson tour : )