Ireland

"In Dublin you are able to celebrate 'life', happiness, and history. The culture is focused on being alive, yet aware of the past. All people are welcome."

The frigid air of the early morning filled my lungs when I took my first steps into this foreign land. Immediately, I jumped onto the first bus heading to Trinity College, which was the landmark all my peers told me to visit first. My body was exhausted from the traveling, but my eyes were peered to the window as the college appeared in our sight. It was breathtaking. (Granted it was 6am so there was no one around). If you take Princeton University's rich architecture and mix it with MIT's modernized buildings, this is what that creation would produce. I walked as a visible tourist taking all of the pictures I could and staring at every minimal poster posted on the walls.

After about an hour, I headed towards Grafton Street, which happens to be a popular street among shoppers. It was an eerie feeling being in a large city, such as Dublin, but hearing nothing but my own thoughts was serene. I ended up sitting in a coffee shop eating my croissant waiting for the locals to come out and start their day. Little did I know, the sun doesn't rise until 9am and no one begins their daily tasks until then. I would stare out the window staring at people trying to imagine what their life is like. It sounds creepy, and honestly it was, but the curiosity of living through someone else overcame me.

Honestly, I didn't do anything special in Dublin with such a limited time, but I walked A LOT. 13 miles to be exact. For some people that seems counterintuitive to walk instead of exploring stores or restaurants with limited time. That's how I enjoy cities. I walk to experience the culture of the city and find hidden gems along the way. I want to immerse myself for one day and truly feel like a local. Would I go back to Dublin? 1000000x YES. Just not in the middle of the night this time.