Weekend trip to Dublin

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Well, I successfully made it through the first week of classes! The highlight of Tuesday was having my first individual bagpiping lesson. We are using practice chanters to learn the basics before we attempt playing the pipes, so I learned how to put it together and how the fingering works on the instrument. One of the biggest struggles for me is that our fingers have to be straight; they don't curve over the instrument to cover the holes with our fingertips. Instead, different parts of each finger cover the hole so that the fingers remain flat. This is a huge contrast to playing the piano or violin, where I was constantly told to keep a good curve in my fingers. However, I am getting the hang of that better. It takes a lot more breath than I had anticipated, but I'm getting better at getting the correct sound right from the beginning. At first, it took a while for the note to really settle in. The afternoon was empty because the seminars do not start until the second week. So, later that evening I went to the movie theatre with Ashlee and Sabrina, and we experienced our first Glasgow rain on the way home. I was soaked! I was so glad to have my rain coat and boots with me, but it really was amazing how hard it rained. (What's more amazing, however, is the amazing weather that we continue to have. That is still the only day I've been rained on. Wednesday was a fairly uneventful day, with only my theatre lecture and then a contemporary dance class. Thursday, we had our first group bagpiping lecture where we got to learn more about the instrument itself and its early history. On the way home, we stopped at this bar that was giving out free hoodies to students which was very exciting.

Friday morning, I took a cab to the airport to catch a plane to Dublin, where I would be spending the weekend. My dear friend (and cousin), Dani, is spending a semester at sea as a hall director, and she would be docked in Dublin for the weekend. Being a short plane ride away, I knew that I would have to come over for the weekend. Due to an unfortunate lack of communication, we got the dates mixed up and she didn't think I was coming until Saturday. So, Friday, I was able to find the home I was staying at and then explore the city centre a bit before heading to a pub for dinner and then heading back to relax. I also took the opportunity to catch up on watching Sherlock, which I recently started binge watching. It's really cool to watch that show after being in London; all of the sights are so memorable and it's fun to have a better sense of the locations. Also, the acting is incredible; the chemistry between Holmes and Watson is really great!

Saturday morning, I got up early to head to the Guinness Storehouse for my earlybird tour of the storehouse and distillery. It was a really cool exhibit; they walked you through all the ingredients and steps that are used to make the Guinness beer. The museum was very well laid out, and very visually appealing. Then, on the fourth floor, we had the opportunity to learn how to pour a perfect pint of Guinness, which is actually a different process than pouring your average beer. You have to fill it almost all the way up at a 45 degree angle, and then let it sit for about two minutes before topping it off slowly and letting the foam create the perfect bubble over the glass. I did it successfully and obtained a certificate which certified that I crafted the perfect pint of Guinness. I then got to take it up to the Gravity Lounge on the seventh floor, which boasted incredible views of the entire city of Dublin, while I enjoyed my first pint of Guinness. I didn't think I would like the taste, because it is so dark, but it was actually really good. I'll have to see if it's as good at home, or if it's better straight from the source. Next, I went to Trinity College to meet Dani which was incredibly exciting! When we saw each other, we ran into each others arms into a huge embrace. We then explored the library a bit, and looked at the Book of Kells which was very cool. We then walked around for a while before deciding on a pub to eat lunch at. It was a very cool atmosphere; there were lamps and candles everywhere, and we had a private little room to ourselves. It was so great to catch up and hang out with her. After our visit was (sadly) drawn to a close, I walked her to her shuttle that would take her back to the boat, and I headed over to the Old Jameson Distillery for a tour of that building. While this distillery is not used today, it was the original sight of the Jameson distillery, and they again took you through the process of how they make their whiskey (note the "e" as compared to the Scottish spelling: "whisky"). They noted that the difference between their whiskey and other brands was that they use a heat method that doesn't produce smoke (it doesn't have the smoky taste of Scottish whisky) and they distill the whiskey three times, instead of the traditional method of distilling once or twice. This tour was very interesting as well, and at the end we got either a shot of whiskey or a mixed drink. I opted for the mixed drink, which was very good as well. I then retired back to the house because I have a very early morning tomorrow.

(Note: I wrote this Saturday evening, but couldn't publish it until I returned Sunday.)

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