Some of the time we just hid in cafes (behind bags) and watched people through the glass. This was particularly true when it was raining or cold.

We did a bit of shopping, but most of the stores were the same chains as the ones in the UK. On Grafton Street, a big shopping street, we found this cute indoor shopping center, which was practically made from glass.


We found this section of pet clothing in a popular store for accessories. I was amazed by just how many pet outfits there were.

We found some nice green spaces, including St. Stephen's Green (pictured here), right in the heart of the city. The university campus for Trinity College was particularly nice, and extremely large given where it is located.


St. Stephen's Green had a nice pond which had lots of leaves of different colors that had fallen off. We had a bit of a game trying to take pictures of the ducks who swam really quickly and just became a blur on the pictures.

We wandered around the city a lot the whole time we were there. This touristy pub is located on Temple Bar, the main street for nightlife (and often expensive prices).


This was part of Dublin castle, of which we could only see a very limited part.

Thought I'd put up a few pictures of Dublin on here. This is O'Connell Street's bridge that crosses the river that goes through the center of town. Of course, that is Victoria. One thing I found interesting is the giant Heineken building in the background, given that Guinness is king in Dublin. The Guinness factory/museum was a bit further out of town and we didn't make it that far.

I found a man's wallet on the bus today. I think it may have been stolen rather than lost, as there was no money left in it. It did have an ATM card, but I suppose that is worthless without the PIN. We now have chip and pin on all UK credit cards too, so those are unusable without the PIN too. It's helped a lot with reducing card fraud.

His driver's license had his address, but no phone number, so I ended up calling his bank and explaining that I found his wallet. I gave them my work phone number so they could pass it on to him, as obviously they would not give me his phone number. I haven't heard anything yet, but maybe there will be a message when I get in tomorrow.

Yay! I passed my driving test. I have to wait three weeks to get the license apparently, but I'm not planning on using it in the meantime anyway. You are allowed 15 minor faults on your driving test, and I got just 1. It was a fault for being in the wrong lane at a roundabout, and I remembered which one he was talking about, so at least I recognised it. The driving instructor asked if I had a license in the US, since I was such a good driver. I'm bouncing off the walls with excitement!

I feel as if we have travelled back in time to World War II or at least the middle of a war torn city. All around our apartment we can hear the sound of explosions every night. As we approach Guy Fawkes Day, there seem to me more and more idiots playing with fireworks in the center of the city. There doesn't seem to be the same level of concern here about setting off fireworks next to buildings and houses as I remember in the US. In fact there is a special fireworks counter at the supermarket this week, and a new fireworks store has opened in the city center. At least we can take solace in the fact that it won't last too much longer.

This weekend has been fairly relaxing. Victoria took a much needed more relaxed stance towards getting her lesson planning and other school work done, so I think she enjoyed this weekend more than some of the previous ones.

I spent some time this weekend writing the first assignment that's due for one of my master's courses. It's a reflective piece, and it is not exactly hard writing, but it does encourage you to really think what you have learnt from something we did in the course, and how it could affect you in a workplace context.

I also had my final driving lesson before my test, which is scheduled for Friday afternoon. I feel pretty good about my driving, I just need to be relaxed and drive normally on the test. Wish me luck!