City One: Dublin, Ireland There really isn’t much to do in Ireland besides get drunk and see the greenery Welcome to the first installment of a backpacking journey throughout Europe! Cityzen Staff Writer Shawna Adams spent the last few months accross the pond as part of the NYU Study Abroad Program. She had plenty of time for play as well, as she took a Spring Break Jounrey with a friend to six European Cities. This is her story...

"On March 17th, two brave, attractive, and daring students, Shawna and Amy, embarked on 18 days of nonstop backpacking across Europe. Both players were involved in the New York University study abroad program in London, England, and decided to spend spring break taking advantage of how ridiculously cheap it is to travel in Europe. They set out on an amazing quest to find one thing: Men in Kilts (not to be confused with Men in Tights, as in "Robin Hood Men in Tights," a comedy favorite of both travelers). Shawna writes about the history, the food, the catcalls, and the revelries the two ladies found on their journey through six cities: Dublin, Paris, Venice, Florence, Rome, and Athens. Read on to find out if they were successful in their quest to find kilted men…

Day One: St. Patty’s Day in Dublin, Ireland

It started out with a cliché: St. Patty’s Day in Dublin, Ireland. What other way to kick off two weeks of backpacking across Europe, walking roads paved with history, and learning about the origins of civilization, than to get drunk out of your mind with the people who do it right? We thought so too. Our flight didn’t arrive in Dublin until approximately 9:20PM, but such tardiness didn’t stop us from enjoying the all-night/all-weekend festivities that were raging across the city. We pub-hopped until the wee hours of the morning and ended the night with a very traditional Irish delicacy…or just kebabs. In one night, I managed to meet one man who loves New York City, but, more importantly, appreciated the Colgate toothbrush factory in New Jersey during his trip to America (I’m from New Jersey and I don’t even know what he’s talking about)…

And another Irishman who claimed to be “good mates” with Damien Rice and a friend of a friend of a friend of a friend of Colin Ferrell, who, as our exclusive insider insists, is really a “shy, quiet guy” in real life. Thanks Kevin from Dublin!

My first night in Ireland and I had already picked up on the more important aspects of Irish culture: Firstly, they really do like their drink. Secondly, they also really like American music from the decade starting with 1980…AKA bad, very bad, American music. Thirdly, you will never meet anyone as nice as the Irish. And they are in love with America, especially New York City. Fourthly, Irish girls are feckin’ ugly! No offense, just stating an honest observation here. No wonder Irish boys drink all the time!

Day Two: The Guinness Factory in all its Barley
Our second day in Dublin found us making our way to the Guinness Factory, a staple in every tourist’s visit to the city. It took us the entire day to find our way to the Factory, and even when we found it, we had to spend another two hours waiting in the ridiculous line. But it was well worth the wait. (Translation: Shawna hates Guinness but feels the need to express love for it because she is half-Irish.)

Once we entered the beer haven, we discovered that the Irish are truly passionate about their Guinness. The quotes on the walls were a little melodramatic, ranging from “The perfect beer is made with love” and “Guinness = Life”. The Factory was actually a devoted Guinness museum, with step-by-step instructions of how the beer is brewed. Who knew that roasted barley smells like chocolate?

Luckily, the Irish are also known for one of my favorite aperitifs, Bailey’s Irish Cream. Mmmmm.

We eventually pioneered our way to the top of the factory to the famous Sky Bar, whose panoramic windows give a breathtaking view of the entire city of Dublin and its surrounding areas. It was also at the bar that we each had the perfect pint of Guinness – and it was, actually, the best pint I’ve ever had. I concluded, however, that drinking a Guinness is like drinking a meal. You have to starve yourself before having a pint or else you’ll never be able to finish it (or maybe I’m just not cut for the challenge). For me, the first five sips of a Guinness are like drops of heaven in the form of a savory liquid, but the next thirty are like stuffing down your sixth saltine cracker in a minute.

That night, we made our way into the Temple Bar area of Dublin, which is where the majority of people who just like to get drunk hang out because it’s basically an area cluttered with pubs… so you don’t have to walk very far from one pub to another!

Day Three: Rugby in the Form of Ireland vs. Wales

We started the day off trying to appease my need to find Irish soda bread. Sadly, I came to the conclusion that maybe it just doesn’t exist in its country of supposed origin. Instead, I found some “brown” soda bread…too bad I don’t like wheat bread. We did, however, find ourselves a “real” traditional Irish pub, O’Neil’s Pub, where we had a “real” traditional Irish meal, AKA one with piles of potatoes, and various variations of it, one on top of another. The meal itself was supposed to be corned beef and cabbage, but I guess when it comes to Irish food, potatoes are just naturally the main focus.

After stuffing ourselves silly on starch, we made our way to a pub to watch the rugby game of the moment – Ireland vs. Wales. It was the finale to the Six Nations rugby championships. Sadly, Ireland lost.

Day Four: The Greenery
Day four ended up being the first sunny Sunday Dublin had seen since last summer, according to our tour guide Jonathan. Our day consisted of taking a bus tour into the countryside surrounding Dublin – the monastery at Glendalough and the Powerscourt Gardens. Both were absolutely breathtaking. It’s hard to imagine living in the countryside. Something as unglamorous as walking your dog suddenly takes new meaning when you have the luxury of going to these beautiful places to do so.

That night ended up being our longest one in Dublin; surprising, considering it was a Sunday. We befriended the bouncer at one of the pubs in Temple Bar – The Temple Bar pub, actually – and he became our makeshift nightlife tour guide. I think the total count for that night was 8 different bars/pubs. At one of the last stops, some old geezer wrote on a coaster “Marry Me” and handed it to me. We took it upon ourselves at that moment to call it a night, but only after stopping in a random lounge on the way back. The deal at this lounge was basically to pay extra for the eye candy. Prices for drinks were absurd, but everyone in the place was beautiful. Even the Irish girls!