What's the Craic?

Before I knew it the week was over and I was off to Dublin for the weekend to see an old friend from Zimbabwe days, who I haven't seen in 10 years! I feel really old right now! I had a really easy trip over there, managed to get an express train to the airport and hopped on the AerLingus flight, hopped off in Dublin and onto the correct bus to get to B's house..simple! Although when I looked in my passport, I noticed that the French really are a long way behind... look at the date of the stamp they put in my passport... Yes, 13/08/09, hopefully that doesn't come back to bite me later on, but how incompetent for a 1st world country!

So got to B's parents place and immediately packed for a party near Kilkenny (about 1hr 30mins away). I was expecting a student dive and we turned up at the house and it had a huge iron gates and a massive driveway lined with trees, the house had chandeliers... crazy! So I crashed the party, but as a foreigner it was pretty easy to get away with :) Here are a few photos of the Irish countryside - it was a gorgeous weekend with lots of sun.
The driveway
The house

Cute horses
After drinking copious amounts, we got taxi's into Kilkenny and got up to mischief there until they closed, then came back to party on and only got to bed at 6.30am...brilliant night. Love Irish girls!(and Zimbabwean-Irish girls!)
We even did some sight-seeing on the way to another pub...

After a bit of a sleep in and a proper Irish breakfast, with pudding I may add! We all went into Kilkenny so that I could do some sightseeing. Went to see the Kilkenny Castle.

Then I was forced (by the Irish girls) to have the best Icecream - called a 99. So fluffy and creamy and sugary. We sat in the park by the castle and ate them.
After a lunch/diner or Roast Lamb with Guiness gravy and enough potato to sink a ship we went home for an early night. I didn't manage to have a Kilkenny in Kilkenny but I got a photo in front of the sign!
The next day was a gorgeous day, one of the best days of Summer apparently... and we were off to te Guiness Factory- yay! Here are a few happys snaps and the obligatory one at the top of the skybar with our free Guiness!


After taking advantage of the lovely day walking through Dublin and Temple Bar, we had lunch in a pub. The whole time I was there it was so nice to just be able to talk and understand without thinking. You don't realise how much you are constantly thinking in France until you don't have to anymore. Here are a few pictures from the afternoon.




Overall, I had a brilliant weekend. I love catching up with old friends and even though I am terrible at keeping in touch, it is so great to have friends who I haven't really been in contact with that I can just call up and say 'hey I'm coming to visit' and be welcomed with open arms. I'm very lucky, thanks B!