Grocery Runs, Piercings and Good Finds

    Since the end of my covid isolation, this past week has been more relaxed and chill. My time here in Dublin has slowly transitioned from sightseeing and crazy hikes to doing little things and running errands in the city. One thing that I noticed here was that Yelp is not the main app for leaving reviews so I've been getting a lot of my information from Google. TripAdvisor also seems to be quite popular here. All that I'll say is that Google reviews has come in clutch with helping me find the best places and have the best experiences. Not sponsored by the way. Especially as someone who is not from here, it's hard to know which stores or shops are worth going to.

    Earlier in the week I got my nails done and was surprisingly impressed with the pricing and job done. I thought I was already paying reasonable prices back home in LA, but De Luxe Nail & Beauty in Dublin left me very satisfied. Some time in the middle of the week, my friend and I checked out George's Street Arcade which is Europe's and Ireland's oldest shopping center. There were many small boutiques and stalls where I picked up some souvenirs for family and friends back home. Afterwards we went grocery shopping at Lidl on Aungier Street. What's unique about this location is that it was built where an old 11th century house used to be and they were able to preserve some of the flooring. In the middle of the store there are glass panels where you can look through and see the remains of the house. There are also plaques on the walls nearby that give more of an explanation. After our little history lesson at the grocery store, my friend and I walked to a coffee store called It's a Trap. I got a cinnamon roll and iced latte and I'll admit the place lives up to its name. Highly recommend. All the tables were occupied at the shop but even better, we walked to Dublin Castle and ate our snack on a bench outside.

    My most recent solo adventure consisted of taking a visit to the old library at Trinity College Dublin and getting a new piercing. For all my Normal People fans, you know that visiting Trinity is a must. It was a fairly quick trip but I got to see the Book of Kells and take some cool pictures of the Long Room. The architecture of that library is absolutely beautiful and I learned that the books displayed are still used to this day. Afterwards I walked to my piercing appointment where I got my mid-helix pierced. To be honest I didn't even know I wanted this piercing until a couple days before my appointment, but I actually really love how it turned out and I'm glad to have a forever souvenir from Dublin. Of course the day wasn't complete until I got my iced coffee and again thanks to Google reviews, I got a really tasty iced caramel macchiato from Central Brew Coffee.

 

    I appreciate the days like this because usually I'm super busy. These last few weekends are packed with plans already so I'm glad to have made the most of my free time while it lasted.