Bad Day/Good Day

The last few days have been interesting...

Despite all the horror stories, during 3 months in Central America I never had one thing stolen. Yet after 1 week in Dublin my cellphone went missing out of my handbag at a bar.

Of course, it had to happen right after I had given my number to prospective employers and potential flatmates, plus any new friends I made in between.

So after the initial rage, and numerous phone calls to the said phone, I sort of gave up on the idea of getting it back. I was meant to be going to Cork city that day anyway. But I decided to try one last time though, just in case.... and someone answered! He asked me to call back in 5 minutes, so I did, and no one picked up. So I waited around in Dublin with all my bags, feeling the effects of too little sleep and too much Guinness the night before, tried another 30 times, and almost resigned myself again. I jumped on the bus bound for Cork (a 4.5 hour trip) feeling very dramatic about the state of the world.

Yet on trying again that evening (from Cork), the same guy answered again! He said I could pick it up when I got back to Dublin. The whole thing sounded a bit dodgy, so when I got back to Dublin from Cork on Sunday I took a taxi there. I was even more suprised to find it was legitimate, he gave me back the phone, and even refused some beer money I offered him. He never did explain how he came across my phone, or why he didnt turn it into the bar, but I was just damn happy to get it back. To make my day even better, the taxi driver offered to drive me back to the city for free (a half hour drive). Hilary Duff must have been watching out for me from her Hollywood heaven.

Anyway, my time in Cork was great. It was good to get away from Dublin and the crazy process of job/flat hunting for awhile. Despite being the second biggest city in Ireland, Cork is small but pretty. A must see for any visitor to Cork is Blarney Castle and its famous Blarney Stone. It's tradition to kiss the stone (which apparently is also the recipient of much male urine). The worst part is that you are dangled by legs from the top of the castle to kiss the side of the stone, with a view the whole way down to the bottom of the castle. My fear of heights did not help, and on my hurry to get back up to surface I hit my head on the Blarney Stone, something that produced much hilarity for myself and my Australian friend I went there with.

I also visited the old Cork jail which was well worth seeing. It really made you feel like you were back in the 1920s, trying to survive off stodgy porridge and a lack of potatoes with rats crawling over you. There were a few cool inscriptions in the jail walls from political prisoners fighting for a free Irish state.

Now its back to the job and flat search...

More photos here http://www.flickr.com/photos/24491659@N03/