Diary Friday: “I was getting worried because the big Eurovision song contest was on tonight at 8:00 and I didn’t want to miss it.”

This is a re-post. I thought, in honor of all the Joyce posts recently, I thought I’d go back and find a Diary Friday entry that had to do with Dublin. Sadly, it’s a mortifying experience to read as well as re-live. I am 14 years old here. We have been in Ireland for forever at this point. I did my schoolwork in various B&B rooms throughout the countryside. I was at the height of horrid adolescence- I find these terrible, TERRIBLE I tell you! We had flown into the Shannon airport – and spent the majority of time on the west of Ireland. So to arrive in a city just thrilled me no end. I was such a snob.

IRELAND

We started off for Dublin and I am SO excited!!! I CAN’T WAIT!!!!! YIPPEE!!! [Ed: I do not believe there is a font large enough to imitate what that looks like in my journal. Continue.] The drive was long but FINALLY WE CAME INTO THE CITY!!!! [See previous note.] Oh, I love the city! It was exactly like New York but with no skyscrapers. The traffic was terrible, but it gave us plenty of time to look around. People – kids – everyone was out – trillions of college kids. [I believe my rapture here is due to the fact that we had spent so much time out in the Wild West, and I had so had it with seeing Abbeys and monasteries. I’m guessing here, but I think that’s what’s going on here.]

Dad pointed out Trinity College and St. Stephen’s Green. We finally found a place to park, we paid the parking meter, and walked off for St. Stephen’s. Mum said it was gorgeous. We walked down the sidewalk looking at everything.

I saw the most incredible punk couple [Ha. I was ALL ABOUT being “punk” – only it was such a watered-down American version as to have absolutely nothing to do with the “real thing”. So I felt like, whenever I saw kids with mohawks and safety pins and stuff – IN IRELAND – I was confronted with the genesis of the movement.] She had safety pins through her hand, earrings in her nose, and a bleached mohawk.

When we went through the iron gates into the green, it was — oh, it was so so beautiful. All shady with all the college kids lying around sleeping, and we came to a stream with mallards and Siobhan immediately sat down to watch. There was a gazebo beside the stream (not as nice as the one in Adare BY FAR.) [Ha ha. Listen to me. Judging the gazebos.] I passed around it, trying to find an opening in the wooden fence so I could get in, and I tripped on a MICROSCOPIC iron stake and fell on my face. [Damn, I hate those microscopic iron stakes.] A whole group of jerky girls started to roar with laughter but some college guy helped me up. OH, I was so so so embarrassed! [Ehm, I’m embarrassed right now, reading about my own embarrassment.] I still blush thinking about it. How dorky I must have looked. It’s awful.

We walked along the stream and we came into another part of the park – a sunny stretch of grass with a big fountain and flower gardens. I wish I was a poet so I could put it into words! [And then I proceed to put it into words anyway.] Rows of yellow tulips with small violet flowers in front. Red and orange tulips arranged with velvety maroon flowers weaving in and out. They were just incredible. I have never seen so many perfect gorgeous flowers in my life. Some yellow ones, pink tulips – I could have looked at them all day.

We sat by the fountain. Siobhan wanted to take a swim.

We got up again and walked on the winding path past three roaring crying ladies and then went down a lane with trees overarching us and college kids lying on blankets with books. [I am shaking with laughter right now. Who were the “three roaring crying ladies”?? Were they roaring with laughter, I hope? I don’t think they just staggered down the path in St. Stephen’s Green, roaring with sobs in public. ]

When we neared the gate leading out into the big hustle-bustle city, Siobhan didn’t want to go. But she was good about it. [Oh, little Siobhan! She was four!!] When we came out we decided to find a place to have lunch. We hadn’t found a B&B yet, but we were all starving. We found a coffee shop that looked relatively normal on the outside. Well, I took my tray with two raisin scones on it, and started down the stairs. When I came to the bottom I came out into a plush, dim, orange-tinted room with one of those silver balls of light twirling around and bar stools and mirrors on all the walls and low tables and couches and strange lights flashing!!! I went, “OH MY GOD.” I was in shock. I was in a bar! [My innocence touches me, weirdly.]

We slowly sat down on a maroon velvet couch by a low table with three bar stools. It was so dim in there, it was hard to see. Siobhan kept saying, “I can’t see my food!” [The image of Siobhan is killing me here!!] My scones were delicious although I picked out all the raisins. [HAHAHA]

It was all rather bizarre and I was glad to get out of there.

While Mum took Jean and Siobhan to the bathroom, me, Dad and Bren crossed the street to watch a cricket game. It was really strange and they wore white dickies [HA! Dickies! ], and vests, and everything! When Mum, Jean, and Siobhan came out, we walked around for a while and passed the college and Mum told me about the Book of Kells.

When we got back to our car, we got in and went off to find a B&B. It was the most maddening search. There just didn’t seem to be one single B&B in all of Dublin. I swear, we drove around for an hour and a half, and Dad went to the outskirts of Dublin and I didn’t want to stay there! No city!!! [I think what I mean by “no city” is exactly the opposite. I wanted to stay IN the city. Hmm. I am sure I was a huge brat during the search. I can feel it in the prose. Sorry, Mum and Dad. ] We still couldn’t find one and we were all getting extremely bored and tired.

I was getting worried because the big Eurovision song contest was on tonight at 8:00 and I didn’t want to miss it although it was only like 4:30. [This is so hilarious. Jean?? “Dah after dah”? My sister Jean and I were absolutely OBSESSED with the Eurovision song contest.]

Well. Heave a sigh! We finally found one!! The Oslo House, a big brick B&B on a nice residential street not far from Phoenix Park. And Dad said it’s not a far bus ride into Dublin at all. [To appease his bratty teenage daughter who wanted to be among the “punk” people in the city.] And the B&B seems really nice and I have my own huge double bed all to myself! What luxury!

We hung around for a while. I read so much History that I got bags under my eyes. (Slight exaggeration). [Ha. Thanks for letting us know that, you 13 year old girl.]

After a while, we decided to walk down to Phoenix Park. Mum said that it was like Central Park, in that it was huge. It was huge and it was gorgeous – at least the tiny bit I saw of it. There was a playground that Siobhan adored [Again – the image of Siobhan on this trip is killing me!], and when she finished see-sawing, we went up these stone steps (shady) lined with vines, trees, and big bushes, and we came out to a hill with a house on it, surrounded by trees. We walked past that and came out to an ENORMOUS FIELD scattered with benches and amazing flower arrangements. [Uh oh. Here we go again.] Tulips of this lemon yellow color I have never seen before and pink and orange tulips, and yellow flowers that almost shined. It was so beautiful.

The sun was just going down and Mum and Dad got into a conversation with this weird guy. I went down to look at the swans. Oh, they were gorgeous. This proud father glided around the pond, and the mother sat on her eggs on this huge nest. We pet this cute black dog, and we went down to the zoo but it wasn’t opened so we came back and Mum bought me some new batteries. Isn’t she wonderful? [Mum. I apologize for how many times I needed you to “get batteries” for me. I was clearly a lunatic and should have been in an institution. I was fixated on batteries. I am crying with laughter right now. I am “roaring and crying” perhaps?]

When we got home, I did some more homework and then we watched the contest and I taped it. It was terrific!

[Now here’s the deal with the Eurovision Song Contest. Countries from – duh – all over Europe are represented. Music groups from all over the feckin’ place compete. Some of them speak English, but most do not. Hence – most of the songs that Jean and I loved were not sung in English, and yet we got to know the sound of the lyrics anyway, and would sing along pphonetically in our gibberish-sounding made-up version of Greek, or German, or whatever. So that should explain the bizarre next paragraph.]

My favorite songs are Mona ya Guppy from Cypress and Dah after Dah from Sweden. I also liked One Step Further (England) and En Beyshen Freeden (Germany). Germany won and I was thrilled. The girl was 17 and she was so happy!!! [And so began my life-long love of awards shows of any kind. Bring ’em on. Wish I could see award shows every day.] The song means “A Little Peace” and it was really touching. She sang it again in 7 languages, and everyone clapped whenever she switched languages. Shivers ran up and down my back!

I always feel like crying whenever someone has people cheering for them. [This is why I still love awards shows. And the Olympics. I still “feel like crying whenever someone has people cheering for them”.] I cried at Charles and Di’s wedding when they came out on the balcony. I couldn’t help it! [Sheila, you could have helped it if you tried.]

It was a terrific night and day.