48h In

During a routine grocery trip to the nearby Tesco Superstore (their equivalent to Wal-Mart) I was denied the ability to purchase alcohol because the cashier suspected I was under the age of 18 and refused my Indiana Drivers License as a credible I.D.  Although this may have been flattering for some, it was infuriating for me.  I still stand-by the statement I made yesterday during our first trip to Tesco that it houses the only disgruntled and unpleasant Irish people on the entire island, but more investigating needs to be carried out.

In other news, we set up our class schedule today at the IES center (No class on Tuesday or Friday), ate lunch at what appeared to be a well-established tennis club, and got our first taste of authentic Irish weather courtesy of the combination of gusting winds and steady rainfall. Apparently a gale is headed our way this evening...shame we don't own any kites.  Neighbors are too come over soon and hang out for the night.  Must....stay...awake....

And finally, we visited the ruins of a monastery yesterday in an area known as Glandalough.  It was apparently some of the best weather Dublin had had in awhile, so we were very fortunate in that aspect.  Just thought I'd share some photos.  

 

Ancient obelisk in the center of the monastery.  They were built as signals to traveling monks as well as a sign of wealth.  This one in particular is the 2nd tallest in the world, so they had some cash.

Adjacent cemetery, and a nice shot of the scenery as well.

Wide shot of the entire compound.

Lastly, a shot of the lake and mountains surrounding the area.  In all honesty, this photo's only included to show off my roommate Joe, and a bit of my own vanity of course.  Cheers.