7/10 Buh bye Switzerland! Hellooooooo Ireland!

I got woken up by Combes at 8:30 so that we could get in one more game of Catan. Everyone else got up to finish packing the last of their things. Bruce and Renee had already left so it was down to my parents, my brother, Combes and me. At about 9:30, we said our goodbyes and everyone else headed to the airport. I was officially all by myself!

I tried to go back to sleep but that didn't work. So I read some magazines, straightened my hair, read my book, and ate some snacks. I got fully packed and headed down to the lobby at 1. While I was there I went on the Internet and did some research on stuff to do in Ireland. After about 4 1/2 hours of surfing the net, reading, and staring at the wall, I decided to get on the tram to the airport.

I got to the airport at about 6. I was thoroughly confused about the layout but found the check in desk. I apparently had over 20 kilos and had to do some bag rearranging, which literally made me break a sweat. I also had to check my backpack which made me nervous.

I waited about an hour to get my gate assignment. When it finally popped up, I headed toward security. As I made my way to the gate to relax, I realized I left my floppy hat at the check in desk! I thought about just leaving it there but realized I might really want it during my tour. Once a desk agent arrived I told him how I left it. He looked bothered but got on the phone and told me someone would try to bring it. 45 mins later and 2 mins before we boarded, another desk agent appeared with it! Whew....

I had to sit in the front row of the plane which sucked because I couldn't keep my bag under my seat. The flight was 2 hours long and I read the whole time. Once we landed, I went straight to baggage claim to get my bags, which luckily were some of the first off the plane.

I caught a cab outside the airport. The guy was super nice and got a little lost but only charged me a flat 20 euro rate. He was also very informative so I gave him a 5 euro tip, which he seemed pleasantly shocked to receive. I told him "that's how we roll in America!"

I checked into my 6 person hostel room. The guy at the desk (Neil) was super cool (and Canadian!) The only 2 people in my room when I got there were 2 super stinky French guys. I went and asked Neil where to eat. He told me about a Chinese place across the street. I walked there quickly, having not eaten a real meal all day. Not shockingly, there were tons of amusing drunk people all over the place.

I got a "hot box" with spicy meat and noodles. It was some of the best Chinese I have ever had! No joke. After eating half and putting the rest in the fridge, I decided to go to bed. I wanted to be nice and chipper in the morning for my Dublin city tour!