I’m stressing out. My family isn’t coming until April, but they’re already up in my business about trying to plan every single day out for them! They’ll be here just over a week, and they want to see everything… How will I do it? The first weekend they’ll be here is Varsities weekend. It’s the weekend where all the college teams come to one place to party… And play basketball. But I keep hearing that basketball is secondary. What a perfect weekend to charm the parents! They’ve already booked their hotel for the first few nights in Dublin. It’s just a few steps away from Harcourt Street AKA party central. There’s no doubt in my mind that I’m taking them to Dicey’s. If they want a true feel for my day-to-day life, they simply can’t miss the club. That way they can see me in my natural habitat: awkwardly standing against a wall and refusing to dance while thinking of nothing but my bed and whether or not my sheets need to be washed. Depending on which Netflix show I’m devoted to at the moment, I may be thinking of that too.
I digress. The point I really wanted to make is that I’ve asked probably ten Irish friends for advice on where to take my family, and they all point me in different directions. Friend one: “Just go to Galway and don’t leave. It’s the best place in Ireland.” Friend two: “Oh you’ve got to take them to Cobh, absolutely deadly.” Back to friend one: “What? Don’t bother with Cobh, it’s not worth your time.” Friend three: “Go to west port, it’s gas.” Friend four: “Ring of Carey is by far the most beautiful spot in the country.” Friend five: “Don’t bother with Ring of Carey, you should go to the less touristy areas.”
You get the idea. So much to do, so little time, so many opinions, and so many decisions. Honestly, I wouldn’t hate just spending the whole week in Dublin. There’s enough to do here. And I already know my way around—generally.
Either way, I’m extremely excited to have them come over here to see my new home. And everyone here has been more than helpful with the planning. My coach basically wrote up a whole itinerary for us: where to go, when, where to eat, which pubs to go to for music… What would I do without them?? Let’s hope I’m not a huge disappointment to the folks.
