Travel Fashion Friday: Dublin

I decided to take the easy root in launching Friday Fashion day,  I decided to go with the city I lived in last spring... Dublin! When going to Dublin I didn't know waht to expect, I sort of assumed it to be like London, or Boston, but I was proven wrong. I realized that it is very stylish and very unique. The fashion there isn't always over the top, but people still like to bring out their personal style.  Tights and boots were a great staple to many outfits, along with tights and Brogues. The looks they had were simple and had bursts of colors when they wore black.

One brand I found to be everywhere that I never heard of was "Paul's Boutique".

Paul's Boutique is an English design company from Middlesex created by paul Slade. Paul began designing  20 years ago when he went to a club and took a suit he bought at an Oxfam thrift store and tore it apart and made it inside out. He was spotted by a top london designer who bought some jackets, and have been growing around  The United Kingdom and Ireland ever-since. The first place I noticed this brand was heading to the local produce stand and walked past a store that sold knock-offs,  the time I didn't know it, because I saw Paul's Bouttique quilted jackets hanigng up,  but I soon learned that this was a popular brand and many girls were wearing the quilted jackets that had patches saying "I <3 PB" 

Not only is it known for quilted jackets, but his purses have both wild and subtle patterns along with some really cool tassels hanging from the side.  These coats at first were a little much for me but then I really started to take a liking for them. They currently do not ship to the US but if you are in the UK or Ireland you should check them out! there is a whole floor devoted to Paul's Boutique located in Brown Thomas on Grafton Street.

Why should I go to the gym? To catch a bus!

s from Run Lola Run. When I actually do go to the gym I listen to this soundtrack!

I am currently on the bus coming back from Boston and I realized something very important at 6:20 in the morning…. I need to go to the gym.  It wasn’t one of those moments when you see someone with a perfect figure, because I like the way I am, a lot actually, but one of the moments where you are booking it from the T stop to South Station and you see that you have 3 minutes till the bus leaves. You can give excuses that it’s early, you are carrying too much, or that it was. Cold but at the end of the day it really comes down to the question… When was the last time I went to the gym? 

I am not ashamed of this; my boyfriend was in shock though. He knew that I used to play Frisbee all the time, however he forgot that it soon began to not fit into my schedule.  In Dublin I was used to walking everywhere and over the summer at the camp I worked at I ran everywhere in 100 degree weather.  I guess now I just have been so buy that I haven’t put time into thinking about me. After all the years I’ve been traveling I’ve been running through airports, train stations, subways, and even mountain trails.  So this is not something new to me.  I usually am always on time but when I go somewhere exciting I usually get caught up in the moment and start to run a little late.

So now… I will go to the gym in the morning after my 8am class. I’ll be on campus and will be ready to get moving. So in the future when I visit Boston or wherever in the world, that if it’s a 5 minute run I will know that I will get there in time and not be stuck on the bus sweating and being overheated.

Culture Shock: Adjusting to Life After Europe

My panorama of the Cliffs of Moher

It's been 6 months since I've ben in Ireland and I am really beginning to deal with homesickness for Dublin.   I miss walking around busy Henry Street and hanging out at the Porterhouse and getting a pint of  Porter Red.  I miss having the ability to just take a plane and land in a different country every weekend, and I miss going window shopping in one of my favorite stores, AWear.

My friends are now planning on going  next semester and I am speaking at the pre-departure meeting and  talking to parents at admission events.  This is making it even harder for me. I need to go back!

Don't get me wrong, I love being back home and seeing my friends and family, and I'm glad to be back in Burlington, I just miss Europe and my time there. Going to class everyday amused me so much. on my journey to class I would pass the old city wall,  Christ Church, St. Patrick's Cathedral all on my way to class!  I also loved that  energetic buzz in the morning that everyone has when they are walking to work. The women either ditch their heels for sneakers or speed walk in heels and the men are wearing perfect  matching suits and still looking perfect. 

I also miss having the people of Metro News hand out the morning paper with abbreviated news. "Maybe you're just meant for the city?" is what my friends say  Yes I love big cities, they excite me and are full of hidden gems, but Dublin is something different.  the fashion is another thing. I would walk around and get so much inspiration on new outfits  that I can add to my wardrobe. In Vermont the styles are more on the laid back side with a lot of skinny jeans and flannels, and baggy sweaters. Dublin had this magic that I am really missing right now. 

Here are some ways I’m “trying” to get over this situation:

1. Watching movies that take place in Ireland. It’s nice seeing where I was for the past year, I try to watch historical movies but a chick flick every once in a while isn’t too bad. I currently have that earning to travel.
2. I’ve currently had the desire to travel much more. So for that I am reading the book This Car is For Sale by Jeroen Van Bergeijk. This way I can at least read other people’s experiences.
3. I look at AWear’s website and read their blog. Here I can read up on current fashions, and tell myself that even though they now ship to the US I shouldn’t buy everything I see on there.
4. I still listen to BBC Radio 1 but I also listen to Dublin FM 98FM on my iPhone, thanks to the free live streaming app!
5. I talk up to anyone and everyone I meet to study abroad, if not to Ireland, then to anywhere in the world. It’s the best experience and a great opportunity for you!
6. Every once in a while I go to RiRa’s an Irish pub located in Burlington, and order a Smithwicks and argue with my friend that the “w” is silent.

With these steps, I can at least miss Dublin but not sulk over it. Today I took my yearning to go somewhere by heading downtown and going to  a coffee place to do my  homework. If anything I need a change of scene.