Expat Life in Ireland // Month #10 recap and photos
Although February is a shorter month than most, I managed to squeeze in a lot in these 28 29 days. Life as an expat in Dublin is still going extremely well. There’s never a dull moment and I’m loving every second.
From saying goodbye to a friend moving to Canada, to birthdays and house parties, to roommate dinners and work nights out, to moving apartments, to exploring more of Dublin and its thrift stores.. OH, and of course, a quick but fantastic little getaway to Strasbourg, France.
So yeah, one could say this month of Irish life was pretty dang epic.
As I mentioned in my review last month, I was in a stressful situation. We were forced to look for another apartment in Dublin’s insane rental market. Times were tough….I can’t even begin to describe the stress of finding a decently-priced and decently-located apartment here. You can go to a viewing and love the place. Offer to sign a lease and put down the deposit right then and there. But then there’s like 100 other people fighting for the same place. Oh, and the landlord doesn’t want to commit to anyone until they find a rich businessman who wants the place and can afford it all on his own. UGH.
But, after many stressful days and sleepless nights, we finally found a place! But not only did we find a place, we found a place that’s about 3x the size of our old apartment. And it’s in a great area! Now, it’s no Temple Bar, but our new neighborhood Smithfield has got its own charming spots. There’s a few cute coffee shops, an organic food store, a really nice indie cinema. And, of course (I mean it IS Ireland), pubs aplenty. So yeah, life as an expat in Dublin does have its struggles, ESPECIALLY when it’s anything to do with the Dublin rental market. But thankfully it all worked out in the end
So over the course of a few days we moved right across the river. I didn’t even have time to unpack or get settled in. I only had time to to pack a small bag and head to Strasbourg for a long weekend (booked WAYYY before all of this apartment drama, of course.)
Although the timing couldn’t have been worse, in a way it also couldn’t have been better. I was able to drop the stress, literally drop my bags and head to the fairytale town of Strasbourg. I mean, this place was UNREAL. Pastel colored houses, German-style bars, calm rivers criss-crossing through the city, cute families strolling around with even cuter dogs… It was a great way to forget about the busy and stressful previous weeks. It was honestly like stepping into a fairytale. Plus, that’s one of the great thing about life as an expat in Dublin, or anywhere in Europe – it’s so easy to travel around Europe! In a short flight I was in the CUTEST French city.
After a Disclosure concert, countless miles sightseeing, and enough bread and cheese consumption to last a lifetime, my quick little trip was over and it was back to the old D-town. Once I was back, I got to explore more of my new neighborhood and discover lots of vintage/thrift stores!
This month, I’ve got lots of of concerts to look forward to – Grimes, The 1975, and the one and only ADELE! Plus, I may or may not squeeze in a trip to Edinburgh over Easter weekend. And I’m sure there will be many other great adventures along the way!
Here is a recap of my 10th month of life as an expat in Dublin, in photos!
