A WORD ABOUT HOSTELS

We stayed at the Four Courts Hostel, located on the River Liffey. The riverfront was not developed with aesthetics in mind, but it was a convenient location for us to explore the Old Dublin section, known as the Temple Bar neighborhood and Trinity College. In general, I like staying at hostels, even though I'm often the oldest person in residence. I love the comaraderie, the sense of adventure, the cacophony of languages and the informality. This one made my A-List. Friday night when the pubs were closed, they brought in Irish musicians, and the music and Guinness went on until the wee hours of the morning. People cooked up appetizing dishes in the kitchen at all hours of the day (and mostly night). People shared their food, their wine, their life stories. I met a sweet 19-year-old French woman named Annie who was looking for a job in Dublin. She'd just been offered a post as a nanny, but she said she'd rather work in "fast food." I met an older man who was originally from Dublin, and was back to work on his master's thesis in sociology. He was studying low-income housing for Ireland. He said he wasn't getting much work done but liked the socializing. I myself didn't get much sleep with all the partying, but did like looking around the dining room and thinking about all the brainpower and charisma of these incredible young world citizens. What a privilege to be there!