Sunday 21st of April, V3D left for a trip to Dublin. It took 1.5 hours in a ‘compact’ Ryanair plane to get to Dublin, and another 20 minutes in a wobbly transfer bus to reach the trendy ‘Generator’ Hostel. Our gain in time was undone by one of the girls, who had left her coat in the airplane. Still surprised by the beauty of the rooms – and Dublin in general – the group took a stroll through Dublin at night. For dinner we enjoyed a ‘Euro saver’ at McDonald’s. 

 
After an early wake-up on Monday morning, V3D, accompanied by their teachers Gerty Reynders and Gonnie Poell, set off for an excursion to the National Gallery of Ireland, Ireland's art museum housing a wide collection of paintings, drawings and other masterpieces. 
The group was split in smaller groups of two students, each choosing their own painting, later explaining why they chose this particular work. One student was so impressed by a painting he almost pierced it with his pen, but an alert attendant intervened just in time.

Having done a good deed by lining the shopkeeper's purse, V3D decided it was time to have lunch in a typical Irish pub, O'Neills. Irish 'cuisine' turned out to be different from what most students are dished up with at home... 
Our sturdy Irish meals, ranging from vegetarian lasagna to 'Guiness stew' provided us with enough energy to walk roll through Dublin's shopping districts, bringing home heaps of plastic souvenirs and objects you don't know the name of.
At night, most students stayed in their or someone else's room, played cards or watched a football match. Once more, The Generator turned out to be a cool, safe place to hang out.

 
Tuesday, our last active day in Dublin! This time around, Trinity College, an old university in the heart of Dublin consisting of many old buildings, was our first stop. Roy and Marijn led us around the campus, randomly entering buildings, which proved to be an effective technique. It brought us to a large dining room, an auditorium and the University café where all students go to have lunch. Unfortunately, we could not visit the 'Book of Kells' exhibition, but we have still seen a big part of the University grounds.
Guided by our teachers, we went to have lunch in front of a church. The menu was made up of Fish and Chips from a famous bar, where a sign displayed the names of the numerous celebrities who have enjoyed a meal there. Many students are well-determined to become the next person on this plaque.

It was only a five minutes' walk to the next scene of activity; a small park. We had to try to answer as many of 50 questions on Ireland and Dublin as we could. The questions varied from 'When is Molly Malone day?' to 'Where would you find a hot press in an Irish house?' and 'When was Edward de Valera President of Ireland?'. My fellow group member had already lured a group of people - closely resembling hoboes - to answer our questions in the blink of an eye. Against my expectations, the oldest man in the group was an expert on Irish and Dublinian history. One of his 'friends' tried to tell us some jokes. Up till day it remains a mystery what the man was trying to get across, due to the combination of alcohol and a thick Irish accent.

Weary but satisfied we returned to the hostel. Pizza was fetched from the Italian restaurant on the other side of the square. No fewer than 13(!) pizzas were devoured by the group, while enjoying a football game.
Early on Wednesday morning, we woke up to take the bus to the airfield. Another 'compact' Ryanair flight later, we arrived in Eindhoven.
Again, weary but satisfied.
 
Job Veltman

Foto's: Gonnie van Balveren-Poell