On Dublin: Part 2

Dublin the Trendy
When I say trendy, I really do mean trendy: not stylish, not chic, not well dressed, but instant, of the moment, cheap, disposable clothes. I thought Zara and H+M were innovative, but the are just two of the better examples of how people shop here. For the most part, people seem to buy super-trendy outfits which they will wear for 3 or 4 months and then either get rid of or throw out (the clothing having fallen apart by then). At first I was extremely puzzled by why people looked so different here from at home, but Celia and I were finally able to pin it down; jeans are not the norm here that they are in both Canada and Australia. It is fascinating, and a little disconcerting; everyone here looks so coordinated, because their shirts match their shoes and their belts and their jewlery and their hair clips. Going to the stores and seeing that this is the way they sell things (everything following a particular colour scheme or theme) explained a lot. Even the kids are all dressed up in miniature versions of the adult outfits!

Dublin the Congested
I suppose it's a mark of just how much the city has grown over the past few years, but traffic seems to be a major issue here. One sees a bit of the suicidal driving so common in the rest of Europe (and Israel!), but not too much, possibly because the streets are so congested. The pedestrians don't help anything, either: the traffic systems can seem very odd when walking (sometimes all 4 directions of traffic will be stopped and the pedestrian light will still be red...hmmm), so people tend to cross whenever and wherever they choose.

Dublin the Expensive
Because Celia and I moved into our apartment on such short notice, our landlord didn't have keys ready for us; in the end, he just gave us his set, and said that if we had copies made and got a receipt, he would repay the cost of the copies. This didn't seem like too much to ask, so I had the copies made and all was fine until I got the bill: to have 8 copies made cost 50 Euros (about $70 Canadian)! I was completely blown away, but the landlord repaid this without blinking an eye. Welcome to Dublin. Admittedly, not everything is that bad, but prices are such that I have done--or tried to do--most of my shopping at the "2 Euro" shops, where everything is E2. And I live in terror of losing and having to replace my keys.