I’m still alive!

So my first 6 months living in Dublin have been bloody brilliant 💃🏽

Here’s a breakdown of things I’ve learnt or done or experienced…you get the drift 😜

-I’ve still not got the Dart or the Luas 🚂

-I’ve been kicked out of Coppers (the Dublin version of Zens/Venue) all the Irish are confused how this has happened as you can’t be too drunk for Coppers 🤔 in the words of my manager “I am proud, yet disgusted of you” 🤣

-I still have to download the shit out of Eastenders every time I come back to the UK

-Visits to Sophie’s – 4 🍽

-20 people have visited me!! 👯‍♀️ Aircoach will be reporting a significant increase in profits as a result of this 💰

-I’ve come to realise my expectations of walking (distance, time and speed) is completely unrealistic compared to my friends. If I had a Euro for everytime I’ve been tagged in the below meme…

– I have a 100% success rate of getting 5 trip advisor stars from my guests ⭐️

-Number of boozy brunches – 5 (this is ashamingly low come to think of it)

-I’ve learnt how to enjoy whiskey (with ginger and lime if you want to buy me one 🥃)

-80 bottles of prosecco drunk (this is an absolute guess 🤷🏽‍♀️)

-I’ve been on ONE date 🙄

-I’ve only nearly fallen off of one cliff

-I’ve seen penguins have sex and then spoon

-I’ve ran 2 x 10ks, 1x half marathon with another half marathon to go 🏃🏽‍♀️

-Favourite overheard quote – “And then he shagged three of her sisters”

I love cocktails. True story.

Just a lovely picturesque collage of all the cocktails I’ve consumed so far here in Dublin 🇮🇪

Celebrating getting our beautiful house @ The Greenery

Mimosa – €7.50

Watching the legendary Ireland vs NZ rugby game @ Bad Bobs in Temple Bar (GREAT name 😂)

Strawberry Daiquiri – €7

Just your average Tuesday night @ Opium. These ones were bloody insta worthy 😍

#1 The Gingerman – €12

#2 Bonsai Bramble – €12

Bloody love a Xmas scene me 🎄 @ River Bar

#1 Fruttoso – €9.50

#2 Strawberry Daiquiri €9

I’ve never had a bad espresso martini…until this one @ Bow Lane

The seasonal prosecco was 10000% better

€25 for 2 hours of unlimited booze 🤪

The Japanese know how to play this cocktail game @ Yamamori

Thai Whisperer €11.95

Potentially the strongest Eldeflower martini I’ve ever had @ Cinnamon

I mean I may have had more than one…€10 a pop so who can blame me?!

Why is it you never venture to what’s on your doorstep @ Ashton’s Gastropub

Espresso Martini – €10

Strawberry Collins – €10

Drinking in a converted church – the irony @ The Church

Gin spiked lemonade – €10.95

This one was so good I may have had 3 😏 @ No Name Bar

Gin Daisy – €11

When you get front row seats at the bar @ Taphouse and the bar man is on it 😏

Pornstar martini – €12

So all in all, pretty damn pleased with the selection Dublin has to offer…and I’ve barely scratched the surface 🍸

More things I’ve learnt 🤓

The recycling bin doesn’t accept glass. Awkward when you are 3 girls that love a cheeky bottle 🍷

There’s different levels of paying on the bus depending on how far you are travelling. But you need to know what the stop you’re getting off at is called so the driver can charge you appropriately. (NB google maps stop names are inaccurate 🙄).

To dodge all the bank charges I’ve opened a retards bank account 🤣 anything to avoid being charged 20 cents per transaction.

SW bars are €3 a box but in the UK only £1.95! Also the syns in spirits are higher, potentially because the Irish are more generous with their serving sizes 😂

If you’re going out in the rain don’t consider wearing any type of shoes other than wellies. It’s also not worth owning an umbrella.

Nowhere sells nurofen/ibuprofen so I have to stock up every time I’m back in the UK 💊

Some things are so behind the times:

Example 1 – you can top your leap card up online but you still have to go to store to activate the top up.

Example 2 – bumble has only been a big thing for the past few months.

Example 3 – everyone seems to pay with cash on nights out.

Apparantly the shamrock is this little guy -> ☘️ and not a pipe as I originally thought 🤷🏽‍♀️

And you don’t need to pack your passport to go to Belfast 🚂

I’d also like other British people to attempt to pronounce the following:

-Dun Laoghaire

-Port Laoise

-Drogheda

-Graiguenamanagh

I’ll put you all out of your misery and just tell you…you’re wrong 😂

Does it count as going on holiday when I go back to the UK now? Mind = blown.

Way more entertaining than London tinder.

I’ll let the lads speak for themselves #takethefloorboys

Bit presumptious kid. But I kind of like the confidence 🤦🏽‍♀️

I’m on here for a future husband not a PA pal.

And for the Christmas special…

I mean I’d actually completely forgotten about this draft post until I got this notification…

You’re definitely lying to me aren’t you tinder 😂

Next stop, Bumble?

I hate to say it but I’ve had the most fun in the lead up to Xmas than I ever have in London – everywhere is just so much more accessible in Dublin with a tenth of the amount of tourists💃🏽

First stop: Eatyard. Specifically, the Baileys treat bar 😍 Because it ain’t Xmas without some of that delicious liquor.

All of the lights of the lights 🎶

The festive lights projected on the buildings were my personal fav 👌🏼

Festive office vibes

Shame I don’t actually like mince pies…👎🏼

And your classic work Xmas dins 🍴(where was the prosecco tho Penney’s??)

Stupidly I went for the vegan filo pastry roll (I have learnt my lesson and I should not mess with a fool proof Xmas dinner recipe 🦃)

Leading on to the work Christmas shindig at the GUINNESS STOREHOUSE 🍻

Of course I christened our toilet. SO. MUCH. WINE.

Missed Opps: Hole in the wall & The Gingerman.

But hey, there’s always next year right?!

And it wouldn’t be Xmas in Dublin without a Butlers hot chocolate 😍

Now, for some quality family and friends time back in the UK 🇬🇧

Who doesn’t love a good brunch?!

I’ve decided to pull together a mini log of all the delicious brunches I’ve experienced so far in Dublin 🇮🇪

The Greenery, Donnybrook

What I ate: “The Healthy Breakfast”. I.e soda bread, 2 poached eggs, spinach, mushrooms, tomato and avocado.

What I drank: A Mimosa 🥂

How much it cost me: €17.50/£15.28

Overall score: 6.5/10

Urbanity, Smithfield

What I ate: Halloumi, tamarind roast squash, spinach, avocado, aioli, organic fried egg, spiced sunflower seeds, organic sourdough toast and O’Neill’s bacon 🥓

What I drank: Skinny flat white & a black americano

How much it cost me: €17.20/£15.27

Overall score: 8.5/10

San Lorenzo’s, Georges Street

What I ate: Avocado on toast with 2 poached eggs, buffalo mozzarella & chargrilled vine tomatoes.

What I drank: Skinny Cappuccino

How much it cost me: €15.85/£14.07

Overall score: 8/10

The Exchequer Wine Bar, Ranelagh

What I ate: “Save my bacon!”. I.e Connemara bacon, fried egg in a toasted bun, hollandaise sauce, a mini Mary & espresso shot.

What I drank: Sh*t loads of prosecco 🍾

How much it cost me: €41/£36.59

Overall score: 7/10

Our House, Donnybrook

What I ate: “Laura’s slimmers friendly plate” I.e Wholemeal toast, salmon, poached eggs, mushrooms and spinach.

What I drank: A mimosa 🍹

How much it cost me: €3.92/£3.50

Score 7.5/10

Dillingers, Ranelagh

What I ate: “Huevos Rancheros” I.e crispy corn tortillas, black beans, guacamole, salsa, sour cream, fried eggs, pomegranate and crumbled feta cheese.

What I drank: A Diet Coke because I was hungover as hell 🤢

How much it cost me: €18/£16.05

Overall score: 8/.510

Pretty damn pleased with the Dublin brunch scene so far 😍

“Shortest horror story ever”

Renting in Dublin is genuinely more expensive than London. I kid you not.

If you don’t believe me please refer to the very reliable journal.ie below 👇🏼

For a single bed with a first class seat viewing of your microwave will cost you circa €1000 a month 😳 No thanks hun.

The place to go is daft.ie and you will be daft to think you’ll get a response from the ads. I think I received 0.6 replies from every 20 enquiries I sent.

THANK GOD I found two other fools that relocated from the UK to search for a full house with, which opened up a much wider (better quality) range of choices.

Next hurdle…the viewings.

Question: Who’s all those people you ask?

Answer: 6 other prospective groups viewing the house at the same time!

Summary: The estate agent/landlord then decides who they like the most and will rent to. BRUTAL.

Again, THANK GOD, my fools are solid 10s and we got picked during our first viewing 🙌🏼

Not only is the 3 bed house more expensive than my 4 bed house in Brixton but you interestingly cannot get broadband for less than €55 euros a month.

But because we all work in retail…#blackfridaybargain 💃🏽

(Plus I’ll be saving anyway coz I’m still sponging off of my brothers Netflix account 🙊)

In conclusion, we have been jammy bastards and found a beautiful, large house, in a safe friendly area that was within our budget. We are the equivalent of Croydon to London except due to Dublin being significantly smaller than London you can walk from “Croydon to central” in 60 minutes door to door. Gettin my Fitbit steps ornnnnnn 👟

Here’s to the next exciting chapter in my Dublin journey 🏡

What I’ve learnt so far 🤓

1-My smoke alarm works. Daily.

2-Potatoes genuinely taste better in Ireland.

3-I can’t catch up on Eastenders/Casualty on BBC Iplayer 💔.

4-Butlers chocolate cafe gives Costa a run for its coffee money PLUS you get a free mini chocolate with every hot drink 🤤.

5-I didn’t need to purchase or pack euro plugs 🤦🏽‍♀️ the sockets are the same as the UK.

6-My new office canteen sells fulfil protein bars!! #win

7-When it rains it RAINS ☔️. Question: Why did Laura cross the road? Answer: She didn’t, she swam.

8-People say “morning” to you and they’re not being creepy (I don’t think).

9-Most Irish banks charge you to use contactless. WHAT.

10-It’s a legal requirement to wear a swimming hat in the pools hahahahaha #eggheads

11-Uber is not a thing here. It’s actually just finding you a black cab 🚓.

12-I like rugby now.

13-My hands and arms ache from all the clapping required in Irish pubs.

14-Everything is just GRAND.

For anyone that’s spent longer than 20 minutes with me will know that life is never smooth when it comes to Laura-town.

Many a wise person has mentioned they want a quote notebook for all the “hilarious” things I’ve said. In quotations because most of the time I’ve thought they were normal.

So here we are! Most people setting up a blog may worry about running out of content. Luckily for me, that’s the least of my worries.

So, here I am, relocating to Dublin, wearing all my clothes and melting like a b*tch because #strategicpacking.

Walking into arrivals instead of departures because that’s how I roll.

Laterz London!