I have to admit I was terrified of customs. I was so scared that I would somehow make it all the way to Dublin and be thwarted because I didn’t have a work visa, or my passport wasn’t in the system.

“How long are you in Ireland?”

“Just for the night then I’ll be in London but I’m coming back.”

“Lovely!”

*stamp* *hands passport back to me*

And in less than two minutes, all my customs worries were erased. I was free to roam a new city for 24 glorious hours. Even though I only got about 3 hours of sleep and it was only 9 am with the entire day ahead of me, I didn’t feel one bit tired.

However, that nagging thought continued that something was bound to go wrong. When I approached the hostel I had booked, there was a sign in the door but, to my utter horror, it was locked. There was a doorbell that I rang but I started shaking, thinking I had been scammed and would end up homeless for the night. A brisk, grey haired man whizzed by me and, without missing a beat said, “It’s the other door, love. The one next door.” I could barely even say thank you before he vanished, like Batman.

Today was a day I will never forget. I teared up when the clouds cleared and I saw Ireland for the first time from the plane. I ate in a real European cafe and dank real Dublin Guinness. It is very true that the closer to Dublin, the better the Guinness. No offense to $2 Guinness Tuesdays at Jackie O’s, but they have nothing on the real stuff. Not to mention Jackie O’s doesn’t come with a Birdseye view of the capital of Ireland.

Up next: will I get sucked into Platform 9 3/4? We can only hope.