round and round we go

As we begin our apartment-hunting in Dublin we are caught in a chicken/egg scenario. The building managers are asking if we have an Irish bank account to pay the rent. The Bank of Ireland says we need to have an Irish address before we can open a bank account. So...we will probably contact our friend in Carlow and ask to use her address. If all goes well we want to be in an apartment by week's end.

For now, we are staying at the Abraham House hostel on Lower Gardiner Street. The hostel is pretty large and there are plenty of backpackers. Thankfully we were able to book a week in an ensuite which is a private room. Our room has three twin beds because it was the only room left with a private bathroom and shower--communal showers are gross, especially with the smelly creatures that usually stay at hostels. Thankfully I had the insight about smelly people because down in the luggage storage it reeks. It's a tiny room but far enough off the street to be quiet and with a huge rooftop window to keep things cool.

 Abraham House-Dublin, Ireland

We are using Ireland's version of craigslist at daft.ie to do most of our looking. Hubby has been checking it for months and the guy at Carphones (where I bought our new cell phone) confirmed that it's the best place to find a flat. We want a 1 bedroom furnished apartment in either Dublin 1 or Dublin 2 near to the bus line to hubby's university classes. Here are a few that we will follow up on tomorrow. Where do you think we should live?

Little Green

Two Balconies

White Mod

Zen Gardens