I actually fell in love with this city in three short days. I'm already planning my eventual return. I'd been told that the city is incredible but boy oh boy was that an understatement. Everything from the nice people to the green grass to the extremely attractive men...I've never felt so welcomed and important in a foreign city before.
MONDAY MARCH 7TH:
We arrived in Dublin circa 10 am with absolutely no travel mishaps! We went to our hostel, dropped off our bags and then headed straight to the Guinness factory. Being a huge fan of this dark beer, I was incredibly excited to check out the famous factory that I'd heard so much about. The factory was more like a museum, with 7 floors of Guinness everything. There was one floor dedicated to the production and the breakdown of the special recipe and, my personal favorite, an advertising exhibit. Famous for their very popular ads, they had a large collection of past advertisements, including tv commercials, audio, and large posters. I really enjoyed watching the evolution of their marketing ideas!
After about 2 hours of relaxing and enjoying our Guinness pint[s], fatigue began to set in and we walked back to the Hostel for a much needed power nap. We woke up, had another delicious meal at a local restaurant called Quay's bar and then decided to check out the night life at the "Temple Bar" located conveniently right next to our Hostel! GREAT LIFE DECISION #2. The place was incredible. Live music, lots of locals, REALLY attractive bartenders and we were actually able to communicate with people! We stayed there until they closed and then made the long 20 second trek back to our Hostel. We got back to our room and met our other roommate, a guy named Matt who is from Australia! He's been traveling for the past 6 months and had some realllly crazy stories. Good thing he was so nice and friendly because take a look at our cramped quarters:
TUESDAY MARCH 8TH:
We awoke at 6AM [and dragged Matt with us, in the process] for a day trip to Galway and Cliffs of Moher! Although we once again almost missed our bus, we made it just in time and were off for an amazing day.
We made a few stops at overlooks and scenic areas along the way, which was a nice way to break up the 4 hours of driving it took to get there! We stopped at the Castle of Dunguaire and were lucky enough to see a rainbow [cue cheesy grin..now!]
We stopped in Galway for a traditional Irish meal. I ordered beef guinness stew, which came with a side of 'brown' bread, and of course...a Guinness. It was absolutely delectable and arguably one of the best meals I've had while being abroad.
The weather was a bit sheisty once we finally made it to the Cliffs but it didn't put a damper on anything. We explored for about 2 hours, trying to take in every ounce of beauty in these magical cliffs. Photo credit goes to Brigid, as her artistic bone is about 100 times as big as mine is :)
Sadly, we said goodbye to our new favorite park and made our way towards Grafton Street, a street famous for its shopping! I exercised great material restraint and the only purchase I made was a shot glass to add to my collection. As the sun started to set, we began to realize our Ireland adventure was coming to a quick end. To say we were sad was quite an understatement. With tears in our eyes, we headed to O'neills pub to enjoy our last Irish meal and authentic Guinness. I ended the trip on a high note, ordering what turned out to be a VERY hearty serving of Fish and Chips.
MONDAY MARCH 7TH:
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| Dublin! A bridge over a sea of...Guinness? |
As we approached the Gravity Bar, aka the top floor and location where you can redeem your FREE pint [well it's not exactly free since you technically pay for it when you buy your admission ticket, but still], we decided we should probably fill our increasingly empty stomachs before indulging in a whole pint of beer. The restaurant in the factory was highly recommended so we decided to give it a go. GREAT LIFE DECISION #1. It was absolutely delicious. They had a lunch special which consisted of "Cottage Pie" [basically Shepherd's Pie but made with beef instead of lamb], a side salad and a raspberry and hazelnut dessert. 100% satisfied, we said goodbye to our adorable ginger waiter and headed upstairs to redeem our pint. The panoramic view from the top of this bar was unreal. Semi reminiscent of the London Eye view, we were able to see the entire city in all of its glory.
We awoke at 6AM [and dragged Matt with us, in the process] for a day trip to Galway and Cliffs of Moher! Although we once again almost missed our bus, we made it just in time and were off for an amazing day.
We made a few stops at overlooks and scenic areas along the way, which was a nice way to break up the 4 hours of driving it took to get there! We stopped at the Castle of Dunguaire and were lucky enough to see a rainbow [cue cheesy grin..now!]
We stopped in Galway for a traditional Irish meal. I ordered beef guinness stew, which came with a side of 'brown' bread, and of course...a Guinness. It was absolutely delectable and arguably one of the best meals I've had while being abroad.
The weather was a bit sheisty once we finally made it to the Cliffs but it didn't put a damper on anything. We explored for about 2 hours, trying to take in every ounce of beauty in these magical cliffs. Photo credit goes to Brigid, as her artistic bone is about 100 times as big as mine is :)
Our bus driver Desmond warned us to be very careful if we decided to venture to the top; apparently 14 people died just last year because they tripped on their way up and the wind was so strong that it picked them up and they flew off of the edge [don't worry mom, I stayed far far away from any cliff tops]. After we finished exploring we loaded the bus and started the long trek back to Dublin. 4 hours, a few scenic stops and lots of Irish music later, we finally made it back safe and sound around 9pm.
We took another crucial nap and mustered up just enough energy to explore the nightlife, hoping for a repeat of the night before [spoiler alert: it was great!!]
WEDNESDAY MARCH 9TH:
Eager to take advantage of our last full day in Dublin, we were ready and raring to go come 9 AM. On our way to St. Stephen's Green, we stopped at a little cafe called Lemon for what we hoped would be a nice midmorning snack. IT WAS DELICIOUS. I got the 'salsa sandwich' which consisted of an assortment of cheeses, salsa and tomatoes. It even had a side of pepper and onion salad, aka I was in heaven!
After finishing up our meal, we headed to our original destination...St. Stephen's Green! This park brought new meaning to the word green! The grass and trees were an unbelievable shade of green and I could have plopped myself down on a bench and spent the remainder of the day just relaxing. The weather couldn't have been better and I, along with my friends, were completely euphoric.
Sadly, we said goodbye to our new favorite park and made our way towards Grafton Street, a street famous for its shopping! I exercised great material restraint and the only purchase I made was a shot glass to add to my collection. As the sun started to set, we began to realize our Ireland adventure was coming to a quick end. To say we were sad was quite an understatement. With tears in our eyes, we headed to O'neills pub to enjoy our last Irish meal and authentic Guinness. I ended the trip on a high note, ordering what turned out to be a VERY hearty serving of Fish and Chips. Completely stuffed and beyond satisfied, we spent our last night back where we started - The Temple Bar. Devon, Brigid, Matt and I sipped on Guinness and reminisced about our trip as the night drew to a close. We made the long trek next door to our Hostel to finish packing up our stuff for the next leg of our journey...EDINBURGH!
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