Ireland: Dublin; Sláinte

With only two days remaining we board the train back to Dublin. We have a full line up ahead of us but luckily everything is pretty close and walking distance from the Jury’s Inn. Since we get in around 12pm we head to the main event: The Guinness Storehouse.

After this we grabbed a quick lunch at Arthur’s Pub which is right around the corner. The local charm was exactly what we needed before grabbing beers. Below is the Shepard’s Pie happiness I ordered.

It is an unguided tour so you can come whenever you want. It is 7 floors of entertainment that teaches you the history of the family, the drink and how it effected Dublin and even the world. Of course it is that dramatic.

At the last floor you have the option of using your free beer ticket at Guinness University. Here you get a quick lesson on how to correctly pour a Guinness. Yes, you can and probably will do it wrong. Afterwards you get a certificate and your beer! We snagged ours and headed up to the 8th floor which is the circular room with windows. You can see all of Dublin while you sip.

Everyone else went to nap or went to shop so I decided to walk to St Stephen’s Park. The walk was about 2 miles and took you past Dublin Castle, a couple epic churches and a Viking’s museum. When I finally made it to the park I took a wide lap. There was a gorgeous gazebo and flowers all around. In any park, regardless of where you are in the world you can always find 2 things; kids playing and people smoking weed, I found both.

After a nice walk in the park I met my mom and sister at a theatre to see Once. The music in this play was probably the best I have listened to. Incredible all around and affordable for a day of ticket. Spectacular afternoon in Dublin and we still had a full day following.

For our big finale we had the following planned: Trinity College, Book of Kells, St Patrick’s Cathedral and a tour at the Jameson Factory. We got a 11am tour at Trinity from a gorgeous Irishman. Every 15 minutes we either had beautiful sun or cold rain.

We considered purchasing tickets for the Hop on Hop off Dublin bus but it is actually not necessary. If you can physically walk I would do that. All of the stops are about 10 minutes from each other and give you a great taste of the city. On our walk to St Patrick’s Cathedral we pasted Dublin Castle and a couple other landmarks  while dodging rain.

By the time we got to St Patrick’s only my mom and I were in the mood for another tour. It was about 10 euros to get in so I don’t entirely recommend it. But we did come all the way so why not. There were flags hanging that were hung in the 1200s. They are hung when someone passes away in their order and never removed until the flag falls from the post. It was insane to see all these flags in tatters hanging by threads.

For our last taste of Dublin we headed to the Jameson Factory. When we go there we realized you needed to book a tour. The next hour was available which was lucky because there are only 2 left. It was a 40 minute tour that takes you through what the factory used to look like. It was moved further out in Ireland for most space and to be closer to the farmers. They do not have the insane deal that Guinness was able to secure. With a Jameson and Ginger in hand we cheered to an amazing trip. Sláinte Ireland, until next time!