Dublin

Go to the Guinness Brewery for a great view of the city.

You can do all the touristy stuff in a couple days. Really get in and experience the culture after you’ve gotten that stuff out of the way. Oh, and make sure your travel companions aren’t going to complain the whole time. You won’t have much fun if they do!

My plan is to visit Dublin sometime in the next two years with my sister. She’s always been such a huge fan of Irish culture, and I think the place looks beautiful and so interesting. I’d love to stay at a quaint local hotel, visit some pubs, explore the city, and maybe take some sort of tour of castles in the greater area. I really don’t know where to start putting it all together, but I’m excited about the thought of it nonetheless!

Visited all the typical places, took the bus tour, loved the Guinness Brewery and it’s Gravity Bar, and went to many sites found in Ulysess.

Maybe I went at the wrong time of the year because I thought Dublin was pretty dull.. Maybe the fact that I stayed in a horrible youth hostel didn’t help. Wouldn’t recommend it. I suppose if you’re going on a drink-fest with a group of friends then maybe it’d be great.

I was in Dublin only for a weekend, but it worth visiting :)

You can see some of my photos here

We went here on our honeymoon in 2002 and went freestyle. Rented a car and just drove around. Went to Dublin, Waterford, Shannon, Limerick and other places. Oh they know how to do a breakfast in Ireland!

My favorite drink happens to come from Ireland, Dublin in particular. Guinness has many uses, from an addition in cakes and stews, to a Black and Tan or an Irish Car Bomb recipe. One thing I didn’t think of is Guinness as entertainment. I had planned many things for my trip to Ireland and Amsterdam…seeing the countryside and learning about Ireland, it’s culture, it’s history and where it’s headed for the future. One of the things I completely missed was that the Guinness factory was located in Dublin.

Oh how lovely it was, to walk down single lane, cobblestone roads and come across a very, very large gate with “GUINNESS” emblazoned on it. Such is the entrance to the Pearly Gates, as I see it at least.

What followed was amazing…7 stories of Guinness….how it was made, how it starts out on the bottom floor to the amazing view at the top which overlooks all Dublin. It surprised me the level of support it gives to the community around. I saw little 5 year olds with a Guinness supported jersey (yes, they actually played football international/soccer), and old Guinness billboards painted on aging buildings.

Next time you’re in Dublin, marvel at this city’s mix of old and new, of pubs and gathering places and it’s politics….and have a Guinness for me!

I went. It was awesome. I didn’t want to leave. I want to go back.

Eventually, I’m going to get a group of friends to go ghost hunting here! But I’ve been everywhere from the Cliffs of Moher in Co. Claire to Waterford, to Dublin, to Arklow, and basically all over the place! I loved touring the Waterford Crystal factory and it was fascinating to watch them craft a crystal bowl.
It really is quite different from my hometown! It’s like they understand bigger is not necessarily better and they don’t need 10,000 square foot house to live comfortably. Most of the neighborhoods are made up of duplexes, side by side, and usually just about the right size for a 4 person family. Markets are not far from the neighborhood and most of the time you can expect to go there 3 or 4 times a week. Most of the time, if the family wants a bigger refridgerator they’ll buy one and make room for it but I remember my aunt having a little fridge and a bigger freezer outside in the shed. I think she picked up fresh veggies and stuff nearly every day. There were hardly any leftovers for the fridge.