My current moods:
I'm a little over halfway! I can't believe how quickly it's going! I don't have enough time!
I'm barely over half way. I feel like I've been here forever. I'm never going to make it home.
I spent the morning packing and getting ready to deal with Ryanair, and early afternoon I hung out with Lissie, Marco, and the littles. I had such a great time with them, it was sad to say goodbye. Hopefully, though, I'll be back to visit again soon.
Took the train through London to the airport, magically had no issues with Ryanair whatsoever, and hopped on the plane to Dublin.
For those of you looking into European travel: Ryanair is the cheapest way to fly. A lot of times you can fly to any destination for around $30. Yes, really. However, you do need to read their fine print. And read it all. Twice. As long as you follow their guidelines you shouldn't have any issues, I know I didn't, but I've heard horror stories.
I landed around 9:30 and hopped on the bus to the hostel. I got checked in, walked up to my room, and immediately made two new friends from Canada. We hung out in the common area for a while with a couple of guys from Wales, and a few of them decided to go out to a pub. I was on the fence about going out (I really wanted to sleep), but I went anyways and had a blast!
We went down to the Temple Bar area and it was insane. People everywhere, music everywhere, Irish dancing happening...Dublin exceeded my expectations on my first night in town. We danced, we drank, we sang at the top of our lungs, we rode in a horse and carriage!
And to think, I almost missed out.
It's amazing how little stuff you actually need when it comes right down to it.
The signs are all in English and Gaelic (gay-lic, not to be confused with the Scottish gal-lic, spelled the same way though).
The Spire. I haven't learned its significance yet, but it seems to help all of the drunken travelers find their way back to their hostel.
Carriage ride with Kasia, Jason, and Ryan.
This weekend was the May Day celebration and bank holiday, which basically meant that hostels were more expensive than usual, and everything was crowded. It also meant a ton of live performers, and some really fun people to hang out with!
I had to switch hostels because they were full and couldn't accommodate me for the entire length of my stay, so I checked into my new hostel just a few blocks away and then headed into town. I saw a lot of the famous buildings, most of which I ended up going back to and inside, and I bought some local art at a cool little gallery. There were a ton of booths set up for different festivals and markets throughout the city so I checked some of those out as well, and added a new band to my repertoire.
Then I met my new Welsh friends for a pint, and to watch the football game. They were supposed to be going home that day, but two of them skipped their flight in favor of staying one more night. I'm glad they did.
After a few drinks at the hostel we went down to the same pub as the night before. There was live music for a bit, a dj for a bit, and face painting. You can bet I got everyone in on that. We danced the night away! At the next bar over there was this killer musician on an acoustic guitar that played a bunch of mashups and it was fantastic! Such a fun night!
Then I crashed. These youngsters wore me out.
Also, Ireland has cathedrals everywhere. EVERYWHERE.
The River Liffey. For some reason it makes me giggle every time I hear it.
Christ Church Cathedral
Dublin street art by Fink.
I'm not sure who the artist is for this one.
Thanks to a friend I was able to order this "superior Irish ale" without sounding like a dope. It's pronounced "Smittick."
Keywest! Check them out. Also, these guys were what the British/Irish call a "stag party," otherwise known as a bachelor party. I want to play that game.
At the pub with Brad and Ryan. I knew Ryan from the night before, but Brad was a newb and had gone to bed super early.
It was packed out. Everywhere.
This crown got passed around a wee bit.
Such good sports.
Bar numero dos, The Dubliner.
Also, in case anyone was wondering, here are the accents in order of my ability to understand them:
1. English/Irish
2. Welsh
3. Scottish
Spent the morning hanging out with a very hungover Brad and Ryan until they left to catch the ferry. Then I was off for a solitary adventure in Howth. I hiked around the cliffs for a couple of hours and it was GORGEOUS! It started out really sunny, then it rained and hailed for about ten minutes, before clearing up to be a beautiful day.
After that I got some delicious doner for dinner (or tea), planned a little more of my trip, read, and called it an early night.
I took way too many pictures. You're welcome.
The ocean!
Ireland's Eye
The colors were like nothing I've ever seen.
The sky is so blue here.
It's a Zink thing.
Found a sketchy little path and climbed down to the water!
Moving in.
I found some sea glass on the coast and would love to make some sort of jewelry out of it.
There were so many trails to follow! I mostly stayed on the main trail, but ventured off to climb a hill for this incredible view.
It's hard to see in this picture, but the red and white smoke stacks in the background are at the Poolbeg Generating Station, and are iconic of Dublin. They're also some of the tallest structures in Ireland at 207 meters (680 feet).
Day 43 (5/3)
I went on a Dublin Free Walking Tour, and it was grand! Our guide was so knowledgeable, and a lot of fun. I really encourage you to take advantage of these. I've found most of them by just using Google, but usually the hostels can direct you to them as well. They're always worth your time, and usually a generous tip for the guide.
We wandered around the south side of the city and I learned some really cool stuff.
For example, one of the many bridges that crosses the Liffey is called Ha'penny (hay-penny) or Half Penny Bridge. It was aptly named for a time when it cost one half penny to cross. It's also known as Wellington Bridge. Some of you might find that strange since Wellington was the English Duke who defeated Napoleon, but it turns out he isn't English at all! He was born right here in Dublin.
Christ Church Cathedral was the first church built in Dublin in 1180. Over the years some additions were made, but eventually the church fell into disrepair. Lo and behold, whiskey to the rescue. Henry Roe, a whiskey merchant, funded the rebuilding of Christ Church as we see it today with a total sum of over 26 million pounds in today's money.
St. Patrick's Cathedral has, not whiskey, but beer to thank. The Guinness family generously funded the restoration of St. Patrick's with about 20 million pounds in today's money.
Also, St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, isn't even Irish! He's English! And he didn't drive the snakes out of Ireland. According to older writings, and scientific exploration, it seems there never were any snakes to drive out. However, he really did use a shamrock to educate the Celts on the holy trinity.
And I finally learned the significance of the Spire (or the big silver pointy thing). It was meant to be called the Millennium Spire to signify Dublin moving into the 21st century, and finished by December 1999. Since it wasn't completed until 2003, and most of Dublin had finished celebrating the new millennium at that point, it is now simply referred to as The Spire.
During the tour I met a Canadian called Ian, and an American called Alan, who were just beginning their travels. After the tour ended we all headed over to Trinity College Library, otherwise known as Hogwarts Library.
The Library at Trinity College has some sort of interesting copyright law that goes back over 150 years and requires that one copy of every text published in the UK and Ireland be kept here. Obviously the library can't hold an infinite number of books, so there are now other libraries involved, but it was still quite impressive.
We ate dinner by the Liffey and then headed back to the Spire for a whiskey (the Irish spell it with an "e") and beer tasting. We had 3 craft beers from GalwayBay Brewery, a half pint of Guinness, and 3 whiskeys from Teeling Distillery. Teeling is distilled right here in Dublin, but the master blender is from Oregon (go us!).
The three of us wandered down to Temple Bar for a little bit after, before parting ways and heading to bed.
Day 44 (5/4)
I met up with Alan after breakfast, and we caught a bus down to Enniskerry. Then it was a 6.5 kilometer walk down back country roads to Powerscourt Waterfall, the tallest waterfall in Ireland.
I was proud of Alan for not being a little girl about it, because it was quite the adventure today. It wasn't the first time for me, and I'm sure it won't be the last time that Google leads me down a sketchy footpath to an amazing destination. Our walk down tiny little roads meant we were quite close to traffic (mom, it never happened, don't worry) but the walk was as beautiful as the end result. And we did make it there and back in one piece.
I'm heartbroken about leaving Dublin, I really fell in love with this city, but I'm excited to see what else Ireland has to offer.
Bring it on, Cork!
I went on a Dublin Free Walking Tour, and it was grand! Our guide was so knowledgeable, and a lot of fun. I really encourage you to take advantage of these. I've found most of them by just using Google, but usually the hostels can direct you to them as well. They're always worth your time, and usually a generous tip for the guide.
We wandered around the south side of the city and I learned some really cool stuff.
For example, one of the many bridges that crosses the Liffey is called Ha'penny (hay-penny) or Half Penny Bridge. It was aptly named for a time when it cost one half penny to cross. It's also known as Wellington Bridge. Some of you might find that strange since Wellington was the English Duke who defeated Napoleon, but it turns out he isn't English at all! He was born right here in Dublin.
Christ Church Cathedral was the first church built in Dublin in 1180. Over the years some additions were made, but eventually the church fell into disrepair. Lo and behold, whiskey to the rescue. Henry Roe, a whiskey merchant, funded the rebuilding of Christ Church as we see it today with a total sum of over 26 million pounds in today's money.
St. Patrick's Cathedral has, not whiskey, but beer to thank. The Guinness family generously funded the restoration of St. Patrick's with about 20 million pounds in today's money.
Also, St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, isn't even Irish! He's English! And he didn't drive the snakes out of Ireland. According to older writings, and scientific exploration, it seems there never were any snakes to drive out. However, he really did use a shamrock to educate the Celts on the holy trinity.
And I finally learned the significance of the Spire (or the big silver pointy thing). It was meant to be called the Millennium Spire to signify Dublin moving into the 21st century, and finished by December 1999. Since it wasn't completed until 2003, and most of Dublin had finished celebrating the new millennium at that point, it is now simply referred to as The Spire.
During the tour I met a Canadian called Ian, and an American called Alan, who were just beginning their travels. After the tour ended we all headed over to Trinity College Library, otherwise known as Hogwarts Library.
The Library at Trinity College has some sort of interesting copyright law that goes back over 150 years and requires that one copy of every text published in the UK and Ireland be kept here. Obviously the library can't hold an infinite number of books, so there are now other libraries involved, but it was still quite impressive.
We ate dinner by the Liffey and then headed back to the Spire for a whiskey (the Irish spell it with an "e") and beer tasting. We had 3 craft beers from GalwayBay Brewery, a half pint of Guinness, and 3 whiskeys from Teeling Distillery. Teeling is distilled right here in Dublin, but the master blender is from Oregon (go us!).
The three of us wandered down to Temple Bar for a little bit after, before parting ways and heading to bed.
That tiny bridge is Ha'penny.
This building was meant to be for Irish Parliament, and was the first parliament building with two separate chambers for the houses. Now it's just a private bank.
Parliament Square in Trinity College
The Temple Bar area by day.
The back of Dublin Castle, which actually looks nothing like a castle.
St. Patrick's Cathedral
Me, Alan, and Ian
Hogwarts
So many books!
View of the south side from across the Liffey
You wouldn't understand.
Chocolate Stout, Red Ale, and Tart Pale Ale from GalwayBay.
We did the tasting at Black Sheep. This pub has no TV's, but they have board games readily available, and every Tuesday is a bring your own board game night.
First Guinness in Dublin, and it was tasty.
Blend, single grain, and single malt Irish whiskey by Teeling.
Oscar Wilde just gets me.
The Temple Bar area by night.
Day 44 (5/4)
I met up with Alan after breakfast, and we caught a bus down to Enniskerry. Then it was a 6.5 kilometer walk down back country roads to Powerscourt Waterfall, the tallest waterfall in Ireland.
I was proud of Alan for not being a little girl about it, because it was quite the adventure today. It wasn't the first time for me, and I'm sure it won't be the last time that Google leads me down a sketchy footpath to an amazing destination. Our walk down tiny little roads meant we were quite close to traffic (mom, it never happened, don't worry) but the walk was as beautiful as the end result. And we did make it there and back in one piece.
I <3 ferns.
This stuff is what fairytales are made of.
Signs in old Irish as well as English.
Selfie buddies
Woolies, as my dad would call them.
Powerscourt Waterfall
Fun with selfies.
After hiking all day we felt we earned a wee bit of ice cream.
Ireland, you so pretty!
I'm heartbroken about leaving Dublin, I really fell in love with this city, but I'm excited to see what else Ireland has to offer.
Bring it on, Cork!
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