Last Days in Ireland

 Last Days in Ireland

We left Cork early on Friday morning, because our rental car was due back at noon in Dublin.  Luckily, we were able to use a major highway (there are few of these where you can actually get somewhere quickly) and get to our Dublin hotel to drop off our luggage before the car was due back. 

We took it easy our last two days in Dublin.  We had no real plans of what we wanted to do, so we wandered a bit before coming upon the National Museum of Archaeology.  It’s a great museum and it is totally free!  I specifically wanted to see the exhibit on the Vikings, since we had learned about them on our walking tour, and knew that Viking artifacts were found throughout the city.  First we watched a movie in part of the museum that told about the Viking history in Dublin and also showed most of the artifacts that we would be seeing in the exhibit.  I thought this was cool because it gave us some of the backstory to each artifact, rather than just trying to figure it our by looking at them behind glass.  Then we walked through the exhibit, looking at Viking warrior bones posed the way there were discovered, weapons, cooking utensils, a primitive hairbrush, glass beads, and many other neat things.

After we left the museum, we walked over to the Trinity College green space and Chris laid down on the grass to catch a quick nap in the sun.  I amused myself by people and seagull watching.  This is not the first time we have napped in a public green space in Europe!  I’m sure it won’t be the last, either, considering how busy we always seem to be! 

Our next stop was to the Chester Beatty Library.  This library was actually named European Museum of the Year in 2002.  It houses the collections of Sir Alfred Chester Beatty, who collected manuscripts, paintings ad rare books from around the world, including Ancient Egyptian songs written on papyrus paper.  There are ancient writings from many religions such as Catholicism, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, and Islam.  Many of the books and writings are thousands of years old…it is a pretty amazing place for anyone that appreciates literature.  I would definitely recommend the library to history lovers!  Again, this library/museum is completely free to the public, since Beatty left his collections to the people of Dublin.

Of course, we wound up back at the Temple Bar District…it is Dublin, after all!  We visited the Quay Bar, which is very busy but always seems to have great live music.  We found a little area in the corner of the bar with a good view of the band, and had a few pints.  The band was really good, playing a mix of Irish pub songs and current songs too.  There were a few hen parties as well, but none as crazy as a group of men who came in dressed like women…Chris and I have no idea what they were doing; our only guess was perhaps it was a stag party and they all had to dress up?  They definitely weren’t pretty enough to be real drag queens!  Their wild dancing pretty much cleared everyone else off the dance floor, including one of the hen parties.

For dinner, we found a little Mexican burrito place called Burrito and Orange and had the best burritos in the world.  At least they tasted the best after a few beers!  Of course Chris got the extra hot sauce that made his belly yell at him the rest of the night.

The next morning, we got up extra late and took a bus into the city center.  We walked down the main street, O’Connell Street, to do a bit of souvenir shopping.  Then we decided to go see the Jameson Whiskey Distillery.  It is actually called The Old Distillery, because in the 70's they moved to Cork...this was the original distillery.  The tour cost about 28 Euros for two adults, which is a bit on the expensive side.  First you watch a movie that tells you about John Jameson and his distillery…it was actually a really good, funny short little flick.  Then, a tour guide asked who wanted to drink some extra whiskey at the end of the tour and handed out 8 green batons to the people he selected.  I actually was one of them!  Poor Chris was likely a bit envious!  He brought us into a series of rooms designed to teach people about the distillation process.  What makes Jameson whiskey different is that it is triple-distilled, whereas many Canadian whiskeys are only double-distilled.  Still not sure what this means…lol.  He also showed us a bottle of the most rare of the Jameson whiskeys, which is aged 18 years and goes for about 129 Euros.

At the end of the tour, I got to sit down at a table with 7 others and try three different shots: Jameson’s, Jack Daniels, and Johnny Walker Black Label.  He showed us how to compare them.  To me, they were all a bit strong!  I got to drink a glass of Jameson’s on top of that, too, so I was feeling lovely by the end.  We all got certificates stating that we were official taste testers of the whiskey, or something to that effect.  The green batons we were carrying turned out to be diploma holders…how convenient!  One of the guys sitting across from me was actually from London (he went to school at University of Windsor!).  He was in town before driving up to Northern Ireland to be in a wedding.  He was actually the "Maid of Honour!"  He told me that he hosted the bachelorette party and it was him and 15 women...he said it was great!  Isn't it funny who you come across on your travels?

Chris and I wandered back to the Temple Bar District, walking over the Ha’Penny Bridge for the first time (very exciting) and sat down at some barstools in the famous Temple Bar (the red building everyone is always snapping photos of).  Again, there was good live music playing.  Chris tried the Galway Hooker beer he had been wanting to try, and I had some good old Paulaner, which I have loved since our Germany trip.  Our last official beers of the trip were two pints of Guinness, which I basically mandatory for a trip to Ireland.  Did I mention I like Guinness?

We really enjoyed our time in Scotland and Ireland.  While the weather was a bit chillier and wetter than expected, that is exactly what keeps the countries looking so beautiful year round.  Some of our favourite times were just the driving parts, especially driving into the Scottish Highlands and the Dingle Peninsula in Ireland.  We also really enjoyed the many little pubs we wandered into, where a couple of guys were playing instruments and singing some Irish ditties.  Like most places, these people take pride in their heritage and it definitely shows.  Tasty foods, new drinks, beautiful sights and interesting people are the reasons that Chris and I keep travelling, and why we love it so much.  Slainte!

National Museum of Archaeology and History

Snoozin' behind Trinity College

His and Her Shoes...fashion faux pas?

Chester Beatty Library

Inside the Library...a Cafe and Gift Shop

In Front of Ha'Penny Bridge

The Old Jameson Distillery

Barrels of Goodness

Whiskey Tasting

Inside Temple Bar

Amazing Navigator

At the Airport...Going Home!

Dingle to Cork

Dingle to Cork

While at Foxy John’s the night before, we mingled with the locals and the bartender (the owner’s son).  Everyone said that it was a must to do the drive around the peninsula; it was called the Slea Head Drive.  So after checking out of the hostel, which Monika was very sad to leave, and purchasing a couple of souvenirs we left Dingle and headed out on the drive. 

            The weather was much nicer than the previous day when Conor’s Pass was clouded over with fog.  Right from the beginning of this drive, we understood why everyone was very adamant that we do it.  Our lane was right on the edge of a cliff which fell off into the Atlantic.  This very rough landscape made for a very scenic adventure.  Farmlands separated by stone walls were spread out up steep embankments.  “The edge of the world” is what this coast of Ireland had been referred to for so many years before European exploration to the Americas. 

            Along the road, we stopped at a group of houses that were still standing from the years of the potato famine (mid 1800’s) which severely depleted the population of Ireland.  The homes were very spooky.  Just before entering one of the houses, we read a tragic story about the inhabitants of the house.  Seven children from one family, did not live past their first birthday.  As they didn’t live long enough to be baptised, they couldn’t be buried in a catholic burial ground.  Therefore they were buried directly behind the house.  Pretty eerie! We entered the house, turned the corner and I heard Monika scream.  She almost knocked me down trying to get out of the room.  In the loft handing over the kitchen, there was a life-like doll of a young child.  Too creepy for me, I was out of there.

            Our drive continued.  We saw a few beaches that dotted the coastline.  Being on the coast of the Atlantic, without any land until North America due West, this is a surfing hotspot.  Unfortunately, it was about 15 degrees today, and although there were many people in the water, it was just not that appealing to me.  The remainder of the drive, which took about an hour and a half, was spectacular.  Sometimes tricky, two way traffic on a one-lane road.  Lots of close calls as car slowed to a halt to scrape by each other. 

            After the drive, we left Dingle but only after seriously considering about the hit on the prepaid hotel in Cork and staying another night.  The drive to Cork took about 2.5 hours. 

            We entered Cork City and went to our hotel, The Ambassador Hotel on Military Hill.  It was a beautiful older hotel.  It was our first hotel on the trip with a health spa with whirlpool and sauna.  We had to try this out before we left the hotel for the night. 

            We journeyed into Cork on foot.  We found the popular streets with the restaurants and pubs and sat down for dinner.  After a bite to eat, we searched for a bar.  Searched… I guess I figured there would just be pub after pub.  But we eventually found one in which the band was just setting up to play, perfect.  Well not really.  Loud blues, not really what we were hoping for.  We left after a pint.  Walking down the street we saw a patio of a hotel, which was carved into the side of a massive waterfall.  It was really cool to see this waterfall (maybe 40 feet) in the middle of a city.  It was definitely man made, but was one of the coolest spots we have had a pint on our trip.   On our way back towards the hotel, we popped into one last pub, called the Windsor Pub!  Monika enjoyed some Stella while I sampled Cork’s finest stout’s, Murphy’s and Beamish.

Irish Famine Cottages

Creepy Child Doll in the Window...We didn't even stay to check out the rest of the house!

We were also the only 2 people in the cottage area...not even within sight of anyone else....

Slea Head Drive

Beautiful Green Fields

Blasket Islands in the Dingle Peninsula

Ambassador Hotel & Spa in Cork, Ireland

Beautiful City of Cork, Ireland

Slea Head Drive, Dingle Peninsula

Galway and Dingle

Day 10 & 11 – Galway and Dingle

            On our first full day on the west coast, we woke up early, ready to see some sights near Galway City.  We decided to drive to the famous Cliffs of Moher, even though it looked like it might rain (what else is new?).   It was a lovely hour drive, and much of it was right along the water.  On the way, we passed Dunguaire Castle in Kinvara and decided to take a look.  The castle was built in 1520 and basically the same family lived there for centuries.  In the 1950’s, a woman bought the castle and restored it completely while living there.  The castle is called a “Tower House” because it is a fortified residence rather than a castle for military purposes.  It was built during a time of relative peace in Ireland.  It cost us about 6 Euros each to go inside and tour the four different floors.  During the evening the castle hosts medieval banquets complete with a show for about 45 Euros…a bit too steep for us!  The rooms were interesting to see, but the best views were from the top of the castle.  You could walk out onto the roof; there was about a foot of walking space all around the perimeter of the roof and the views of the surrounding area were awesome!

            We hopped back in the car and made another pit stop to eat lunch right next to what Chris likes to call a “mossy bog”…he pretty much calls all grass in Ireland a mossy bog, but I think he might have gotten this one right.  Because it was Ireland, there were three horses magically frolicking in the misty grass, not caring that we were near them.  Our last stop on the way to the Cliffs came when we happened to drive past something called "The Burren" which is a very interesting landscape made of limestone rock formations.  Over time, rain has created thousands of channels between the rocks.  Green grasses grown in these channels.  It looks very cool in person…not sure you can get the real effect through pictures.

            When we finally reached the Cliffs of Moher it had started to spit rain and was pretty windy.  We paid the 6 Euro entrance fee, which gets you in to the main visitor/exhibition center.  Chris again miscalculated how chilly the weather would be and wore shorts and a t-shirt.  I let him borrow my raincoat (it was a tight fit!) but he couldn’t raise his arms in it or keep the hood on his head.  He also bought a neon orange rain poncho from the visitor center because of the rain.  It was a good look!

            The Cliffs are very beautiful even on an overcast day.  Since it was rainy, there was kind of a mist around them, just how you expect the landscape in Ireland to look.  The highest cliff is 214 meters high, and they range for 8 km over the Atlantic Ocean.  They are one of Ireland’s biggest tourist attractions, and apparently it doesn’t matter what the weather is like, because there were tons of tourists there.  The Cliffs have appeared in movies like Princess Bride, one of the Harry Potter flicks, and Leap Year, which I watched about 600 times before coming to Ireland.

            We walked along the cement path that runs near the cliffs and took some good photos.  Then I noticed that there were many people actually walking on top of the cliffs and thought that was a good idea!  You actually have to leave the guardrail area and walk on a tiny footpath.  Since it was raining, the path was pure mud and there are absolutely no guard rails on the cliffs.  Chris was going to take a picture of me on top of the closest cliff.  I walked very slowly on the muddy path, slipping and sliding and trying to make room for people coming the other way.  I got about 15 feet down the path when my umbrella was caught by a gust a wind and I almost floated away like Mary Poppins.  I turned right around and went back to safety…I am no daredevil!  It would be better to walk on the Cliffs on a non-muddy day.  As I turned the corner to safety I noticed a plaque on the wall that says “In memory of all those who have lost their lives on the Cliffs of Moher”…Yikes!  Chris had run over to meet me since he saw my umbrella almost fly away, and we walked to the visitor centre instead.  They have an exhibition set up about how the cliffs were formed and what wildlife lives on the cliffs.  By the time we decided to leave, the rain was falling down in sheets and we were glad we missed most of it.  It still didn’t stop other tourists from checking out the cliffs though!

            The next morning we said goodbye to Galway and checked out of our hotel.  We were going to Dingle, the place that I had been dying to see our whole trip.  On the way, we stopped in Limerick to have lunch.  We sat down in Flannery’s Pub and were served by a nice old Irish man (Mr. Flannery?).  He and another old Irish man chatted us up about where we were from, and where we were going.  They told us some scary stories about people falling off of the Cliffs of Moher.  When the man sitting to our right heard we were going to Dingle, he gave us some recommendations of things to see and bars to go to.  We quite enjoyed our chat with the Irishmen, but we had to get on the road.  Flannery’s Pub was our single Limerick experience, but it was a good one!

            On the way to Dingle, you have two choices:  take the safe road or drive up The Conor Pass, a single lane road up the side of a mountain.  It is the highest mountain pass in Ireland, and is full of twists and turns.  There are many little spots where one car has to pull as far over as possible to let another car through.  We had to pull the side window in so that it wouldn’t be knocked off when we went along the mountain.  Large vehicles like campers and trucks are not allowed on the pass, and there are signs in about 5 languages saying “Turn Back Now!” on your way up.  This kind of made us nervous.  Later, we heard a story about how a few years ago, a trucker drove up the pass and actually got stuck.  He had to get a crane to come and lift him down the side of the mountain, one level at a time!  The Conor Pass supposedly gives you an amazing view of the Dingle Peninsula, however when we were there, it was completely foggy…at the highest point we could see about one car length in front of us!  It was all very exciting!

            Finally we reached the outskirts of Dingle, and made a stop at the Dingle Brewing Company, which just celebrated its one year anniversary.  Right now, they brew one beer called Crean’s Lager, named after Tom Crean, a famous Irish explorer.  We went on a tour of the brewery and they have a display all about his life, which is very interesting.  The beer was pretty good too!

            When we reached the main part of Dingle town, I was in heaven.  It is the best little town, with buildings painted bright colours and only about four main streets.  It was the only town on our whole trip where we had no trouble finding our hotel!  There are all kinds of shops and pubs lining the main street (called Main Street).  We were worried that our hostel, The Hideout Hostel would be a little scary, however we were pleasantly surprised and we had a very pretty room (yes, on top of a pub/restaurant).  We immediately set out to explore Dingle and did not get far before something caught my eye:  Fungi the Dingle Dolphin boat tours.  I had read about Fungi before, as it is one of very few Trip Advisor attractions in Dingle!  It said that Fungi was a dolphin who for some reason just stuck around the Dingle Bay and liked to say hello to people.  I couldn’t wait to get a look at Fungi…along with many other 6 year olds!  Chris later told me that this is like the sixth Fungi dolphin and they keep the Fungis in captivity for a few months and train them on how to act around the boats…talk about raining on my parade!  I am choosing not to believe that!  Anyways, we hopped on the last boat tour of the day just in time.  The views of the coastline are spectacular from the boat, even without the famous dolphin.  Finally, one child yelled out, “There’s Fungi!” and everyone raced to one side of the boat to see him jump out of the water.  He later swam right along side the boat.  I was so happy, and I think Chris enjoyed himself too…lol.  He edged out a 9 year old along the side of the boat so that he could get a good video of Fungi.

            When our tour was done, we went in search of a good pint.  We finally came across one of the bars that the man in Limerick had recommended:  Foxy John’s Bar and Hardware….yes, bar AND hardware.  It operates as a hardware store during the day, and a bar after hours….it is SO awesome!  You can actually sit at the hardware counter next to batteries and nails and stuff and drink your beer.  There is also a real bar across from the hardware desk.  According to the Limerick man, Foxy John is a bit of an alcoholic.  This was my favourite bar of the trip.  The bartender was young (family of Foxy John) and talked to us the whole time.  In the back of the store, a Scottish wedding party had come in and were having some drinks.  When the father of the groom came up to the bar, I said congratulations to him and he bought Chris and me another pint of Guinness!  When he left, he hugged and kissed me…methinks he had a lot to drink…however we did notice that Scots are amazingly friendly.  Travellers to Dingle MUST visit Foxy John’s!

            When we left there, we headed to a Chinese place for a good dinner, and then to The Dingle Pub to hear some live music.  The musician was a singer/guitar player and he played Irish songs all night long.  The scene got a little wild when a hen party came in and started belting out all the songs and dancing around.  This concluded our first Dingle night and if I had an extra day to spend in anyplace I think I would choose Dingle!  It was just what I expected in a little Irish town, and such a beautiful place because it’s surrounded by water.

Dunguaire Castle

Chris, 3 Horses and a Mossy Bog

The Burren

Cliffs of Moher

Cliffs

My "Did you just see me almost fall of the Cliffs of Moher?" giggle...with yet another broken umbrella...

Chris in front of the cliffs

Limerick: Flannery's Pub

Conor's Pass

Conor's Pass Sheep

Crean's Lager

Dingle Brewing Company

Dingle Views

Dingle Views

Searching for Fungi!

Foxy John's Bar/Hardware

Chris on the hardware side of the bar

Dingle Town

Driving in Ireland

Searching for Fungi the Dingle Dolphin

Cross Country Ireland

Day 9- Cross Country Ireland

This morning we woke up with a game plan.  Monika wanted to see the Leprechaun Museum across the city that opened at 10am.  Our check out time at our hostel was 11am and we were to pick up our rental car at noon. 

            Outside, it was a beautiful day.  VERY WINDY!   On the way to the museum we were walking against the wind and it felt like we were getting a workout battling the wind.  I didn’t know what to expect at the Leprechaun Museum, but was very interested to find out what was inside.  We were greeted by a woman that looked, sounded, and acted like Jane Lynch from Glee. Seriously, her Irish twin.  Normally there are big groups that she guides through the museum, however it was only Monika and I that were there bright and early for the first session.  So off we went.  It was clear from the outset that this woman actually believed in the existence of Leprechauns.  We saw ancient text dating back to the 1500’s  which mention that existence of these small, gold bearing creatures.  They are said to be very tricky, and nearly impossible to catch.  Since we don’t know her actual name, I will refer to the museum employee as Jane.  Jane told us some of the stories of Leprechauns.  They are shoemakers of the ferries.  They live in holes in the ground.  They live with their mothers all their lives.

            As the tour continued we learned of many ancient myths associated with the Gaelic people.  This is the part I found most interesting.  Although this was a leprechaun museum, we heard stories of Cahullen and Fin McCool as well as other legends and myths deeply rooted history of the Gaelic people.   Storytelling plays an important role in Gaelic lifestyle. 

            Our tour continued into the “giant’s room”.  In this room, the furniture is huge, which is supposed to make you feel the size of a leprechaun.  They have figured out the ratio to be exactly 1:3 the size of humans…hahaha!  But don’t laugh in front of Jane, she takes this all very seriously.  In the Giant’s room, Monika and I took some funny pictures. 

            The next room consisted of multicoloured string hanging from the ceiling.  We were to “walk through the rainbow.”  On the other side of the rainbow, was a tiny pot of gold rocks.  We sat around the pot as Jane told us more stories of a time that a man tried to catch a leprechaun.

Our next stop on the tour would be the most uncomfortable and awkward part of the tour.  In the next room, Jane took out an Irish whistle and told us that she was going to play some traditional Gaelic music in case the ferries feel like dancing.  The room was dark and she sat down on a wishing well…we were the only three people in the room.  Monika and I watched her play…. and play…... and play.  We expected there to be some ferries on the wall that would appear or something, but no.  Instead we just uncomfortably peered at her as she played.  The entire time I was thinking about how this would end: do I clap, what if she asks if we want to hear another, should I say something like that was excellent, beautiful…what was the best word to describe it in order to break the awkward silence which I can only anticipate once she stops blowing on that whistle! Well, after that we finished the tour by drawing our best leprechaun picture using crayons haha.  I guess this tour was more for kids that adults, oh well it was fun!

            We rushed back to our hostel, checked out and made it to the rental car company in time to get our car.  Our quote was originally for $250.  “This quote is without insurance, so if you say you have insurance through your credit card, we will need to take a $16,000 deposit from your card.”  Well who has that kind of space on a credit card, surely not us.  So we ended up paying $550 for the car with the insurance.  What a rip off!  Our car was a Hyundai.  A small car with not much power, I really missed our green Leon from Scotland!

            We left Dublin and headed west across Ireland towards the western city of Galway.  On the way, we stopped in Tullamore, a little town smack dab in the middle of Ireland.  We had lunch at “The Brewery Tap”.  I had a “Bap”.  Basically, it is chicken, peppers and melted cheese on top of a toasted bun.  It was pretty good.  We couldn’t leave Tullamore without trying some of the local malt: Tullamore Dew…it was awfully tasty stuff.

            We arrived in Galway just in time for the rain to start.  We checked in to our hotel, The Travelodge.  It was right off the highway and only a short walk to town.  We went into town and explored.  On the water we saw a game being played which I had never seen before.  People in kayaks were playing a game that could be best described as basketball.  Teams of 5 or 6 kayakers tried to move a ball downstream to the opponents goal and tried to throw a ball into a goal which was elevated off the water maybe 10 feet.  Looked like a lot of fun, but kinda cold!

            We wanted to hear some music, and saw a bar called “The King’s Head” which had live music.  We got a great seat in the front row.  Although it wasn’t traditional Irish music (like we had originally wanted), Fred and James played the best of the best in terms of acoustic bar music: Tom Petty, Johnny Cash, Van Morrison, and the Beatles.  It was great!  Monika enjoyed a pitcher of a drink called A woo woo (vodka, peach schnapps, cranberry juice, lime juice).  The band was really more like a show, taking comical breaks between each song.  Really funny guys that were drinking heavily and not afraid to let out some pretty edgy humour.  The music stopped at around midnight, and we headed back to our hotel.

Giant's Room at the Leprechaun Museum

 Makeshift Rainbow

Stealing the Gold

Happy Leprechauns!

Galway game

The King's Head Pub

Fred and James

Hello, Dublin!

Day 7 & 8 – From Scotland to Ireland

            The day after the Open Championship, we woke up early and knew we had a long travelling day ahead of us.  First we had to drive from Blackpool, England back to Glasgow, Scotland (about 3 hours), and then we were flying to Dublin!  We checked out of our Blackpool hotel with some time to kill before our rental car had to be handed in.  On the way back to Glasgow, we took a detour into an area called the “Lake District” in the U.K.  We passed by little lake towns such as Windermere, Ambleside and Keswick.  They were pretty hopping, as many tourists drive up to the area to do water sports and to hang out by the lakes, kind of like Grand Bend.  There was tons of pedestrian traffic, and the towns were very cute!

            After the Lake District, our next stop was my idea; it was to a small town called Gretna Green.  I knew of this place because of all the romance novels I read…it is a village in the very south of Scotland that is famous for runaway weddings.  It was historically the first village in Scotland.  The place became a marriage destination in the 1700’s, when it was decreed in England that if both parties were not 21, then their parents had to consent to the marriage.  This act did not apply in Scotland, so many couples began to elope here.  Now, it 1 in 6 Scottish weddings are held at Gretna Green.  Knowing this statistic, it was not surprising that the famous marriage museum and chapel was being rented out for a wedding.  This meant that we only could walk around the outside of the building and in the gift shop.  On the way out of Gretna, you can see a little house that has the words “first house in Scotland” painted on it…kind of cool!

            We got back to Glasgow in good time and handed in our awesome green car…I was sad to see it go!  We walked down the street with all our luggage (oh, so that’s why I shouldn’t over-pack…) until we found a restaurant with Wi-Fi and large screen t.v.’s, so that we could keep track of the Open Championship and wait for our flight to Dublin.  I tried a sticky toffee pudding, actually a British dessert, which was like eating heaven!  However, it was so sweet it kind of made me feel ill afterwards.  Note to travellers: share your sticky toffee pudding with someone else instead of eating it all yourself!

            We caught a nearby shuttle bus to the Glasgow Airport and hopped on the quick one hour flight from Glasgow, Scotland to Dublin, Ireland.  It was so beautiful to see the two countries from the sky!  There are so many different colours of green all mixing together.  When we got to Dublin, we knew which shuttle bus we needed to catch (thank you, guide book to Ireland!) to get nearest our hostel.  We dragged our luggage to the Jacob’s Inn Hostel.  When we pulled up there was a huge crowd of people spilling out of our hostel…we had forgotten it was Saturday night and all kinds of young adults were ready to party.  Us old folk, however, just wanted to check in after a long day of travelling.  We got into our room, and surprise, surprise, were greeted by yet another bunk bed!  Hostels love bunk beds!  Luckily, this one was a bit bigger and we were able to sleep comfortably on it.

            The next day, we decided to join in on a free walking tour of Dublin.  We have always tried to use the same tour company, Sandemans New Europe Tours, whenever we go to Europe, because they always seem to be fantastic tours.  Our tour guide Richie took us on a three hour tour of the city.  We started with a quick background story of Dublin’s history, from the time the Vikings invaded to the Irish War of Independence in 1922.  Obviously, he left a lot of details out, but it was very interesting to hear about how the Vikings slowly integrated into society and Britain’s attempts to control Ireland.  Our first stop was to visit Dublin Castle.  We stood in the inner courtyard.  The last famous visitors to the castle were Barack Obama and Queen Elizabeth, although they slept elsewhere.  The last people to actually stay overnight there were Bill Clinton and Margaret Thatcher (not at the same time!).  He talked about different parts of the castle and showed us the oldest brickwork (1500’s). 

Next, we walked to the Castle Gardens, just in front of the castle that has the Celtic Knot design throughout the grass.  It is used as a helipad when foreign diplomats or politicians come to visit.  The garden stands over top what used to be the River Poddle, exactly where the Vikings sailed up on their ships hundreds of years before.  The name Dublin itself comes from the Irish name Dubh linn, or “Black pool”, apparently because the area in front of the castle was that same important river.

Another site was The Clarence Hotel in the Temple Bar District, which is owned by U2’s Bono.  We walked to the famous Temple Bar District, the Ha’Penny Bridge (built by the same company as the Titanic!), Leinster House (houses the national parliament), and St. Stephen’s Green (a giant green space in the middle of the city).  It was a very good tour and we learned a lot about Dublin’s history.

After the tour we decided to walk across town to see the Guinness Storehouse.  I was very excited about this, as I have never actually had Guinness before, and would be trying my first in Dublin.  You go through a self-guided tour of an amazing 7 floor display.  You learn about the ingredients, the brewers, Guinness advertising, the changing barrels, and lots more.  There are old pieces of equipment everywhere, short movie clips explaining the brewing process, and quotes written on the walls…it is a fantastic place.  I finally tried my first taste of Guinness and I quite like it!  On the fourth floor we joined a little class on how to pour the perfect pint of Guinness.  We each got an opportunity to pour our own pint, and then to sit down and drink it.  We also got certificates stating that we can now pour Guinness…lol.  The top floor is the Sky Bar, which is all glass windows, giving you a 360 degree view of the city.  It looks really amazing up there!

We went out for dinner later on to a little pub down the street from our hostel.  I was very excited to hear a musician playing “Whiskey in the Jar” which is on my c.d. of Irish Pub Favourites.  Guess it really is a favourite!

Last House in Scotland/First House in Scotland...depends on your view!

A Quickie Wedding at Gretna Green

Happy Piper

Bye Bye Awesome Green Car (and Scotland!)

Scotland from the Sky

Dublin Castle

The Temple Bar

Guinness Brewery

Official Guinness-Pourers