Tagging on some travel after another (short) work trip to London. To Dublin!
First, a picture of Richmond. I stayed with my workmate Charlotte before catching a 6:40AM flight to Dublin. Not the best flight choice, but I'm glad I finally got to see Richmond. The Thames is pretty there.
After a quick flight to Dublin, I found my hostel (Jacobs Inn, which was meh) and set off wandering ahead of an 11AM tour with Sandemans tour of Dublin.
It was good fun, met some nice people, including some girls from Saskatchewan (!!) and wandered over in the direction of the Guinness factory with the Australian, Scott. We got lost, but ended up near the Jameson distillery. Now, I'm not a big fan of whiskey, but I'd be lying if I said my main motivation wasn't to make a certain someone back home jealous. If you're into whiskey, skip the tour and do a tasting. Tour wasn't worth it.
After that, I wandered some more and made it back to my hostel to claim my bed, and find some people to hang out with for the evening. But, the few common areas around were deserted, so I wandered down to Temple Bar by myself for dinner and went pub hopping.
Most every bar had live music on Thursday night (and just about every night, I imagine). Once one bar ended their music, I would go on to the next one. My favorite was with a band that was very interactive with the crowd. I can tell you that's where I fell in love with Ireland. I never had the strong desire to visit Ireland that many others in the US seem to have, but I was smitten by the live music. Friday was rainy and generally miserable. There isn't much to sightsee in Dublin. It's not a very beautiful city – it's a working class place settled by the Vikings.
Friday I went over to Saint Patrick's cathedral (as in THE St. Patrick), and walked across town to the Guinness factory.
This was definitely worth doing if you have even the faintest interest in beer (even if you aren't a Guinness fan). I tried some Guinness in the US before I left, just so I had the taste profile. And, as everyone says, the Guinness is different in Ireland. I drank many pints of it in the pubs, and got to pour my own at the factory.
Saturday morning came with another early wake-up call to get a flight to London and onward to New York. It was a fun trip that gave me the itch to get back to Ireland to see the countryside. And some more traditional Irish music. And Guinness.
First, a picture of Richmond. I stayed with my workmate Charlotte before catching a 6:40AM flight to Dublin. Not the best flight choice, but I'm glad I finally got to see Richmond. The Thames is pretty there.
After a quick flight to Dublin, I found my hostel (Jacobs Inn, which was meh) and set off wandering ahead of an 11AM tour with Sandemans tour of Dublin.
Down the River Liffey
Dublin Castle
After that, I wandered some more and made it back to my hostel to claim my bed, and find some people to hang out with for the evening. But, the few common areas around were deserted, so I wandered down to Temple Bar by myself for dinner and went pub hopping.
Harp Bridge. It probably has a real name.
Most every bar had live music on Thursday night (and just about every night, I imagine). Once one bar ended their music, I would go on to the next one. My favorite was with a band that was very interactive with the crowd. I can tell you that's where I fell in love with Ireland. I never had the strong desire to visit Ireland that many others in the US seem to have, but I was smitten by the live music. Friday was rainy and generally miserable. There isn't much to sightsee in Dublin. It's not a very beautiful city – it's a working class place settled by the Vikings.
Friday I went over to Saint Patrick's cathedral (as in THE St. Patrick), and walked across town to the Guinness factory.
This was definitely worth doing if you have even the faintest interest in beer (even if you aren't a Guinness fan). I tried some Guinness in the US before I left, just so I had the taste profile. And, as everyone says, the Guinness is different in Ireland. I drank many pints of it in the pubs, and got to pour my own at the factory.
Guinness is good for you. It even says so!
Me and my Perfect Pint at the top of the factory.
Saturday morning came with another early wake-up call to get a flight to London and onward to New York. It was a fun trip that gave me the itch to get back to Ireland to see the countryside. And some more traditional Irish music. And Guinness.
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