Ireland Adventure Day 1:Thursday began with last-minute packing and then a flight on RyanAir to Dublin. We picked up the rental car and that's where the adventure really started. Jason is used to driving on the "wrong" side of the road, but he has his left-hand drive Jeep normally. The rental car is a right-hand drive manual. It took some adjusting, but I think he's got the hang of it (I didn't get toooooo sick). =)
Our first stop was the Guinness Storehouse (not because either of us is excessively obsessed with Guinness, but because several people had said it was worth the trip). The exhibits were very informative, even if they were a little over-the-top about how great Guinness is.
One of my favourite parts was the vat of barley. I like to be able to touch exhibits. =) After circling upward to learn about the process of brewing Guinness, the Guinness history, Guinness marketing, and Guinness transportation (see? a little excessive!), we finally got to the top floor with a 360 degree view of Dublin and a bar. A pint of Guinness was included with the admission price. Though I'm not normally a stout drinker, I must say I enjoyed that pint! It was much creamier in the States (or maybe I bought in to the hype that Guinness in Ireland tastes better than Guinness anywhere else). =) Just so you know, this picture was taken by a couple who put their drinks on the table with ours - I was not going to drink two pints of Guinness! Every girl has her limits. =)
Next we parked in the City Centre area, walked around Grafton Street (shopping district) and had dinner at a funky little eatery. Since we weren't ready to head back to the B&B yet and since I had a hankering for some Irish music, we found the Temple Bar (a fairly famous bar in Dublin) and sat while a trio (guitar, violin, and random-stringed-instruments) played some great music. It was mostly Irish traditional fused with rock and folk. Jason and I shared a table with a father and his sons who were visiting from England. We compared stories of our tours around the city and chatted about various topics. That's one of the things I love about Europe in general - if there isn't space for you to have your own table, you share one with strangers. And people here, as a whole, are very good conversationalists! The elder son has been teaching English in Hong Kong for about 10 years. His stories were fascinating, and now I want to go teach in Hong Kong (but I am fairly sure that idea will fade quickly). =)Our B&B is in a nice part of town on the outskirts of the city. The decor is a strange mix of traditional British/Irish and ornate Asian. There are paintings of Dublin next to a Buddha hanging on the wall... quite eclectic, but endearing in its oddity. =)
Date: 26 July 2007Location: Dublin
Highlights:
- My first encounter with an Irishman was being greeted at the Guinness Storehouse by a friendly guy who gave me my ticket. I could have stayed just to listen to him talk!
- Enjoying the night life in the Temple Bar area
Thought of the Day: There is something to the phrase "Irish eyes are smiling" =)
