Week 6: Dublin

 Another stamp in my passport! This time Ireland. Not to be confused with Northern Ireland or associated with the UK or Great Britain. Definitely not!

I left very early Friday morning…very early. The taxis arrived at 4:45 so that myself, along with 11 others could catch our 6am flight. Ryan Air (the airline we flew) is the Walmart of the skies. You get cheap flights but pay the price in other ways. We got to Dublin safely and on time so I have no complaints.

The Temple Bar neighborhood in Dublin

After dropping our bags at our hostel and a grab and go breakfast we met outside city hall for a free 3 hour walking tour of the city. Our guide was a history student at UCD and was incredibly knowledgeable about Ireland’s, and more specifically, Dublin’s history. The tour was in a word – fantastic. It covered almost every note worthy site in the city.

Like father like daughter :) 

The final stop of the day was the Guinness storehouse. The massive building (shaped like a Guinness pint glass) was part factory part museum. Most visitors would agree that the highlight is the free pint of Guinness included with entry. I was able to pour my own, which it turns out is an exact science. Fun fact: it takes 119 seconds for a freshly poured pint of Guinness to settle. Learning to pour was easy, finishing the pint was quite a bit more challenging. Guinness is definitely an acquired taste, but the Irish certainly do love it. One of our cab drivers told us that to this day doctors even recommend that pregnant women have Guinness daily! I’ll have to do a little research before I buy into that.

View from the top...the island in the back is called
the Eye of Ireland

To be honest, I was not a huge fan of Dublin. All the major cities I visited have a unique feel, but Dublin was a little blah. I’m sure the rain didn’t help J It didn’t feel very cohesive, more like a mish mash of awkward modern buildings and historic monuments. My group was in agreement that we were going to spend our second day outside of the city. Our pick was Howth, a very small coastal village 30 minutes from the city. Howth is one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited! 

A find while walking through the park..a culinary
school called Kitchen in the Castle

We started off by walking through a park, which turned into golf course, which turned into a very steep hill. The leisurely walk we had all anticipated quickly became a hike. I can’t complain since two very sweet 70+ women were hiking in front of us. The view from the top of the hill was spectacular and encompassed the lush green rolling hills Ireland is known for along with the rocky beaches and intimidating cliffs.

Don't worry Mom, I'm not as close to the edge as it looks like

We worked up quite an appetite so fresh fish and chips were in order. After lunch, we walked along the cliffs. Those afraid of heights are advised to stay away. I’ll admit that I stayed as far from the edge and looked down as little as possible! We headed back to the bus just in time, as the gorgeous sunny day turned to a torrential downpour as soon as we got to the station.

Saturday finished with a good pub meal and a few card games in the hostel. Then it was up at the crack of dawn again for our flight home. Flying in Europe is so convenient; the flight from East Midlands (basically Nottingham) to Dublin is only 45 minutes. It took longer to get a bus back to campus from the airport!

Happy Halloween everyone!

XXOO-

Elisabeth