Dublin
After we travelled to Prague and Germany I had found that the Pilsner was a better beer than the Guinness I had come accustomed too at home which was my favorite. The only way to really determine which beer is better is to travel to the place where the dark stuff is brewed…Dublin. We caught an early flight out of Rome and landed in Dublin at about 2 o’clock Dublin time. We dropped our stuff at the hotel and then went out to walk around for the evening. We stopped for lunch in the temple bar district which was a pedestrian only area that is filled with pubs and clubs. After lunch we hit up a local pub that is famous for serving up some of the best pints in Dublin. This is where I had my first “real” Guinness and I was in no way let down. This was the absolute best beer I have ever had and after the first one disappeared so quickly I had to get another. We got dinner off of Grafton street which another pedestrian only area with plenty of pubs and shops. We went to Clarendon restaurant where I ate some traditional Irish food and enjoyed a few pints of the good stuff.
Good Friday in Dublin consists of a law that prohibits anyone of selling alcohol..which was kind of a bummer but we decided to go to the coastal town of Howth to do a Coastal hike. The hike was an amazing cliff side walk that had so many cool sights to see. We returned to Dublin to check out some of the urban parks that are so common in Dublin. The area is really green because of the amount of rain so the parks were really well kept. We went to dinner down in Temple Bar but because of the day I couldnt get any Guinness. For the rest of the weekend we walked along the Liffey River and saw the many bridges that go acrossed it. Those include two bridges by Calatrava(one of my favorite architects) and the famous Ha’ penny bridge.
Saturday was a packed day for us, on the agenda was the Kilmainhaim Gaol(Jail), the Old Jameson Distillery, the Guinness Storehouse, and then a night of pubbing and clubbing. The jail was a cool site to see, it housed some of the people arrested during the Irish Revolution in the early 1900’s. After that we went to the Old Jameson Distillery, which is sadly not where they make it anymore, but they had a tour of the grounds and a free sample at the end. After Jameson, we went and checked out the city center medieval churches of Christ’s Church and St. Patricks Cathedral. Both we made of the beautiful grey Irish stone and had ornate interiors. Then we headed over to the Guinness storehouse, which was the highlight of the trip in my opinion. The seven storey building is 6 levels of learning about the process, and the seventh level is the gravity bar where you get a 360 panorama of the city. The storehouse also has a 6 floor atrium that is shaped like the classic Guinness glass. The best part of the Storehouse was on the fourth floor, where we learned to pour the perfect pint. I got to pour my pint of Guinness, which is an art, and I have to say I did quite well, creating a beautiful glass of frosty beer. After the storehouse we went to a pub called The Vat House, where I got an Irish burger and chips, and complimented that with a few pints. After a night in the pub, we went to a local club and danced with some of the younger crowd of the city.
Sunday we started the day with Easter Mass at a catholic church close to our hotel. The priest was very nice he came and talked to us for awhile because he knew we were not regulars. The mass was good and we were off to switch to our hotel closer to the airport for our next days really early flight. The rest of the day we went up north to another sea side town called Malahide. There is a famous castle that a family lived in for 800 years…long time. After the castle we walked around the village which was beautiful and did not have the hustle and bustle feel of Dublin. Later in the night we went to a restauant in the small town of Swords which is where our hotel was. The food was good, I had a stuffed chicked breast wrapped in bacon with mash and veggies, along with a few Guinness, which would be the last I have…sad moment.
The best parts about Dublin were the 3 main areas that were pedestrian only. For Americans this concept does not really exist in our cities. Until you experience these areas it is hard to comprehend how awesome this makes a street. The public transportation of the city was easy and convenient, the food was hearty and way better than Italian food! And then of course their is the beer, which is back as my favorite beer, the pride of Dublin, Guinness.
