I’m already a week behind on my blogging! I’m already beginning to forget but seeing as I need a little break from the sun here in Dubrovnik, let’s see if I can catch up a bit more. Altho the sun may call me back out soon…

A week ago: Woke up at 5am (gah!) and caught my taxi to the airport. Although more expensive, the taxi allowed me about an hour more sleep so I felt it was definitely worth every pence! Flew with Ryanair, which was an experience for sure. They say you get what you pay for, and I paid $20 for the flight and $20 for my luggage, so you can guess what it was like. Anyways, arrived at Dublin airport and caught the airporter into town, getting off near Trinity College. The roads wind in every which way, and altho I am fairly good with directions, I struggled to get my bearings. I pulled out my map, and had barely had it in my hands for 10 sec when a lady asked me if she could provide assistance. So nice! I have no problems asking for directions but Londoners didn’t seem impressed to be stopped, whereas I barely had time to BE lost before being helped by Irish people. Love’em!

Found my hostel, which was right on the canal / river, and dropped my bags. Met up with Darina, my ol’ onsening pal from Japan. Because there were no onsens to take in, we instead headed to Trinity College, Darina’s alma mater. The grounds were beautifully old and full of character. You could feel the centuries of thinking that had gone on there. We entered the library and saw the Book of Kells, a ninth century illuminated gospel manuscript created by Celtic monks. They are encased in a display case and every day a different page is displayed. The detail and artistry are intricately stunning. We continued on into the Long Hall, which houses 200,000 of the Library’s oldest books, and 38 busts of famous literary and philosophical people. It was like something out of a Harry Potter scene and I could have sat there forever, taking in the atmosphere and the aroma of old books (at least, until the school tours came in…).

We took a walking tour and I saw several doors of Dublin, famous for their Georgian design and bright colours. I snagged an opportunity for a photo of me using the knocker on a beautiful red door, only to be embarrassed by setting off the alarm on the house it belonged to! I apologised to the guy who emerged to find us, to which he gruffly replied “no worries” as it happens EVERY DAY. We snickered off down the road in search of more to see.

We came across some fresh homemade ice cream, from Murphy’s, made onsite from the cream of some famous Irish cows or something in Dingle. And they well SHOULD be famous bovines, because they make some deliciously sinful cream! I had a scoop of sea salt & cream, and another of caramelised brown bread ice cream. I taste-tested Darina’s Baileys flavour which was also delish! We walked around some more, and then ate at Joe Burger. I had a lamb burger with red onion sauce wrapped in a pita – to die for! After, in true Irish fashion, we began our pub crawl (well, mini pub crawl. I AM a light-weight). We had a Guinness at one pub, then onto another pub for an Irish coffee with Jameson whiskey, and finally to another place for Bailey’s on ice. We walked THRU Temple Bar but both of us agreed that the crowded, music-blarring atmosphere was not for us. I really enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere of the pubs we stopped at. We walked and took pictures, then we parted ways and I headed back to the hostel.

The next morning I got up, packed and checked out, leaving my backpack in left luggage for later, and headed off to make the most of my Dublin pass. I went to both Christ Church Cathedral and St. Paul’s Cathedral. Both were included in the pass, but I liked St. Paul’s better (despite the single price of Christ Church being more expensive). St. Paul’s had beautiful stone tiles on the floor that caught my attention, and it’s possible that I photographed the floor more than other things 😉

In between seeing the two cathedrals, I visited Dublinia, a historic experience museum, which taught me all about the Vikings, medieval times and present-day Dublin. It was somewhat geared towards children, but it was a refreshing change to the regular museum format I’ve seen so much of lately. I made a wax rubbing of my name in Viking letters. However, the section that made me giggle was the explanation of a Viking’s house, complete with outhouse and the use of moss for toilet paper. As I came around the corner, I could hear a fellow “using” the toilet, complete with grunts, and telling me “Don’t just stand there, pass the moss, will ya?”  hahahahahaha!

From there, St. Pauls’ Cathedral, then on to the Guinness Storehouse. There I learned all about how to make a proper stout, and all the history around it, and finished with attending Guinness Academy where I personally learned how to pour a proper pint of Guinness. I now am the holder of a certificate stating as such (so I’ll be that annoying customer who sends back in improper Guinness from now on 😉  ). I then took my self-poured pint up to the Gravity Bar to enjoy alongside of a spectacular 360 degree view of Dublin. I felt a little funny drinking at about noon, but I figured it was 5 o’clock somewhere – haha!

I was enjoying the scenery so much, I lost track of time and realised I had 5min to meet up with Darina, who was probably a 15 min walk away. I hurried down the seven flights of stairs out onto the cobblestone road, tripping on a cobblestone and dropping my brand-new fancy-pants camera on the ground. I quickly picked it up, checked to see if it worked, and hurried on. Not until I met up with Darina (15 min late) did I realised that I had damaged it! Luckily it is stuck on Smart Auto, so it will still take a great photo, but the shutter button is broken so I only have the touch-screen shutter option left. I bought it on Visa though, so it has the 90-purchase protection, so I’ll get a replacement when I get back.

With Darina, I entered the Kilmainham Gaol (pronounced Jail) and our tour leader, Anthony, explained everything captivatingly yet succinctly. I learned a lot of cool history about Dublin (which apparently I’ve already forgotten!) but needless to say, it was a must-see for sure.  We then said our goodbyes, I bought my postcards and searched for the elusive stamps (which I never found) and bought my fridge magnets. I’m collecting fridge magnets as my souvenirs. They’re light, cheap, useful and readily available anywhere.

Caught the bus out to the airport and readied myself for my next stop: Edinburgh.