Fall Break Part 3: Ireland

DAY 1

The last part of fall break we went to Dublin, Ireland. Our time in Ireland was longer than the other places. We were going to be here for 4 days. As soon as we got off the bus and we were in central Dublin, we stopped at one of the first restaurants we saw. It was a very traditional Ireland restaurant, and some of my friends and I got the Irish plate that had beef, vegetables, potatoes, and cabbage. After lunch, some of us went back to check-in to the Airbnb while others went and explored the streets for a bit. While walking around the streets, we noticed that out of all the places we had been to, Ireland so far was the most Americanized. We walked around for a bit just enjoying each others company and eventually went to the Airbnb to rest, because we had been up for so long at this point. We hung out for a while and made plans for the next few days to figure out what we were going to see each day. Day 1 wasn't full of too many adventures since we needed to rest for a bit. But the next few days were packed with eventful things!

DAY 2

We woke up early this day because we had a lot of things we wanted to see and do. We started off the day with a nice breakfast at one of the local cafes. I got a traditional Irish breakfast and a Gingerbread coffee. After we were fueled up, we went to the Dublin Castle. From the outside, I didn't really think it looked like a Castle. It was very different from how most that I've seen looked. But it was so beautiful inside. Although it was a smaller castle, each room was so unique, and the art was gorgeous. From the paintings, to the architecture, and furniture, it was all beautiful. My favorite part however, were the chandeliers! Each room had one, and they were all so different in design and style. I'm not sure why I was so intrigued by them, but I was. After the castle, we went into the castle gardens. The gardens consisted of a big green lawn, with linear designs cut into it. The entire perimeter was designed to be a partially covered path which had various plants, flowers, and statues. No matter where you were, there was some abstract and beautiful to look at.

We then went to the Dublin National Gallery, which houses the national collection of Irish and European art. The collection has about 14,000 artworks including oil paintings, drawings, prints, sculpture and more. One of my favorite parts about this Gallery was their stained glass section. Not many galleries have a lot of stained glass artwork being displayed, so that was very cool to see. We looked at all the different art for a few hours, and then went back and explored the streets again. While we were walking around, we came across a street performer who was playing Somewhere Only We Know. The girls and I listened to his music for a while and then went on or way. It was close to 6PM by this point, so we went to get dinner and a drink. Once again, we had corned beef and cabbage, as if we hadn't had enough already. Then, Kathryn, Emily, and I went to a nearby bar and sat down for a few Ciders. We spent the next few hours just chatting and hanging out. It was so nice to just sit and enjoy each other's company for a bit, with nowhere else to be. Eventually we headed back to the Airbnb and went to bed.

DAY 3

The next day we decided we wanted to see the Countryside of Ireland, which we hadn't really seen yet. We decided to go to Howth, which is a district on the northern boundary of Dublin Bay. From here you can reach the cliffs that overlook the ocean. Getting there was supposed to be simple, we were going to take one bus that dropped us off 9 minutes away from the cliffs; however, nothing ever goes as planned with us. It took us forever to get on a bus, because they only accepted coins as payment, which we didn't have. So we had to find a bank and pull out some money, Then we had to find a store and buy something so that we could get coins back instead of cash. Eventually we were able to get plenty of coins, but we got on the wrong bus. Instead of getting on Summit Howth, we got on Howth. So we ended up having to get transferred to a new bus, which took forever, But luckily, the bus driver was so helpful and kind, and he was able to get us back to where we needed to go. The ride there was so beautiful, and I enjoyed seeing all the views of the countryside. Eventually we got to Howth Summit and by this point we were starving. So we stopped at the only restaurant near the cliffs. After we ate, we started walking towards the cliffs and lighthouse. While we were walking there it started to storm, but it wasn't too bad. Finally, we got to the cliffs and started walking towards the open point. While we were there, it started to hail and the wind was intense. Since the mountains were no longer blocking the wine from us, it was so strong we all linked arms just to stay planted on the ground. Although we were drenched from the rain and being hit by chunks of hail, the view was spectacular. I haven't ever seen anything link this in my entire life. The cliffs were so high up and all we could see was water infront of us. And with the strong winds, the waves were loud and big, and we could hear them crashing against the cliff. We enjoyed the view for while, but eventually we were just so cold and our faces were burning from the wind and hail, so we headed back. I didn't realize how drenched we were until we started walking uphill and our jeans felt like they were 50 pounds. The CORRECT bus arrived a little later and we headed back to central Dublin, soaking wet. It was a long and wet day, but it was so worth it, just to see the true views of Ireland. When we got back, we picked up some stuff for dinner and went back to the Airbnb. We got some warm showers and dry and clothes, and enjoyed each others company. We all hung out for a few hours and then went out to a nearby bar, where some other study abroad students were at. We danced for a while there and then eventually went to bed.

DAY 4

This was our last day in Dublin, before headed back to Italy tomorrow. During the morning we went to a nearby library that had breakfast and little shops. We ate there and looked around, before heading to Trinity College. Trinity College is one of Irelands oldest universities, and many people visit to see the library and grounds. It is a beautiful campus filled with unique buildings and interesting architecture. It was so fun to just explore around the area, and the after we wanted to go to Anne street, which has cute shops and is lined with umbrella's hanging overhead. We stopped there for a bit and enjoyed some of the street performers. We had a Guinness tour coming up, so we started walking in that direction. While heading there, we came across this beautiful Cathedral. We didn't try to go in at the time, but we sat out in front of it and just admired the view. We started walking again and we were finally at the Guinness Storehouse!

We signed up for a self-guided tour, which I always enjoyed, because you can go at your own pace. The storehouse covers 7 floors, and each floor has different exhibits. The 1st floor goes through all the ingredients (water, barley, hops, and yeast. The 2nd floor goes through all the steps of brewing, which was very interesting. There was actually a lot of science that goes into the brewing Guinness. Each step has to occur at very specific temperatures and time intervals. Guinness actually has scientist to look at each batch of Guinness being made and made to make sure the properties are up to standard. The 3rd and 4th floor talks about transportation and cooperage. And the 5th floor has all the advertising. I really enjoyed this floor because it showed how Guinness got its logo now, and all the various advertisements that were used back in the day. The 6th floor was about sponsorship and the 7th floor was the Sky Bar, which had a 360 view of Dublin. With our tickets, we got a free pint of Guinness and a small shot to taste. When they showed us the proper way to taste Guinness and all the different notes we were supposed to taste, I realized I did not like Guinness, so I used my free pint on Cider instead. While we were drinking our pints, live music was being played in the bar and everyone was just having a good time. We all were dancing and singing and then a tap dance battle broke out! It was part of the show, but it was interesting to see tap dancers in a Brewing Storehouse. It was so fun to watch though and everyone was just having a great time. We spent hours in Guinness, and then ended the tour by going to the gift ship. Although I didn't care for the drink, I still got a crewneck and matching socks! After the Guinness tour it was pretty late, so we went and got dinner in central Dublin and headed back to the Airbnb. We got a good nights sleep and the next morning flew back to Italy!