Ireland: Dublin

We have arrived at my absolute, 100%, never wanted to leave, FAVORITE place in all of Europe: Dublin, Ireland. But before it became the love of my life, it was just another place where I didn’t know what to expect. The only thing it had going for it was the fact that everyone spoke English.

In typical Irish fashion, it started to dump buckets the moment our walking tour started, but I didn’t mind. The tour started at the well known Trinity College. I actually knew nothing about Ireland’s history (whoops) and was fascinated by the information. We walked around historic Temple Bar area, learning tidbits about their Viking heritage. After the tour, Kenzie and I partook in the tradition of teatime. And, boy, did we hit the jackpot. Bewely’s became our obsession over the course of our stay! It gets a 10/10 recommendation from me. While it was still raining, Kenzie and I, of course, took a photo shoot. The weird looks were worth it.

Friday morning we got up at the crack of dawn to embark on one of the most talked about adventures in Ireland: The Cliffs of Moher. Honestly, I was skeptical. I mean, they’re cliffs. I’ve seen them before, and if you’ve seen them once you’ve seen them all right? WRONG. So wrong. Absolutely not. After a four hour drive in a hot bus (with a Bewley’s tea to go), we arrived at the Cliffs. And they were incredible. The grass was so green that it looked liked I had the saturation filter on my phone all the way up. It was windy and cold and looked like it might rain any second, but I could hardly care. I would’ve been happy to set up camp and eat lunch right there. Well, that was before they told us that the cliffs are eroding and standing too close to the edge might result in rock breaking away and falling into the water below . . . not that that stopped me from getting right on the edge to get a good picture. I can always remember risking my life for a good photo! Our next stop was Galway, and unfortunately, we only got to spend 30 minutes in the city, but from what I saw, it was a musician’s paradise. There were people on every street with just a guitar belting out tunes. It was unbelievable. The best part of this day trip was on the ride home. Our guide, his name was Nicholas, told us he used to play in a wedding band and would love to sing some tradition Irish songs for us. It should go without saying that I recorded every song then promptly went to the nearest store and bought two traditional Irish CDs.

Being in Dublin, we, of course, went to the Guinness Storehouse. Seven floors of Guinness history lead up to the tasting room, which uses you senses to make for an interesting drinking experience. Then on the fourth floor, you learn to pour the perfect pint and get a certificate! But really the best part was that I could try a free beer to see if I liked it. I didn’t. But it definitely wasn’t the worst thing I’d ever had, so everyone needs to go try it!

The highlight of the entire trip, though, was the pubs. The culture in Ireland is contagious. The people are friendly and charming (even when they tell you you look 13 and you are about to turn 21). Everything about the Irish culture pulled me in, begging me to stay forever, and I was all too happy to oblige. We started our pub adventures at O’Sullivan’s, which quickly became our favorite pub. It was what you would expect from a pub. Tiny, crowded with a live musician and great cider. It was everything I wanted it to be and more. Literally indescribable. We went to O’Sullivan’s every night before venturing off to try the other local places. One night a lady even dragged me to the front of the room and we danced and sang to Irish music. I wish I could put into words the magic of Ireland’s culture, but you will just have to take my word for it when I say that I wish I was still there, dancing the night away at O’Sullivan’s. Oh, and also, there is an amazing Thai food restaurant right next door, which is a great plus.

All in all, Dublin is my favorite place in all of Europe, and I cannot wait until I get the chance to come back, explore and experience more Irish culture! I actually still think about Dublin and its people ever day.

P.S. Buy an authentic wool sweater. I absolutely love my little piece of Ireland.

To Do:

– Belfast and the Titanic Museum

– Cork

– Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bride and the Giants Causeway

– Blarney

– Basically explore everywhere