Spencer and I left Friday the 7th and got off to a bit of a rocky start. It turns out I booked our tickets to Belfast for the following Friday. BIG OPPS on my part! After a train ride that seemed like it took FOREVER, we got to the airport to try to sort things out. It was too expensive to switch our tickets, or to buy new ones for the flight we were supposed to be on so we decided we would try to take the ferry. Luckly, it turned out to be a great idea! We took the next train south from the airport to Stranraer, Scotland and caught the ferry to Belfast. The ferry was HUGE, and looked more like a small cruise ship on the inside. It was extremely fast for a ferry also, got us there in only 2 hours. So a little later than planned and a little differently than expected, we finally made it to Belfast.
It was a beautiful afternoon so we were able to walk around a lot of the city. We saw the beautiful city hall, the opera house, the famous Crowne Bar and walked along the River Lagan. I had no idea what to expect from the city of Belfast but I was pleasantly surprised by how beautiful it was. We caught the train down to Dublin around 8:30. It was about a 2 hour journey and was a great way to see some of the country. We made it into Dublin around 10:30 and walked right to our hostel. It had been a long and pretty stressful day so we were pretty tired to say the least. This picture below is of Belfast City Hall, right in the middle of the city.
Saturday we woke up to a beautiful day in Dublin with not a cloud in the sky. We meandered around the city for the morning, taking our time. We saw St. Patrick's Cathedral (the picture below) which was amazing and had a beautiful garden next to it. Then we walked down the River Liffey for awhile, passing the Guinness plant, the world famous icon of Ireland. We stumbled upon the Dublin Museum and decided to go in. The museum was actually pretty interesting since it was all having to do with Ireland, and the price was right too.. free! After the museum we went back to our hostel and made some lunch. After lunch we headed back out again to wander the streets of Dublin. It was great to be able to walk around and really experience a city instead of taking buses and metros everywhere.
That evening we headed to the races! Dog races that is. One of Ireland's national pastimes is dog racing, and you could really tell by the family atmosphere. There were kids running around everywhere, placing bets on their favorite dogs. It was definitely different to see such young kids at a dog track. We got there about half way in but still saw about 6 or 7 races. We bet a few Euros on the last few races but none of our dogs one. :( Oh well, it was still great to see the dogs race and be apart of the excitement. After the last race we walked back towards our hostel, but not before stopping for a pint of Guinness. It was the first pint for both of us and there was no better place to try it then Dublin. It was very different; flat, thick and to me had a coffee after taste, but still a lot better than I expected.
Sunday was a pretty lazy day. We headed to the main shopping district of the city and found some good bargains. It was also a great place for some amazing people watching. After lunch back in our hostel we walked down to Merrion Square, a popular park in Dublin. It was very beautiful of course but was also home to the Oscar Wilde Memorial, a Dublin born poet and playwright. We walked around some more, and headed to another park that was close. We hung out there for a little bit but couldn't stay too long since the park was closing. We went back to our hostel, made dinner and waited for our friend Katie, who's flight got in that night. She made it in safe, despite some more airport closures due to the volcano. That silly thing just won't quit!
Monday was our last day in Dublin so we did a free walking tour of the city. The weather was not the greatest but we tried to make the best of it. It was Ireland after all, and rain is to be expected. Other than the weather, the walking tour was great. We learned a lot about the city and it's long history. We saw lots of famous sites like Dublin Castle, The Temple Bar, Trinity College and The Clarance Hotel which is now owned by U2. After the tour we went back to the hostel to warm up and have some lunch.
We headed back out to shop a little. Last thing on our list in Dublin, but certainly not least was the Guinness Storehouse. The first few levels were very interesting because they showed the ingredients and the processes of making a Guinness. We were running out of time so we headed up to the Gravity Bar on the top of the storehouse to get our free pint of Guinness. The bar had great views of the city so we definitely took our time and enjoyed the view. After we all finished our pints, we headed back into the storehouse to finish the tour. The next few levels were all about the consumption and marketing of the beer and it's long long history. After the tour we all headed to a pub to have one last drink in Dublin.
I had really enjoyed my 4 short days in Ireland and I wasn't looking forward to it ending. But at least I did have a little something to look forward too.. ROMA!!
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