Three Days in Dublin
For my first stop across the pond, I spent three days in Dublin, Ireland.
I arrived at 5 am after barely sleeping on the flight. My SIM card did not initially work, leading to troubleshooting with the guy at the kiosk. He was very helpful, giving me directions on how to get into town and a couple things worth seeing.
I headed into town to check in at the hostel. Unfortunately check-in time wasn't until 2pm, so I went out to drink lots of coffee and attempt to be a tourist.
I found Dublin a lovely place to walk around. Many of the city's most prominent sights are all within about 1km of each other, including my first stop: Trinity College. The college's (gothic?) architecture has a haunting beauty to it. From my experience, the average Dublin day is cloudy, creating a fitting atmosphere. After a quick walk around campus, I headed to the library for the main tourist attraction: the Book of Kells (BOK). The BOK is a famouscopy of the bible, thought of as one of the finest handwritten copies. It is thoroughly decorated and quite beautiful. Unfortunately the exhibit was terribly crowded. All in all, I thought it interesting but not a must see. However, the exhibit does lead into the college's library of old books, which looks and smells amazing (#oldbooksmell).
Afterwards, I went to O'Neill's pub for a proper Irish breakfast and a Guinness. Like each pub I went to in Dublin, it was old and beautiful. Lots of nice stained glass and expert woodwork. I sat reading and drinking my Guinness for a while. After receiving my meal, I learned that blood pudding tastes weird and that waiters in pubs are slow. However, I did receive a free coffee. Despite the caffeine boost, I found myself beginning to fall asleep (thanks, Guinness at 11 am). With time still to burn, I headed to Dublin Castle.
The main attraction of the castle is a collection of art and historical items in its library. They were donated by this rich mining guy, I forget his name. In particular I enjoyed the Japanese pieces, as well as the ancient, handwritten Qurans.
Finally, 2pm came around and I went to check-in to the hostel. The woman at the desk suggested I go around the corner to buy a lock. I went down to the lock shop, a cute little place that obviously hadn't changed in 30 years. I chatted with the man at the counter for a bit, telling him about my trip. He ended up giving me my lock for free. I had been feeling a bit homesick, but that helped :). After a quick nap, my kindle and I finished out the afternoon and evening in the common room.
The next day, I began with a trip to Kilmanhaim Gaol. Now closed, for years it served as Dublin's primary jail. It was built with the reformation of the prisoners in mind, an idea that was quite new at the time. Despite the many years that the jail was open, it is most well known for a short period after Ireland's Easter Rising in 1916. The leaders of the rebels were imprisoned and later executed there by firing squad. The rebel's actions were actually quite unpopular with the majority of the population, but public opinion began to sway after these brutal killings. This sway was the beginning of the transformation of Ireland into its own sovereign nation.
From there, I headed to the Guinness Storehouse. The storehouse leads one through the process of brewing beer, with a special nod to Guinness' distinctive technique of roasting the barley before grinding it. Here I made new friends, Valerio and Luca. Both moved from Italy to Glasgow, Scotland. We exchanged contact information and will hopefully be meeting up in the future. Here's a pic of us at the bar on Guinness' top floor. It has one of Dublin's best city views.
Afterwards, I walked through a more residential section of Dublin looking for a good place to eat. I ended up at Bunsen, where their entire menu can fit on a business card. As they say, a jack of all trades is a master of none. Also, I took this cool graffiti pic on the way there 😎.
The day ended with a round of beers with new friends Danielle and Andy.
My third day brought a much needed sunny sky, and good weather for walking around. My first stop of the day was the General Post Office, or GPO. The GPO served as the central command for the rebels during the days of the uprising. There is a now an excellent museum there that covers the build up, the rising, and the eventual creation of the two Irish states that exist today. Of the historical things I did in Dublin, this was certainly the highlight. I snapped this picture, which I found particularly stirring.
After a quick lunch, I walked over to the Jameson Distillery. Here I took an excellent tour through the brewery process. This included smelling various elements of the brewing process, including both malted and un-malted barley, the character of a sherry barrel vs. an American whiskey barrel, and the varied tastes of pot and column stills. There, I made new friends who happened to be staying in the same hostel as me.
Afterwards, my new friends and I assembled at the hostel in preparation for a pub crawl. This involved drinking a wide variety of cheap alcohol and speaking loudly to people various close to your face. All in all, a great time :).
Dublin was a great first stop. Three days is perfect, though I could have filled another day as well.
Next stop, Galway!
