Last Saturday, after packing, unpacking, and repacking my bag 20 times, I finally was ready to start my vacation. I managed to pack my week into my northface backpack, which we will later learn whether or not I should do that in the future. I met Laur, Jon, and Sarah Elizabeth at the gare (train station) and we began our journey. We took a hour train to Valence to get our connection to Grenoble to fly over to Dublin. During this train ride, I was sitting across from this adorable boy, probably around four years old, with his grandmother. He kept me occupied during the ride. He was playing this game with his grand-mère that was basically "war" but for toddlers. Instead of saying "war" when the cards were the same, he would say something that sounded like, "battle wolf"...he was precious. We arrived in Valence and headed onto our next train to Grenoble. Once there, we got on a taxi, and headed to the airport. Grenoble has the French alps, so a lot of people go there to ski. The mountains were beautiful. It was amazing to see them and their snow covered tops. We finally arrived at the airport and our trip was underway.
My experience in Dublin, Ireland can be simplified into one word: amazing. First of all, the Irish people are the nicest people on earth. Honestly, I did not run into one mean Irish person, and I can not say the same about the French, or the Scottish for that matter. Dublin itself was a beautiful city. I knew I was going to like this place as soon as I got off the bus and the driver gave us directions to our hostel. Of course, we managed to get lost anyway, but it's the thought that counts right??
We arrived in our hostel to find less than pleasant information: though we had all the paperwork that said our room was "booked", that was not the case. Some "newbie" decided to skip putting our reservation into the computer, so there we were, room-less and pretty anxious to find somewhere to sleep. Thankfully, our knight in shining armor, Lucas, rescued us and saved the day! I knew he was a keeper as soon as he said, "We're going to put you in a hotel for the night for no extra charge, and then upgrade you to a 4 person room with your own bathroom for the same price."Awesome. He really went out of his way for us and that was something I never would have expected. WIth promises to give the hostel a good rating, he showed us to the hotel next door where we had two separate rooms for the four of us-big beds, and our own bathroom. It was a perfect way to end a long day. We went to dinner and had our first beers in Ireland--ate good food and laughed the evening away. Of course, we looked out the window and it had started to snow...we knew this was going to be an interesting vacation.
We did a lot in Dublin, and I'm actually surprised at how much we managed to fit in two days. Our second day in Dublin we took one of those double-decker tour buses (which is probably how we got so much done) and it was totally worth it. We could hop on and off whenever we wanted, and it took us all over Dublin. Plus-it was SO FUN being on the top of the bus! Even in the cold! I'll just give a brief rundown of things we did: pictures and explanations. It's more fun this way.
This is the hotel where we were lucky enough to stay for a night. Definitely a good start to an amazing trip.
Here's our hostel. The staff was absolutely fantastic and so helpful. They went out of their way to make sure we had an enjoyable stay. When we left Kinley House, we got huge hugs goodbye from Lucas. All of the front desk people, of course, knew who we were after the first night at check in. That's how I like it :)
One of the streets in Dublin--most of the streets look like this. I love the brick/stone and the bright colors of the shops on the streets.
Kilmainham Gaol Prison: We had an amazing old Irishman guide and he filled us in on all the history of this prison. It was so interesting learning about Ireland's path to independence, and how this prison held many of the leaders of the Easter Rising, fighting for Irish freedom.
Christ Church: This church was literally right next to our hostel. It is beautiful and the bells rang ALL THE TIME. It did get a little annoying at the end...
Dublin Castle: They still actually use the castle to this day for important events & meetings. It was absolutely beautiful inside and extremely ornate. It's crazy imagining what it was like back in the day; when the nobles roamed around in the castle with all their riches. It made me wonder what it would be like to live such a lavish life of royalty.
The river Liffy at dusk. The water is so dark...almost black. I loved Dublin at night--it was breathtaking.
St. Patrick’s Cathedral: Didn’t go inside because it cost way too many Euros to see the inside of a church, BUT the outside was beautiful. The architecture is so precise and detailed. The grounds were so green. We spent a while here just walking around and taking in the scenery.
The Brazen Head: Oldest pub in Dublin. Had amazing atmosphere: if you go to Dublin, it is NECESSARY that you go here :)
Guinness Factory: Pretty self-explanatory. We learned all about how they make this glorious beer, unlike any other. PLUS: we were all able to pour our own guinness and learned the correct way. We then received certificates that said "so-and-so has crafted the perfect pint of guinness"--framing that when I get home! Be proud Dad!
River Liffy at Sunset--beauty
Next entry--MY BIRTHDAY!!!
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