A Trip to Ireland
My niece and I started our trip to Ireland on an early flight out of Stockholm landing in Dublin. There were no delays and we only packed carry-ons, so our trip was short. Since it was a short trip we did not rent a car and thought we would get an Uber. Upon arriving, though, we looked into other forms of transportation and found that there were several reasonably priced busses that would take us to downtown Dublin. We were easily able to find a bus, purchased two inexpensive round trip tickets, and off we went to Dublin!
Fish and Chips Dinner
After checking into our hotel and settling in, we found we had plenty of time to explore the city while walking over the Guinness Storehouse, but first dinner. We set out on foot walking along the busy O’Connell Upper Street and quickly found an Irish restaurant serving fish and chips. When on a trip in Ireland, you have to do Fish and Chips! We relished our greasy fish and chips, then off we went to work it off.
Walking Downtown Dublin
Our walk continued down O’Connell Upper Street, past The Spire, and to the River Liffey. From there we walked along the river so we could cross Ha’penny Bridge. Our walk continued along the river and then into the west side of town to the Guinness Brewery.
The Guinness Experience
Just outside the Brewery we were greeted by several horses and carriages that were waiting and ready to give out carriage rides. We had a brief stop to pet the horses and then went inside the Guinness Storehouse to purchase tickets and begin the Guinness Experience.
The self-guided experience began on the second floor of the museum where we learned the basic process of growing and manufacturing beer. Moving up the next few floors we heard about the Guinness beer making process, along with Guiness history and traditions. We had a shot glass size tasting in the tasting rooms on the fifth floor, then to the next floor featuring posters and paraphernalia from past marketing and advertising campaigns. Finally we reached the top floor and the Gravity Bar!
The Gravity Bar, located on the topfloor of the Guiness Storehouse, features incredible panoramic views of downtown Dublin. Although it was extremely busy we were able to get our free pints of Guinness and walk around to see all the fabulous views. Amazing, a high table for four openned up and we grabbed it. While sitting there for a few minutes we noticed another family looking for a table and we invited them to join us. There group was large, but they were just happy to find a place to set their beers down.
Finding New Friends
Our table guests, or new friends were also from the Chicagoland area. Although, I moved away years ago, my niece is still living in the suburbs. As it turned out our table guests lived only three blocks from the private catholic high school that I attended! We ended up having delightful time talking and reminiscing while enjoying our Guinness beers.
Finishing our first day of our Trip to Ireland
Eventually, we finished our pints and left the Guinness Brewery. We made our way back, walking through the shopping area on Henry St. and past The Spire again. We stopped at The Wishing Hand, but found that the gates were closed, stopped for a quick burger, and back to our hotel for the night.
What a fantastic start to our Trip to Ireland!
Read about the next day of our trip, a tour of Winterfell in Ireland.
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