Dublin, Ireland: St Patrick's Trinity of Jameson, Guinness, and...

Synopsis:

(Tim walks into the location where he sees Katherine for the first time)
Tim: Hi, I'm Tim and I like to travel.
Katherine: Hi, Tim. I am Katherine and I also like to travel.
Tim: Let me know if you want to travel somewhere.
Katherine: I want to go to Ireland. You ever been there?
Tim: No I haven't. Let's go.
Katherine: I'm already on the plane, hurry up!
(They go to Ireland)

Please read this post with an Irish accent. Trust me, it will make it much more interesting.

Trip Overview:
Day 1: Fly out of Charleroi to be welcomed by a wet and miserable day in Dublin. We don't let that stop us and walk out into the city with one child-sized umbrella. Needless to say, we get wet. After about 2 hours of torturing ourselves, we head back to the hotel to shower and change. Then, now that the rain stopped, we head back out to check out Temple Bar District and find something to eat.

Thoughts: I tried for weeks to find a couchsurfing host, but no one would host us. Not so lucky, if you aren't Irish? Friday night and there doesn't seem to be a lot of people at the bars and one nightclub we went into was completely empty. Guess the Irish party on other nights? Plus, Ireland is renown for its amazing greenery, which, unfortunately, is all white now.

Travel buddy, Katherine

Statue #1, in Parnell Square

O'Connell street in the rain/sleet/snow

Enrolling in Trinity College

Temple Bar district 

Day 2: Head downtown to catch the hop on/off bus. But we are hungry, so we stop at a mom & pop restaurant, T.J.s Coffee Bar, and the food is amazing! As far as we know, its authentic Irish food. Get down to Trinity College, where we join the bus line. It takes us around and gives us the super impersonal history of the city. We jump off halfway through so that we can walk around in the good (not blizzarding) weather. We find our way to St. Patty's church, where we buy some overpriced souvenirs.

Jump back on the bus to head over to the Guinness Brewery, where we learn about how its made, how to pour it, and of course, get to taste it (I am not a fan). After spending almost 3 hours there, we head back to the center to look for some food, before heading back to the hotel.

Thoughts: To be fair to the hop on/off buses, they do have interesting information and usually have good vantage points on the routes they take. I don't like beer, at all. So Guinness never really had a chance.

Some delicious authentic Irish breakfast

Complete with pudding and beans!

In front of Dublin Castle

Katherine at Christ Church Cathedral

GQ pose #32 @ St Pattys Cathedral

Gon learn bout some beer

The Guinness gameplan

That man is certified!

With our pint-pourin' papers

Day 3: First things first, head back to T.J.s for breakfast. Jump back on the hop on/off to do the rest of the bus tour. We jump off at St. Stephen's Green to check out the area and then walk over to the National Gallery (free entrance). Great little bar across the street, called Insomnia Bar, has nice coffee and caps our visit to the gallery. We catch the bus again, this time to Kilmainham Gaol. After escaping prison, what better way to celebrate than with Jameson at the distillery? So, we head there and Katherine gets the lucky draw to be a taste tester, and so graciously allows me to join her. Afterward, we stumble to the bus... just kidding, we stumble around the streets like real Irish folk (that's strangely patriotic).

Thoughts: Still raining and someone is being greedy with MY umbrella! At least, that's what Katherine keeps saying.

Me and Oscar Wilde in the Park

Inside the National Gallery of Ireland

Insomnia bar was great

Our mode of transportation

Not sure why I'm so happy to be in a prison

East wing of the gaol

Locked up in our cell 

Chillin with the barrels

Lucky taste testers

Certified whiskey tasters

Day 4: Last day, and we flash our receipt of our 48 hour bus ticket that expired yesterday, and the driver lets us on without looking at it. Yay! We see the last part of the bus tour, and jump off at St. Stephen's Green stop. Walking in the park during a snowy/sleety day is not quite as nice as on a beautiful day. We stop at a cute little cafe for a quick meal before heading back to the airport.

Thoughts: Katherine has some really "noticeable" yellow boots on and people keep staring... at me.

The "Tart with the cart" and some statue

Panoramic of the park. Can you see the snow?

On the bridge in the park. So picturesque

Great men become statues

Best. Sign. Ever. At the Busy Bean Cafe

Final Thoughts: If you look in the encyclopedia under "fearless travelers", there will be a picture of someone climbing Everest or walking around the Amazon. But, we also did some touristing in less than convenient conditions, and had fun doing it. That's gotta be worth something.