Travel Tuesday: Dublin

Ireland will always hold a special place in my heart. Truth be told, it was never on my list of places to visit before I started planning for my honeymoon. I had always dreamed of seeing Rome so that was on the list for sure. My husband contributed Ireland to the itinerary since he is Irish. To be even more honest, I wasn't that crazy about indulging his wish until I started to research all that Ireland has to offer. If I haven't mentioned enough before, I love food! I love to eat it, cook it, write about it, smell it, describe it, you name it and I want it. Unfortunately Ireland is kind of a meat and potatoes type place and did not meet my culinary expectations. However, Ireland does have a lot to offer: great beer, Irish whiskey, history, culture, ruins and the nicest people you will probably ever meet! And because they receive so much rain all year round, it is incredibly green and picturesque.

Our last two nights in Ireland, we spent in Dublin. We only had one full day to explore Dublin, but we took in quite a few of the sites. If you are in Dublin and enjoy history I highly recommend you visit the Kilmainham Gaol and take a guided tour. The tour was very informational and we learned a lot about the Easter Rising. Of everything we did in Dublin, this was by far my favorite.

Kilmainham Gaol

Of course, being an Irish whiskey lover, my husband insisted that we visit Jameson to take a tour. The tour was informative and even though I don't care for it myself, my husband really enjoyed participating in the taste testing at the end. If they ask for volunteers, be sure to speak up if you love tasting whiskey.

Jameson Distillery

After the Jameson tour, we had to try one of Dublin's other well-known beverages so we walked over to the Guinness Storehouse. Guinness is no longer made on site, but the process is documented along the walls museum style as you wind your way up to the top where you can taste a pint for yourself. We made our way up to the Gravity Bar which offers 360 degree views of Dublin and we enjoyed a pint of Guinness and relaxed for a moment. 

Guinness Store House

Following the tours of Jameson and Guinness, we ended our sightseeing for the day with a visit to St. Patrick's Cathedral. My favorite part was the Door of Reconciliation on display. As the exhibit described, in 1492, two wealthy families of Ireland were feuding, the Butlers and the FitzGeralds. One of the Butlers fled to a room behind this door to escape FitzGerald's soldiers. However, wanting to end the dispute, FitzGerald cut a hole in the middle of the door and extended his hand to shake in agreement. He was risking his arm, because it could have easily been chopped off on the other side. All ended well though and his brave gesture led to a truce between the families.     

My husband loves posing for photo ops, so he made the gesture of offering his arm to me, as his new wife, for any future needs of reconciliation. 

St. Patrick's Cathedral - Door of Reconciliation

Have you been to Dublin? Which were your favorite stops?