Tuesday, April 22, 2014

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?




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14 comments:

  1. I've been to Ireland but not Dublin. I completely fell in love with the country! I can't wait to go back and see Dublin, although I think my heart belongs in the countryside :)

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    1. I totally agree! We spent a day in Dublin because we flew in and out through there, but the real beauty of Ireland is truly in the countryside! I would love to take two weeks to just drive through Northern Ireland all the way around the coast to Southern Ireland. How amazing would that be!

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  2. Ireland was not a place that was ever high on my travel to-see destinations either but when given the chance to see it in June of 2012 my mind was completely blown and would recommend it to anyone! I am not a foody so the food doesn't bother me, but the beautiful green, the architecture, and the people were all just amazing! Everything I imagined it being like.

    Cheers,
    Alyson

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    1. I agree, it's absolutely amazing! I recommend it to everyone to visit! It's so beautiful and laid back.

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  3. I'm going to Dublin next weekend. :) We'll be there for a few days and then we're going to Galway. I am so very excited to spend the weekend in a land with lots of GREEN & lots of good beer. Madrid doesn't offer much of either of those two things. ;) Lovely finding you through the Travel Tuesday linkup! xx

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    1. Awesome! Have a great time! We stopped in Galway for lunch on our way back to Dublin. It was a really cute town and I wish we had more time there. Thanks for stopping by!

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  4. Well...you can't go to Ireland without going to Jameson or having a Guinness :) My whole family has been, I'm the only one that has yet to visit. It is certainly the top 5 on our travel list.

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    1. :) I guess that means you're next! And Guinness is a must!

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  5. I don't love Guiness but have always wanted to go to Dublin! Embarrassed to say that my fascination with Ireland stemmed from my love of the Irish boy band Westlife though!

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    1. I don't know any of their boy bands, but they do have some great traditional music in their pubs!

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  6. I'll never forget escaping the rain in that cozy bar in Kilkenny, drinking a beer and eating a meat pie - one of the Ireland culinary "highlights" - while watching the Ireland national Hurling championship.

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