Dublin

The day before I left NZ I remember having a conversation about cheap European airlines and was told about the tune that Ryanair played when they landed. I'll be honest because I did not believe it was actually true that a trumpet would sound (like the one in the video) but what do you know, it actually happened and I giggled. I also giggled to myself when I was walking through Dublin airport and overheard all the workers chatting to one another, it has to be said; the Irish have the BEST accent!

I was only in Dublin for 3 nights but really feel like I made the most of time there and saw a whole lot of the city. I wasn't too sure what to expect so left the planning in the hands of my Irish friend, Tom, to choose how he wanted to spend his last few days in Ireland. Tom was back home for a month for a friend's wedding and thankfully agreed to join me in Dublin. He's from Limerick, about a two hour bus trip from Dublin, and had never really explored Dublin so it worked out good for the both of us.

One of the things I was really keen to do was get to the Guinness Factory but I arrived too late on the first day. However, that didn't stop us going out to find a nice spot to try my first Guinness. Now, I'm not sure if it's a drink I would choose if I was out but it tasted pretty good at the time. 

Dublin - best place to try your first Guinness

We also went for a walk through St. Stephen's Green, a lovely park in the middle of Dublin, and I was happy to see so many daffodils out. This means spring MUST be on it's way right?!

Oh I love daffodils!

To fill our evening we decided to go a bit crazy and try out the Ghostbus Tour... The oldest and best Ghostbus Tour in Dublin I should add. We were both a bit unsure about what to expect from this tour but I thoroughly enjoyed it (can't say the same for Tom though). Back home me and some of my friends have enjoyed watching the odd horror/thriller film and will often jump and hide behind our blankets but I'll tell you this for free, this tour chilled me on the inside and was worse than any scary movie I've ever seen. I was absolutely terrified. The guide was fantastic and really got into character. He even held a small light beneath his chin to make it extra spooky. He had keys to locked cemeteries and told us chilling stories about grave snatchers and witch burnings. We hopped on and off the bus as we went around the city and I felt like I was given quite a good history lesson from the tour.

Inside the bus...

Scary!

The world's only ghost bus?

The guide telling us something sinister

Tom's sister lives in Dublin and recommended we try out the bars in Temple Bar and we found a few nice spots. I enjoyed the live music by the U2 look alike band. It was freezing up in Dublin so I tried my first hot whiskey, warmed me up alright but was a bit strong for me.

We set our alarms so we could get up bright and early to make the most of our second day in Dublin. After we chatted to the helpful hotel staff we headed out to breakfast at a recommended cafe and had a modern take on the Big Irish Breakfast.

Breakfast in a pan!

After breakfast we jumped on a bus and headed out to Kilmainham Gaol (jail). The only way to go around the jail was by tour and we got there about half an hour before the tour started but that gave us a good opportunity to have a look around the museum. Kilmainham was not the main jail in Dublin but was important in Dublin's history because it was the first jail to keep prisoners in separate cells. This was in an attempt to stop the spread of disease because prior to Kilmainham all prisoners (men, women and children) were all put in together and obviously this meant disease spread very quickly. So for that reason it was quite special but naturally there were times when there were more than one prisoner held in each cell. Our guide was very informative and was very passionate about this period of history. It was a bitterly cold day and as we walked around the jail and the courtyards my heart went out to all the people that had to spend time there, it must have been absolute hell. It was stories of the children who were prisoners that really touched me. Our guide told us about one prisoner, a 5 year old girl, who was arrested for begging on the street. She was trialled and found guilty. How heart wrenching is that?! A 5 year old!

The courtyard where they did exercise; walking around in a circle with their heads down.

The cross marks the spot where men were executed...

Kilmainham Gaol 1787

It was a very sombering experience at Kilmainham so it was good that out next stop was a bit more upbeat, the Guinness Factory. I really enjoyed it there, learning about how beer is brewed and looking at the process in greater detail. It's pretty technical stuff. You could learn how to pour the perfect pint but we were a bit pushed for time so instead decided to take in the views from the top floor of the factory and enjoy a Guinness looking out over Dublin.

So many Guinness products!

Watching Guinness settle is fun :)

We got picked up from the factory by Tom's mum, dad and brother and gosh what lovely people they were. I very much enjoyed hanging out with a family for the rest of the day. We had lots of laughs and both Tom's parents studied in Dublin so could tell me a lot about the city from their years there. After a quick lunch we met up with his sister and her fiance and went on the Viking Splash Tour. This was a tour in a ship with wheels around Dublin where you had to put on Viking hats and roar at people on the street (Celts). It was a great and fun way to see Dublin.

Vikings! Tom's dad, Terry, in the purple

We then went exploring Dublin on foot and Tom's sister, Aisling, took us in the footsteps she had to get her engagement ring, was very cute. Another place we got to was Trinity College and I was very excited when I saw another Pomodoro sphere similar to the one I'd seen in the Vatican City (the Pope's was a lot bigger). I only knew it could be spun because of my guide doing it in Rome so that was my party trick for the Cusack's and I think they enjoyed it. Terry even had a go at spinning it. I never thought I'd see another one of these but now am on the hunt for others around the world and am pretty determined to see more of them :)

Another sphere shot

Having fun!

Inside the grounds of Trinity College

To show that the Pope has the best of everything, look at the size of that sphere!

It was Tom's last night with his family so I was prepared to leave them but they would have nothing of that and treated me to a lovely dinner and like I mentioned earlier it was so nice to spend time with a family. We had a lot of laughs and I just loved listening to them talk. It was a lovely night and I may just take them up on their offer and go stay with them in Limerick sometime :)

My Irish family :)

So that brings my Easter break to an end. What a fantastic time I have had, so many fantastic cities, sights and people. It has been so good catching up with old friends and making new ones. I went to a friend's birthday last night and there is talk of the three of us girls jetting up to Scotland for a long weekend in May so that may be my next stop. I'll get my kilt out and start practising my highland fling for then so I can make my Nana Jean proud.

Hope everyone had a fantastic Easter!

Sending lots of love to you all!

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