Hi All!
Zaq and I made it safely to Dublin late last night, or rather very early this morning. It was a packed flight and several people were coughing – yikes! We’re crossing our fingers we don’t get sick on this last leg of our trip. We’ll definitely be dosing some immunity boosters ASAP!
We took a taxi from the airport to the same hostel we stayed in last September, it’s right in Temple Bar and very convenient for walking about the city, plus the staff is super friendly.
Getting settled on our bunks we happily passed out and did not set the alarm.
We woke ready to explore! We really wanted to do this Craft Beer pub crawl last time we were here, but missed the opportunity, so we’re on the hunt to see if this particular tour is still happening tonight!
But first, we need some Irish Breakfast and much needed caffeine. We wanted to try a new place that had good reviews close to our Hostel, The Stage Door Cafe. Along the walk there we couldn’t help but snap pictures of interesting streets and alley ways.
Once we got to our breakfast destination, we were not disappointed.
Afterwards we headed out to catch the bus toward the Abandoned Prison of Kilmainham Gaol, a devastating time in Irish history. The prison was built in 1796 with tiny unheated and unlit cells. The busiest years of the prison were from 1845-1850 due to famine. The famine generated lots of sick homeless citizens and the solution was to imprison them for nearly anything. As a result the prison became very overcrowded. In the 20th century the prison was used almost exclusively for political prisoners fighting for Irish independence.
(Looking through the peep hole of Grace Gifford’s cell)
walking through the cells and grounds were quite the historic experience.
(Yard where all political executions were carried out)
Afterward we walked over to the Guinness Storehouse and did the full tour, from learning how Guinness is crafted to the history of the Brewers. Did you know Nitrogen wasn’t actually introduced into Guinness until 1951, which contributed to changing the beer industry and its craft. We got to pour our own pints and enjoy them with a view from the Gravity Bar, which is a 360 degrees glass room that sits above the Guinness Storehouse, giving you panoramic views of Dublin.
(Train used inside the Guinness Brewery up until 1976 in order to move ingredients)
(Zaq learning the proper way to pour a Guinness so it settles correctly)
(The various stages of Guinness settling)
Feeling a little peckish, we headed back toward our Hostel, where we saw a place we wanted to try called, The Pieman Cafe.
It was delicious savory and sweet pies, very filling and affordable. We got the Chicken Leek Cheese pie with mashed potatoes and peas.
Then of course some Banaoffe pie.
We went to our room to get cleaned up before heading out to go on the hunt for a walking tour we wished we could have done last September when we were in Ireland, the Pub Culture walking tour, that features quite a bit of craft local beer and local pubs that are not the Temple Bar tourist variety. We highly recommend this tour to any coming to Dublin, you meet at 6pm at the Spire if you’d like to go!
(Our walking tour group heading to our last pub)
It’s a very social tour and we had a great time getting to know all the other travelers. Our group had people from Holland, Germany, Russia, and various locations of the US, by the end of the tour we had made friends and even exchanged info with a few in hopes our paths cross again!
Afterward, we were beat and decided to turn in; tomorrow we explore the Cliffs of Moher.
Until tomorrow!
~A&Z
A & Z 