Russell and I were happy to be seeing a new place, but even happier to be changing currency to be on the Euro instead of the mighty British Sterling. We were looking forward to a little break in the expense this trip is costing us so far. WRONG. Ireland might be on a currency with a better exchange rate, but the prices are some of the most expensive we've seen so far. In fact, we were told when we arrived that Ireland is the second most expensive country in Europe. hmm who knew? So! Dublin began with rain (of course) and a long search for our hostel with no map. We stopped in a pup for some bone warming Irish Stew (it would be nearly impossible to be a vegetarian in the country) asked directions from a scrawny looking guy with a backpack who kind of knew where we were going, then some nearby locals (drinking Guinness, of course) jumped in on the conversation and tried to give directions...we set off again nearly more confused than when we begin. The rain had stopped though, which made the night quite nice to walk in. Dublin is a very large city, and has lots of streets..many which we walked on. Anyway, after quite a long time (and directions from two police officers, a girl who didn't speak a lot of English, and a hotel desk worker) we stumbled (quite literally) into our hostel. We checked in and found out we were rooming with two Finnish girls who spoke better english than we (well, almost anyway). They were the perfect roommates. We walked out the door to the pub across the street to have a pint (and a half) of the best Guinness either of us has ever had. Here we found out that everyone in Ireland drinks Guinness, that they are very particular about how it is poured, and that football (english football and american) are girl sports and the only real 'man' sport is hurling (which we plan to watch on the telly on sunday). We had a short evening, full of conversation with three very Irish men (who all played hurling) and went to sleep for our first night in Ireland. So! We woke up the next morning, had free breakfast (score!) and were off to see the Guinness Storehouse. This is one of the few touristy things we felt that we should absolutely visit. If you've ever taken a fun visit to the Coke Factory in Atlanta (worth a visit if you find a free day in Atlanta, by the way), you know what this is like. Five floors devoted to the love of beer. We watched virtual beer being virtually made, tried to take artsy pictures (some of which we plan to post soon!), watched lots of Guinness ads from the last century, took quizes, became 'master apprentices', and learned how to pour the perfect pint (then drank it). We saw some beautiful views of Dublin in the 'gravity bar' in the head of the beer. Here is what I mean by that The entire Guinness Storehouse is built in the old storehouse of the Guinness Factory (storehouse means it was where they added the yeast...) but the center of it has been remodeled to be the largest pint glass in the world (no, really, the Guinness book of world records says so...but maybe they're biased) if filled, this pint glass would hold 14.3 millions pints of the black stuff. Anyway, the gravity bar was at the very top, where the head would be. 360 degree views of the city. We left the museum to the beer that is 250 years old this year and headed out in the city. We saw incredible churches, including one that had parts built in the 8th century. We stumbled upon a free tour of another, not quite as old...only 12th century.wow. Then we touched the 'lucky stone' (we'll let you know if that's a hoax or not)
The end of our first full day was a late afternoon snack, dinner of pasta and peppers at the hostel, some internet time looking at couch surfing and lots of enjoyable talking with our roomates. It was around 2am when I asked "what time do you have to get up?" and they said "oh, around 5:00". Russell and I finally went to bed so they could get at least 3 hours of sleep.
The second day in Dublin was quite nice (and not expensive) we spent the day doing things for free, more churches, nice walks, park..we saw the birthplaces of (and monuments to) Oscar Wilde and George Bernard Shaw and headed back to the hostel to pick up our bags and set off on our train to Galway. After a little misunderstanding about the train station we were to leave from, we found our seats, put on 'Wait, wait, Don't Tell Me' (podcasts are amazing) and hit the tracks.
So I'll leave it at that and let Russell fill you in about Galway so far later. I think that is plenty to digest today. But some things to think about...
Have any of you played hurling?
Did it feel manly?
What do you know about Couch Surfing?
Do you know how to pour the perfect pint of Guinness? (If not, we'll teach you! It really is an art)
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First I wanna say that I download the WWDTM podcast too!
ReplyDeleteSecondly, as far as prices go, something I've found (at least here in Germany) is that the prices generally *look* the same to those of us used to the US dollar. (Meals for 10-12 Euros, jeans for 25-30, etc.) It's only after you think about the conversion and realize how much you just spent that you feel a little bad about it. You just have to be careful, and smart.
PS. I don't know how you feel about whiskey, but the Jameson Distillery will let volunteers enter a free tasting after their tour. My husband has the certificate to prove it. :)