DUBLIN

The land of green and Guinness. Ireland is amazing! The people are loud, witty and sarcastic which always made for great entertainment. Everything is green (my favorite color!) and drinking is their favorite pastime. Needless to say, we had a blast!

The land of green and Guinness. Ireland is amazing! The people are loud, witty and sarcastic which always made for great entertainment. Everything is green (my favorite color!) and drinking is their favorite pastime. Needless to say, we had a blast!

We stayed in a hostel room with two other people, Carl and Tammy. Carl is from Hamburg, Germany and was there to celebrate with some newlywed friends. Tammy is from Sao Paulo, Brazil and was there for a few days en route to her yearlong stay in Waterford (southern Ireland). We had a great time drinking, listening to live music, and watching the World Cup matches with these two!

Though we slept in Dublin for the three days of our Irish adventure, Cameron and I only really spent one night and one day in the actual city. We spent our first night in search of a great pub for a traditional Irish feast and our first pint of REAL Guinness. After a few pints, we stumbled with our new friend, Carl, to find some live music and dancing. This of course led us to Temple Bar. To the Irish, Temple Bar is a well-known tourist trap; to the slightly buzzed American, it is a lively spot filled with music, dancing and fun bars!

The following day, we spent our time doing a walking tour of Dublin to see the sights and learn a bit of history. This was a perfect way to see a good majority of the city!

Throughout our travels, we met a few Irish folks who told us many wonderful things about the countryside. So, on our second day, we took their advice and hopped on the train headed south a few stops to explore the small coastal town of Wicklow. Our third day in Ireland, we rented a car and drove west to Galway and the Cliffs of Moher. Stay tuned to hear more about Wicklow and our journey west. Adventures on the “wrong” side of the road were quite the experience!

 

HELPFUL HINTS FOR PLANNING YOUR VISIT!

• BEST TIP– Take the FREE walking tour. We have had great luck with the SANDEMANs Touring Group. (http://www.neweuropetours.eu) The tour guides are very knowledgeable in both the history of the city as well as fun facts that only a true local could know. The way the tour works is you meet a guide at a centralized location and walk through the city as a group, learning history and facts about the people, culture, and sites. They begin every few hours and last about 2 hours. It is suggested that you tip your tour guide at the end of your experience. This system leaves it in your hands to decide what the tour was worth to you!
  • Visit http://www.newdublintours.com for more information on Dublin tours
• CURRENCY– Dublin uses the Euro (EU or €). Aside from the conversion rate, cost of living is pretty comparable to that of Colorado in the US.
• DRESS– In the city center, there was no fashion trend or style that specially defined Dublin. The average person was dressed pretty casual, most commonly in jeans and a top for both men and women.
• SOCIAL NORMS– The Irish are very friendly, chatty people. Given the opportunity, they love to make conversation and meet new people. This is especially true when sitting at a pub. Ordering food in a pub however, threw us for a loop the first time. They do not wait on the tables. You simply go to the bar to order your items then they will deliver them to you. It is not customary to leave a tip at the bar but if food/drink was brought out to your seat, you could leave a small amount.
• NATIVE DISH– Corned Beef and Cabbage – This meal was exactly as you are picturing…salty and delicious! I am slightly obsessed with corned beef so this was an easy native dish to enjoy. I typically prefer mine with scrambled eggs and potatoes however; the meat still melted in your mouth and hit the spot!
• UNDERGROUND MUST SEE – Cameron and I weren’t in the city center for too long so we didn’t get to experience any local, off the beaten path spots. I would however suggest, just as others did, to get out and experience the countryside. I have never seen so many shades of green or so many incredibly picturesque rolling hills!
• TOURIST TRAP– Temple Bar – This area is an old-school atmosphere located on the south bank of River Liffey. It is considered a “tourist trap” because of it’s sky high prices for food, drink, souvenirs, etc. I do however suggest stopping off here for great live music and a drink as it has a very lively nightlife! Just be aware of the prices of drinks. We were warned that as the evening goes on, they will start to charge a Euro or two more per drink to see if you’re paying attention. A good rule of thumb: 4€ or 5€ is about average for a beer, if they’re asking 6€ or 7€…move to the next bar!