It's been a bit of a hectic week, but I've finally found time to put up the Ireland portion of my spring break. Kari, Mitch, and I spent roughly two days in Ireland (half of Tuesday, all day Wednesday, half of Thursday). I had been there once before, but it was Kari and Mitch's first time. Luckily, they were interested in seeing a lot of the sites I missed out on last time I was in Ireland, so it was a great trip for all three of us.
We got to Ireland, and all Mitch wanted was a Dr. Pepper. Loser.
Kari and I at the Jameson Distillery
In front of the fake fire; Jameson Distillery
Cheese and meat platter at The Porterhouse in Dublin. The brown cheese is made with beer, and the pink cheese is made with wine. Yum!
Our first night in Dublin, we went to visit the Jameson Distillery where they make Jameson whisky. It happens to be my favorite whisky (sorry, Jack Daniels. I still love you, too), and I was really excited to see the distillery. After a really interesting tour in which we learned all about how whisky is made, I volunteered to be a part of a whisky tasting test. I tested Jack Daniels, Jameson, and Johnnie Walker. It was really fun, and I was able to actually appreciate the different tastes compared to one another. For the record, scotch is gross. As the taster next to me said, "It's like biting into a cigar. Yuck." After the distillery, we went into the Temple Bar district to visit The Porterhouse, an Irish pub that had been featured on a food network show that Kari loves. The food was incredible, and it was definitely worth the visit just for the food. More important, however, was the fact that The Porterhouse brews their own beers, and for 7 euro ($12), you can sample three of their beers. They have three different stouts, three lagers, and three ales. I tried one beer from each category, and they were all really good. After dinner, I crawled back to the hostel to get some sleep.
Flat Amanda at Malahide Castle in Malahide, Ireland
Kari and I near the ruins of a church; Malahide
Kari and Mitch looking adorable by the coast; Malahide
During our full day in Ireland, we took the DART (a kind of train) to the nearby town of Malahide to explore the castle and the coast. The castle was absolutely gorgeous. It was originally built in the 1200's, and there was at least one member of the original family living there consistently till the 1970's when they made the castle into a museum. It was a really well preserved place, and it was fascinating to see all of the furniture that the museum has collected to create an accurate historical portrayal of various rooms. After visiting the castle, we ate lunch at an Irish pub and then strolled along the sea. After our stroll, we headed back to Dublin to visit the Guinness Storehouse. Although it is no longer used as a brewery, the Guinness Storehouse lets you tour the original site of their brewery and learn all about the beer brewing process. You also get a free beer. Rock on.
On our way to the Guinness Storehouse; Dublin
It's hard to see, but there is a shamrock poured into the head of my beer; Guinness Storehouse
St. Patrick's Cathedral
"Bear ye one another's burdens"; St. Patrick's Cathedral
Stained glass depicting scenes from the life of St. Patrick; St. Patrick's Cathedral
On our last morning in Ireland, we headed to St. Patrick's Cathedral. It was an incredible structure. The "new" part of the cathedral was built in 1270, and the older parts date back another 100 years or more. It was built next to a well, which the builders believed to be the well St. Patrick used for baptisms. Having taken a class on St. Patrick at college, I was fascinated by the gravestones on display inside that are believed to trace back as far as St. Patrick. After ogling the incredible history, we headed back to the airport to catch our flight back to London. Next up, Spain!
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