DUBLIN~

The largest enclosed park in the world- it even houses the U.S. ambassador, and practice fields for rugby and soccer

Yes, here is the second post of the day! I just returned late Sunday night from a whirlwind trip to Dublin with some friends, and it was unforgettable! I can honestly say Ireland has been my favorite place (besides Granada of course) that I have seen in Europe. The people are so friendly, the city just has a fun feeling to it, the shopping is great and cheap, and the pubs are awesome!

We arrived Friday night and took a bus tour of the city to orient ourselves. Then we went to Penney's, the most amazing store ever. Irish friends we made in Rome told us about Penney's, where I bought a dress for 6 euro and a huge purse for 9 euro. After our shopping extravaganza, it was off to our makeshift pub crawl!
We ended Friday night at one of the pubs suggested by Sarah's travel book, which was a fabulous idea- there was an awesome singer, more like a one-man band, that played some classic Irish songs (we learned to sing along with the locals!) and then lots of popular songs and classic rock that the whole pub could sing along with. I met two people who are from southeast Michigan and just moved to Dublin too, which was crazy!

The original Temple Bar, now the whole neighborhood is just called "Temple Bar"

We started Saturday with a tour of the Guinness Storehouse. We got to walk around and see the essential ingredients of Guinness (water, barley, hops and yeast) and learn about how they make it so delicious.

This is the 9,000-year lease that Arthur Guinness signed for the building, so there's lots of time left for everyone to get to Dublin before it's up!

We were told that you get a free pint of Guinness after the tour, so I was a little disappointed when we went in a room and were given a half-pint of Guinness (I wanted my euros worth!). We tasted it and got to read posters on the wall about how to properly pour a pint (it takes 119.5 seconds because you have to let it rest after pouring it 3/4 of the way, then finish it), and how you taste it in your mouth:

This was actually really true! Buy a pint and try it yourself!

But lo and behold, once we finished tasting our half-pint and returned our glasses, the ladies told us that would get our full pint once we arrived at the Gravity Bar at the end of the tour :)

It was HONESTLY delicious, and I have tried Guinness in the States before and not liked it.. it really IS better in Ireland! (P.S. I did not drink all of these! Sarah's is on the left, mine's in the middle and Carol's is on the right)

After the Guinness tour, we went to the Old Jameson Distillery for that tour (we called Saturday our Alcohol Day, for obvious reasons). We learned about the process of making Jameson, all eight steps, and then got to try our complimentary cocktail. We watched a short video of people enjoying Jameson all over the world with different types of mixers, and then got to choose which mixer we would like in our drink- Sarah, Carol and I all chose cranberry. Carol and I also got chosen to take part in a special whiskey tasting. We were given a shot of Johnnie Walker Black Label (from Scotland), Jameson, and Jack Daniel's as three of the most popular whiskeys. Then we sipped and smelled each one as they told us about what makes them all different. Carol and I agreed that Jameson was the best! Then we got a diploma!

We spent the rest of Saturday eating a totally American lunch (cheddar cheese!!!!), making our own dinner at our hostel, and exploring! Then Sarah and I went out for one last (5 euro!) pint of Guinness, as the weekend was almost over...

Saturday Sarah and I did some last sightseeing before we left for our flight home. We saw St. Patrick's Cathedral and the Park, the outside of Dublin Castle, and some of Trinity College.

St. Patrick's Cathedral and Park! The inside was pretty, but I thought the outside was even more impressive. This may be because I've now been spoiled with the Cathedrals in Toledo, the Vatican and Sevilla though!

The Dublin Castle :)

Before we left for the airport, Sarah and I had to get a traditional Irish breakfast to end the trip (below)! See the baked beans, tons and tons of sausages, tomato, fried egg, etc

I LOVE DUBLIN!!!!!! I want to return sooo bad, and to explore more of Ireland. Who's down?