We got to Dublin late (of course, thanks ryanair) and successfully navigated our way to Four Courts Hostel. The hostel was easily identified because it was right across the Liffey from Four Courts (duh.) The huge monument would be essential in finding the hostel post-pubs.
After we threw our stuff down in the hostel, we headed out. First, food. Although we originally were looking for some traditional irish grub, a group of us ended up at Eddie Rocket’s, the irish cousin of america’s famous Johnny Rocket’s. The cheap, diner food we’ve all been missing was just too tempting. I had nachos, and DIET coke (not Cola Light), and we had to TIP!! (WHAAT?!) Oh, and did I mention everyone spoke English? Lovin’ Ireland already.
Satisfied with our food, we went out in search of what else? Pubs! We went to The Porterhouse, one of the more famous Pubs that we’d all read about in “The Bible” (aka Let’s Go Europe 2009…thanks ash!) It was probably the coolest bar I’ve ever been inside. Three stories of home brewed beer, an old guy singing 90s covers (essential for any good bar), and cheerful people. Had a porterhouse red, (very thick/heavy, but delicious), met some cute irish boys, and after one beer we were finally convinced of how tired we were. With plans to get up early and explore, we headed back to the hostel.
The next morning, we got up and headed out. We wandered through trinity college (very pretty), and as we were leaving, we saw it… something I didn’t think I’d actually miss, but something I’ve been craving for far too long. It was like a light came shining down from the heavens on…STARBUCKS. Oh man, that was best Venti Caramel Macchiato I’ve ever had. There are NO starbucks in Belgium. There are barely any coffee places. And if you do find coffee, it’s about the size of an espresso shot and approximately 5euros. MMM, it was so good, and warm- just what I needed.
We went to Dublin Castle (extremely disappointing), Christ Church (one of the better churches I’ve toured so far), and of course, St. Patrick’s Cathedral. We also stopped at Leo Burdock’s: Dublin’s Oldest Chipper, for some Fish N Chips. I barely ate half of what they gave us, but it was a perfect way to warm up!
Up next was the Guinness Storehouse, which I was really only interested in for the Gravity Bar and the view from the top, but it turned out to be the best brewery I’ve been to (Brewery Count: 3). I loved seeing all the famous advertising. The view from the top was pretty amazing, and I don’t think it was a waste of time or money, but I doubt I’d ever do it again.
We headed back to the hostel to start pregaming for the Ireland v. Italy world cup qualifying game. A couple people walked to the stadium to see if it was possible to get tickets, but the cheapest ones were 100euro. After everyone had their fair share of Irish Car Bombs (obviously), we went to a pub to watch the game. Will and Annie had gone to a quieter pub earlier in the day that was outside of temple bar, and that’s where we headed. Since we got there early, we had an entire corner booth to ourselves with a great view of a TV. Everyone decked out in green for Ireland, and we got student discounts on “Smiddick’s” (Smithwick’s) and Carlsberg’s. The game was really exciting! It was great seeing how into all the irish people were. We were singing and cheers-ing right along with everybody when Ireland scored. In the 87th minute, Ireland scored for 2-1, and in the 89th minute, Italy tied the game.
We left the bar and Eric and I escorted a few people back to the hostel, and along the way I complimented an Irishman on his Flag/Cape, and he gave it to me, hah! Then we tried to meet up with everyone else, but by this point, we were all over the place, and people headed their own ways. Will and I did some random wandering before we headed back to the hostel. I had to be up at 6am to leave for the early flight back (love ya, ryanair).
Ireland was a lot of fun, but I definitely want to go back and have a chance to get out of the city. I wish I could have stayed longer, but the early flight back was so much cheaper, that it didn’t make sense to stay. Oh well, something else to add to my bucket list!
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