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World Trip 2011

Dublin, Ireland

IRELAND | Saturday, 8 October 2011 | Views [577]

So, we arrived in Dublin bus station, Busaras, in the late afternoon with our 2 backpacks and a surfboard bag each.  We knew the distance to the hostel as 2.4km, so we set out packed up like stupid backpackers with too much stuff.  We stopped for rest breaks several times...sweating like crazy in the afternoon sun.  After what felt like a long journey we found ourselves at the Generator hostel which would be our home for a few days.  We were very happy to find that the hostel was so nice and new, including things like motion detector lights, fluorescent bulbs, and other eco-friendly reminders.  We enjoyed an evening stroll over the river Liffey up through the medieval area, past Christ church cathedral, past Dublin castle along to Temple Bar.  We found ourselves at the Temple bar where we enjoyed a pint and some tasty pub grub.  It was a good way to start our Dublin stay.  That night we had a rude awakening with our friendly roommate arriving back to the room late and proceeding to snore like a chainsaw for the rest of the night.  Sigh.  What a disappointment.  Fortunately, pleading our case the next day to hostel staff proved beneficial.  We changed rooms.  With our new Chilean roommates we thought, problem solved.  We headed out for the day to explore the many historical sites within walking distance and found the National Library, the National Museum, St. Stephens’ Green, Trinity College, and St. Patrick’s cathedral.  Ireland has such a complicated history from the Gaelic to the Vikings to the English, there is no shortage of violence, famine, and plague. The Irish have not only survived, but are a proud and wonderful people.  We had a quiet evening and found ourselves in bed at a reasonable time that night.  Funny thing was that when our roommates returned much later than us that night and inevitably the snoring started again!  I guess it was lucky it was not the volume of what it had been the night before...don’t you just hate it when that happens? Ah, the joys of hostel life.

The next day we celebrated my 30th birthday.  Despite fear of entering the next decade, I survived and we spent the beautiful sunny day at the old Jameson distillery learning about the origins of whiskey before a nice wander through the Dublin streets.  We had pints of Guinness at the Brazen Head, which describes itself as the oldest pub in Ireland having had taverns on the location since the 12th century.  It seemed appropriate and we were both surprised at how good Guinness can taste in the right context.  We had dinner at a microbrewery in Temple Bar called the Porterhouse.  The beers and food were excellent.  We ended the night at a bar listening to old school hand clapping folk music.  It turned out to be a great day and great way to spend a birthday far away from family and friends.

 The next day we set out with all of our gear for England, destination Manchester.

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