After 1 car ride, 2 international flights, a doubledecker bus ride, & a 2 city block hike we finally arrived in our hostel (the Four Courts) in Dublin, Ireland. Touch Down! It had taken us a total of 28 hours of travel time but we'd made it. Of course, after unloading, we were on the hunt for food and we happened to stumble across a marvelous pub called the Brazen Head.
Apparently, the Brazen Head is the oldest pub in Ireland (established in 1128). The building is comprised of old stonework with rooms that connect in and out like a maze. Being a pub, of course, the lighting is dim and the doorways are low (I actually feel average height, if not tall, when walking through them) which only adds to the mystic ambiance. As we feasted on a meal of Fish & Chips and, of course, a Guinness we listened to the insightful knowledge and stories from our bartender John, who happens to also be the owner. Chatting with John and the bars fellow patrons was easy, as they were filled with insight and stories galore.
The following day we toured the city of Dublin. Of course you can pay to have a guided tour or use the tourist bus system but being on a budget means doing things as cheaply as possible. We found the best way is to visit the local tourist office and determine which sites are the 'hot spots'. Upon that determination we found a free map of the area and provided ourselves our own walking tour. Of course our Lonely Planet guide is helpful. We visited the Famine Memorial, St. Patricks Cathedral, the Dublin Castle, Trinity College, and of course finished the day off with the Guinness Warehouse. All in all we felt 1 day was enough for Dublin and look forward to our next stop along our tour of Ireland.
