Ireland Day 10: Dublin

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Today is our last full day in Ireland 
We grabbed breakfast in the hotel restaurant which is decorated in very contemporary furnishings and stark whites everywhere… “urban chic.” The Dylan is very trendy, with leather-clad surfaces throughout the elevators and bright red carpeting in the common areas on our floor. When we checked-in yesterday, the “receptionista” simply joined us on a couch in the lobby with her laptop—after all, a counter is so 2000…

Today we met up with Patty at her dorm and toured a few of Dublin’s more famous sites under rainy skies. First, we headed to Dublin Castle where we visited the Beatty Library which owns a very large collection of ancient religious texts from all the major faiths. Dublin Castle is a bit of a misnomer, as a castle does not in fact stand on the site anymore. It is a sprawling complex that served as the seat of British rule until 1922, the year of Irish independence, and is now used by the Irish government to host foreign heads of state and house various government offices.

Next…we visited the Guinness Storehouse. Axel was a little leery to see the brewery as it is a bit of a tourist trap that virtually every American tourist to Dublin feels the need to visit. Not surprisingly, the Guinness Storehouse is run with the precision of a Disney themepark ride complete with the dolled-up waiting area where Americans wait in endless lines entertained by interesting beer artifacts and video vignettes about beer production. It turns out, the Guinness Storehouse was actually pretty interesting. And…we all got a free pi…sample of Guinness at the end!! Seriously, if you want to smell and handle some real roasted hops, or see what hops plants look like, this is a tour you want to take. Do you know where the largest Guinness Brewery in the world is? Is it in Ireland? Germany? Iowa? None of the above. It is in Nigeria!!

To cap off our last evening in Ireland, Axel had made reservations at a special restaurant. Ireland’s highest rated restaurant is Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud, a Michelin two-star located adjacent to the charming 5-star Merrion Hotel. We got dressed up, hopped in a taxi for the short ride over and prepared for an evening of culinary extravagance and perfect service. Laurie is still raving about her root-vegetable soup. It was a fitting end to our unforgettable tour of Ireland.

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Photos

Waiting in line...
and learning stuff.

Molly Malone
aka Tart with a Cart.

Dublin Castle
It was underwhelming.

Night on the town...
Last night in Ireland.