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Published: April 29th 2011
Eight quick days after my arrival to the U.K. I found myself sitting in the Dublin airport, anxiously waiting for Nick's flight from Chicago to land. This was the only thing that I was really nervous about, as we had no means of contacting each other if something were to go wrong. Unbenounced to me, his Aer Lingus flight was delayed an hour and a half in Chicago! My nerves almost got the best of me when the flight landed, and I saw an obvious group of Americans exiting the terminal. In a bright red coat, just behind two guys wearing Chicago Cubs baseball caps and a man in a Packer's sweatshirt, walked Nick.
It was only 9:30 in the morning, so we decided to stay as busy as possible to keep Nick from falling asleep until dark, therefore hopefully avoiding days of jetlag. First stop was the infamous Guiness Storehouse. Here, we took a tour of the original Guiness brewery and got to learn all about the magical porter/stout. The tour took us up to the very top level of the storehouse, now known as the Gravity Bar, where we enjoyed a complimentary beverage along with astonishing views of
the city from enormous glass windows.
From the Guiness Storehouse, we took a stroll through Temple Bar, the "Old Town" of Dublin that runs parallel to the River Liffey. I was surprised to see very few shops, while Nick's first comment was, "Look at all of the places to eat!" Real shocker eh? 😉 The area was bustling with tourists, young people, and there was a pub on every corner. It was obvious why Temple Bar is the most popular place in Dublin for nightlife.
Nick was beginning to look a little like a walking zombie at this point, so we agreed to stop and eat, then work in a quick nap. We slowly meandered over to Trinity College, and found a promising place called O'Neill's. This pub rocks! It is the epitome of an Irish pub, complete with live music, delicious fish and chips, and a wide range of Irish beers. From the street it looked like a small cafe, but inside was actually a rustic labrinth of rooms filled with wooden benches, tables, and bars. My favorite part was the women's bathroom that was lit by black light. We ate until we were satified, then dragged
our feet back to the hotel for a short (turned out to be very long) nap.
I watched the Barcelona v. Real Madrid game on TV until Nick finally woke up at 10:00 p.m. Together we walked down the street to Whelan's for a night cap, then retired for the night around 1 a.m.
The next morning we checked out of our hotel and made our way to the Heuston train station. There, we bought a train ticket to Galway. It's my favorite city so far! I posted a couple pictures from Dublin and Galway for you to enjoy.
Until next time I have internet access...!
Laura
P.S. Nick is falling in love with Guiness.
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Bonnie Walker
non-member comment
Love it!
Nick and Laura, so glad you guys are having a great time! What an adventure! Enjoy your vacation and love the updates :) See you when you get back.