Guinness, Jameson and Giants Causeway…Welcome to IRELAND!

On a mid September afternoon we flew from Stuttgart Germany to Dublin, Ireland!

We purchased our flights in advance and they cost us $200 total for the both my husband and myself. We purchased the flights using Kiwi.com.

We arrived in Dublin around 7pm, where we then headed to our hostel, Barnacles. A great location which was the reason for us choosing this place other than the price being so low… but I have to admit, this being my first time staying in a hostel, it’ll be my last. Anyways the cost for the amazing location, which was literally right in the middle of it all -right by the temple bar, tons of restaurants and pubs on pubs- was 35€ per bed each night and came with free breakfast…but we had chosen to pass on that since it is of course vacation!

We were starving by the time we finished checking in, so we just walked to a nearby street that was buzzing with people and pubs. We found a hole in the wall restaurant that was called the Klaw. People….it was to die for! Definitely check it out if you are planning a trip to Dublin… we had some lobster rolls as well as some Mac and cheese! But there was a lot more options to choose from and the seafood was freshhh 🙂

Day 1- We wanted to get out of the city first and experience everything that the country side of Ireland and Northern Ireland have to offer.

Saturday morning- we woke up early to meet our tour group that was taking us from Dublin to Belfast and to the Giants Causeway, with another quick stop to the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge. We spent 60€ for each ticket. But the ticket included the travel to Belfast, where you then got a taxi ride tour from a local through Belfast, Giants Causeway – absolutely amazing and a MUST SEE, rope bridge – which was my favorite part, simply because of the views. It was an all day tour and most definitely worth it! We used Wild Rover Tours -we booked the tour through Trip Advisor – Giants Causeway Tour & Northern Ireland.

The tour started as soon as we arrived in Belfast, Northern Ireland.  We were separated into groups and had an option to either go to the titanic museum or get the taxi tour -we chose the taxi tour because we wanted to know the history of Belfast. We were then all sent with a different taxi driver to drive us around and give us the Belfast tour.  Currently the history of Belfast is still struggling to find peace. They still have a wall that is up dividing the city that will close at certain times at night.  We were allowed to sign our names to the wall and take a quick pic.

Once we were finished in Belfast, we headed to the Giants Causeway, which is a world UNESCO heritage sight, and is made up of interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcanic fissure eruption. Extremely amazing sight to see and was a great way to get down to the ocean and see its beauty up close and personal.

The final stop, Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge, was definitely my favorite. It had unmatched beauty with the cliffs located all around and the sound of the ocean when the tide went in and out against the rocks.  The ocean left me wanting more, and I will definitely be coming back for more in Northern Ireland.

Saturday evening we arrived back in Dublin around 8pm… again, starved! Looking for a great place for yummy food… we were told of several spots I check out by the tour guide which included Murray’s bar. The bar had live music and looked appetizing, so we gave it a try. Upstairs was packed with people but we found a table downstairs that was way less crowded. We grabbed a couple of pints and ordered a bowl of seafood chowder each…DELICIOUS 🙂

Other places that were suggested for either tradition Irish food or a place loved by some locals and also places I researched but didn’t have enough time to make a visit… yet 😉

Day 2 – another full day – jam packed with history, delicious food and drinks!

Sunday morning we woke up and headed straight for a donut!… The Rolling Donut shop was the perfect place to start our day… with a rolling start ;). We got the deal which was one donut plus a coffee for 5€. One of the best donuts I have had in a very long time, it’s a must try if you have a chance!

Then we walked to Trinity college for the Book of Kells tour, which is located in the heart of Dublin. While walking though the cobbled stones at the college it brought you to the 18th century, when the college was built and the old library was constructed. In the old library is the Book of Kells. The book of Kells is one of the worlds oldest and famous books completed in 800 AD.

…BUT the real star of the show, in my opinion was the long library. IF you get an early ticket and skip the book of Kells, only at first and then go straight to the library (which is past the book and up a stair case to the left) where there will be no one in your way (for great pics). Then you can circle back around and check out the rest of the exhibit. It cost us 13€ for each ticket into the library to visit the book of Kells and library exhibit.

Then.. it was time, to go to the Guinness factory and the Jameson distillery… of course you have to hit these because they are such a well known part of the Dublin history.

The Guinness Storehouse is a huge building that is packed with not only pints of beer but also information on how Guinness is created and the history of Guinness.  We have to point out our favorite floors… which were the tasting  room where we learned the full flavors of the beer, learning to pour the perfect pint of Guinness -mine was the best ;), and also the dining floor that had 3 different restaurants to choose.  We chose to eat at the 1837 bar & brasserie restaurant where you could find anything from wings, cheese fries, burgers and even crab cakes! I chose the crab cakes (super delish) and hubs had the burger with Guinness cheese topped fries :).  THEN of course the very top floor that gives you a 360 degree view of Dublin.  It is definitely a “theme park” for adults and we goofed around in the Storehouse for a while just enjoying all the pints and some delicious food to pair with the dark stuff 😉 Tickets for the Guiness storehouse can be purchased through their website and the prices do fluctuate, but we bought a skip the line ticket through trip advisor for 20$ each.

Jameson Distillery tour was pretty awesome, even though I’m not into the stuff I really enjoyed myself! My husband of course was in his element. The tour consisted a brief history of the Jameson family and how they created the factory.  The hard times they went through and then how they got to where they are today.  We also learned about the triple distillation process and what type of barrels they use and how long it stays before they are touched.  Then we got to go to the tasting room, where we compared Jameson to some other competitors.  At the end, we got a free drink!  Then we hung out around the bar and tried a few cocktails with Jameson mixed into each.

The cost of this tour was 24$ each and came with the tastings and free drink, again purchased with Trip Advisor.

Time to explore the rest of Dublin, one of our favorite things to do everywhere, when we travel is to get lost the streets!!  This is where you find the heart of a city, where the locals go or interesting things you can’t find any other way!

Next on our list was… Celtic Nights!! We booked a traditional Celtic dance and dinner show, which I was extremely exited about! I have always wanted to see a live performance. It was a very good show where you could partake in singing Irish songs and experience the Irish dance. Took about two hours and the cost for the dinner and show was 40€. The food was also very good, we got to choose from a couple first courses as well as a main course. You could also order drinks throughout the entire show 😉 Located at the Arlington hotel right by the O’Connell Bridge and Liffey River.

Monday morning rolled around and it was time to pack up our things and grab one last meal before we headed out… sad day, yes. We ended up going to the Goose on the Loose. It definitely hit the spot with some tasty coffee and American pancakes and eggs.

Then we explored around and stopped into a couple of cafes for … more coffees and a few drinks before it was time to load up on the bus and head home.

We were sad when thinking that our trip was so quick and now over. Dublin was definitely worth the trip (one of my favorites) and we can’t wait to hopefully some day come back to this beautiful city and country side where everything really is as green and they say it is and where the butter really is as yellow and good as they say it is!

Quick travel tip**

Bus pass from Dublin airport to your destination – when you walk out of the terminal make sure to find the bus information stand where you can purchase a bus transfer to and from the airport.