Dublin, Ireland!

   On February 7th, Emily and I headed off to Dublin, Ireland. This was the first trip that we went on by ourselves and probably one of the best trips we have taken so far. We flew over and landed around 5pm. We took the bus to the center of Dublin where we met up with my cousin Jennifer. Jennifer has lived in Ireland for almost 5 years now so it was awesome to have someone who knows the area. Aside from having a personal tour guide, I was so happy to have a comfy home to stay in and see some family! That night Jen and her fiance Rob took Emily and I out to dinner with their friends. We had an amazing dinner. Emily and I both ordered pork belly that was served with beans and cabbage. We shared great conversation at the restaurant with our party. It was nice to reminisce on memories of great grandma Ida and our family with Jen. Jen and her friends are all in their late twenties and early thirties so Emily and I tried to look and act a little older which didn't last long when we went to the bar next door after dinner and tried to order drinks. We weren't really sure what to get so Rob helped us out. Two tall pints of beer it was! Our first night in Dublin was so much fun. We really felt welcomed by not only Jen and Rob but the people of Ireland. From the moment we got off the plane people were 100 times more friendly than the Parisians.

Pork Belly, Beans and Cabbage

St Patrick's Cathedral

Complimentary Pint of Guinness

 Our next day in Dublin was a touristy day. Emily and I went off on our own for the day and hopped on a tour bus of the city. We made visits to St. Patrick's Cathedral, The Guinness Factory, and just sat on the bus and enjoyed the sights of Dublin. We walked around a shopping district similar to Santana Row in San Jose but they had street performers and tons of people walking around. That night we took it easy and stayed in for a girls movie night since Rob was gone. On Saturday Jen took Emily and I around the city. We went to a little cake and tea place for brunch. I ordered an open faced sandwich that consisted of bacon, fried banana and lettuce on freshly homemade bread. It was literally the best thing ever! After brunch we made our way to the Jameson Distillery. It isn't an active distillery anymore but they still offer tours and complimentary drinks after :) Emily even volunteered to be a whiskey taste tester where she had to sample 3 different kinds of whiskey and compare them to Jameson. After that Jen took us to the oldest pub in Ireland, The Brazen Head. Its almost 1000 years old! I ordered an Irish coffee that was delicious. We ended up running into a few other St Johns students that traveled to Dublin that weekend too! That day there was a rugby game on so all the men were watching the game in the pub and chanting team songs. It was a very authentic Irish experience. For dinner Jen made us tacos...something I had been craving since being in Europe.it being our last night in Ireland, we went out for drinks. Jen took us to a bar up the street that her and her girlfriends had been to before. 

Fried Banana, Bacon, Lettuce on Homemade Toast

  It was pretty apparent to me just after just a few days spent in Ireland that people love to drink there. Everything is centered around food and drink! My weekend in Ireland was nothing short of a good time. I was so thankful to see family and spend such a relaxing weekend in a very beautiful country. The weather was so nice compared to the usual rain Ireland experience this time of the year. Grey skies with an occasional ray of sun coming through, we couldn't have gotten any luckier. If I could I would definitely make another trip out to Dublin. Jen offered an open invitation to me and Emily which we might take her up on sometime. Cheers!

Jameson Distillery

Traditional Irish breakfast made by Rob