Sláinte...

I guess it's time to update the "30 things" list again as I'm delighted to add Ireland the list of countries I've visited.

We arrived in Dublin on Tuesday afternoon following a journey which, other than a 50 minute delay on the first leg of the jouney by train, went exactly as scheduled. I'm still not entirely sure how Ryanair managed to fly us there for the incredible fare of 1p each, but as long as they keep offering those sort of deals, I am quite happy to keep returning to Dublin.

The Parliament Hotel was ideally situated for our needs and although it didn't offer the most extravagant accomodation I've stayed in, it was very comfortable and extremely reasonably priced. Having dropped off our bags in the room, we set out on a quest for our first pint of Guinness in Ireland, which unsurprisingly, didn't take long. The result? We couldn't tell any difference from the Guinness back in the Tap! Hmmm...

Undeterred we moved on to The Temple Bar where the Guinness did taste noticeably better. Phew, there is some truth in the myth after all, although it's not as incredibly different as some would have you believe. We decided that maybe it's more to do with drinking Guinness in Dublin itself and soaking up the atmosphere aswell as the beer. However, this place also boasts a selection of 180 varieties of whisk(e)y so it would have been rude not to sample a few! All of this accompanied by live traditional live music which afforded the opportunity for many a sing-along. The Temple Bar will definitely go down as one of my favourite pubs of all time and I have every intention of returning.

I'll not give a blow by blow account of the entire trip, but following a Full Irish Breakfast, we managed to cram in plenty of "must see" attractions on Wednesday:
~ Oscar Wilde's house (albeit only from the outside)
~ The Book of Kells on display at Trinity College
~ The Molly Malone Statue
~ Grafton Street Shopping Centre
~ Christchurch Cathedral
~ The Guinness Storehouse
~ The Old Jamesons Distillery

We rounded off the day with a lovely meal at Gallaghers Boxty House where the Atlantic Seafood Chowder starter afforded the opportunity to eat some cockles and mussels (amongst others) which was another Dublin "must" crossed off the list. A quick drink in the Dawson Lounge (Dublin's smallest pub) and then back to the Temple Bar to finish.

Overall, an outstanding trip that was over all too soon, but was all the more enjoyable as I was in great company - thanks again Em!

I thoroughly recommend that everyone should visit Dublin; there's plenty of links here to get you started so go and discover the place for yourself...