FUN-travel: Ireland – Dublin – 3 days
September 17, 2011 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Ireland – Dublin – 3 days
Day 1 – Tuesday, September 13 – arrive London 2 pm – depart 6 pm – arrive hotel 8:30 pm – windy, cold
- FUN food find! Hugo’s – smoked salmon salad, chips (fried potato wedges) & mussels – Dan our waiter suggests the Butcher Grill for our next meal
Day 2 – Wednesday, September 14 – Hop On Hop Off Bus Highlights – partly sunny, windy, high 50’s
- Guinness Storehouse – Ireland’s #1 tourist attraction – 250 year old brewery turned into 7 story interactive visitor experience – Gravity Bar, top floor w/360 panoramic views of city & includes a free pint of Guinness!
- Kilmainham Gaol – Dublin’s Jail opened 1796 – executions by hanging (quite the local entertainment) and firing squad prevalent – housed many political prisoners
- FUN food! Butcher Grill – rare ahi tostados w/avocado salsa, oysters, grilled yellow tail on horse radish mashed potatoes – when asked, Ivor our waiter suggests White Friar Grill for our next meal
FF = (FUN-facts) – in 1759 Arthur Guinness paid a 100 pound deposit for yearly lease of 45 pounds, for 9000 years
Day 3 – Thursday, September 15 – Hop On Hop Off Bus Highlights – partly sunny, warmer, 60’s
- Dublin Castle – built on spot of first Viking fortress – very well preserved 13th century city wall and moat visible from underground portion of tour
- Old Jameson Distillery – highlights – free Jameson drink! & Chris picked to be Official Whiskey Taster and earns highly coveted personalized certificate (it really is smoother than Jack Daniel’s & Johnny Walker Black
- FUN food! White Friar Grill – bone marrow and Ox tail w/green salsa, duck shepherd’s pie, side of greens (yummy beans & peas) – our waitress suggests Ochos Tapas – FUN ladies at next table suggest La Bodega for our next meal
FF – street addresses very confusing so directions given by the closest Pub (across the street from Smyth’s Pub)
Day 4 – Friday, September 16 – Walking Tour Highlights- rainy, cool, low 60’s
- #29 – 1794 fully restored 4 story Georgian home
- National Museum of Ireland – Archaeology – includes Viking Age, Medieval period 1150 – 1550, recently found bog bodies from the Iron Age
Dublin Castle
- FUN food – picked La Bodega based on first impressions – great choice! bean salad, mushrooms in garlic butter (just like escargot) lamb stew & mussels in white wine & garlic
Myth – have heard that Irish (& UK) food is not very good
FUN-damental Truth – we have no intention of having a bad meal (we don’t consider ourselves “Foodies” but can’t fathom 4 weeks of boring food or wasting calories on something we don’t like)