We did another bus tour on our first day in Dublin, and got a good overview of the history and where everything is. The first place we got off was the Guinness Storehouse. It was fun, but completely packed. At then end, you get a pint in the ‘gravity bar’, with panoramic views. They have a 9000 year lease on thee brewery, with 8750 years remaining. Clearly a few pints were sunk when that document was being drafted :) The next stop was Kilmainham Gaol, which had a really good tour and gave a good overview of Ireland’s rebellious past. After the Gaol, we did a tour at Jameson’s. Not being a big whisky drinker, I found it interesting that it is identical to beer, but with a few extra steps. The beer is distilled (three times, as we were constantly reminded) before being aged in oak barrels. Everyone tried some, and I was reminded why I don’t drink whisky. I actually didn’t mind it with dry ginger ale, but I wouldn’t say I was converted. We looked for ages for somewhere reasonable for dinner (everywhere is expensive), and ended up finding a place with free dinner, which is about as reasonable as we could hope for. We ordered a Guinness and a tap water then ate a few sausage sandwiches and burgers between us. After dinner, we went to a pub I had spotted earlier, Messrs Meguire. It is a brewhouse with a few beers on tap, right on the river. I tried the Irish Red, and liked it so much that I had another. Beer is really expensive here, probably because we are in tourist areas. That one was 4 Euro, they seem to go up from there.

July 19 – Day 7

Today we went on a half day trip to Malahide castle, which was interesting. We also really enjoyed the coastal road the bus took on the way home. We went through suburban Dublin, where all the rich people live. It was really nice, much nicer than the city centre. The tour finished at around 1:30, and we had a wander down Grafton St, watching street performers and looking in a few shops. Pretty soon we were in The Porterhouse, a small Dublin brewing company. They had delicious beer and food, and had quotes from Micheal Jackson (the beer one, not the other one) saying that their 4X stout was the best in Dublin. I had a tasting paddle of the ‘An Brain Blasta’ (translates to ‘A Tasty Drop’, but I prefer to just think it is a brain blaster), their Oyster Stout (with real oysters added), and their 4X stout. They were all good beers, but the Brain Blaster was my favourite :) We are now having two meals a day, a breakfast feast, then ‘Lunner’ (think brunch) at around 3-4 pm. This means I can justify spending 11.50 Euro on a burger. A few people have asked how long we are in Dublin for, then been overwhelmed when we tell them 3 nights. It seems that it is more than enough time. We are enjoying the slower pace after London though.

July 20 – Day 8

We decided to do another day trip, and went to the Valley of the Kings to see the Newgrange Tomb, which was built in 4000 BC (I think). It was really impressive, one of the highlights so far. There are four major tombs, and countless smaller ones. The four major ones are built so precisely, that on the solstice of each season, a beam of light shines up the entrance and lights up the main area. Apparently it is a bit off centre now, due to the axis of the Earth changing. Apparently, it has never been wet inside – pretty impressive for a mound of earth (especially in Ireland!) Next we went to Monasterboice (an old cemetery) which had some huge old crosses that dated back to around 500 AD. You can still see the images carved into them, which were used to tell stories to the illiterate locals. I enjoyed Dublin, but was most impressed by the areas surrounding it. It would be nice to see more of the country, it seems like a good place to get a car and drive through all the little towns. We’re sitting in the bar at St Christopher’s in Edinburgh now. Absolutely loving Scottish beer, it is excellent.