First we went to Trinity College to see the famous Book of Kell but it was closed due to the snow. Disappointed, we walked to the National Art Gallery instead. The streets were laden with ice and very slippery. There were many times we almost slipped but thankfully never fell down. The Art Gallery has quite good collection and Rie was glad it is free admission. According to her, the art galleries in Japan always require admission fees. The renowned Merrion Square (where famous writes used to live) was carpeted with snow but we managed to find the monument of Sir Oscar Wilde. We did not bother to visit St Stephen's Green because of the snow and walked towards St Patrick's Cathedral. The ancient Cathedral has a lovely park. First built in 1192, it houses relics like the Boyle Monuments, Huguenot Bell, and The Door of Reconciliation.
A visit to Guinness Storehouse is definitely a must. Rie and I were most excited about going there. The most impressive design is the central atrium which has the shape of a pint glass that stands over 32 metre high and can hold 14.3 million of Guinness! The seven floor visitor experience is fun and informative. It covers the ingredients, cooperage, transport, brewing, tasting laboratory, advertising, the story of the building and history of Guinness, Drink IQ, how to pour a perfect pint, Source Bar and Gravity Bar. At the topmost Gravity Bar, one can enjoy the 360 degrees view of Dublin. Unfortunately the view was all hazy due to the snow. One can redeem a free pint of Guinness either at the Source Bar or Gravity Bar. I do not actually like beer and I made a fool of myself by asking the waitress whether I could choose the sweeter version. She laughed and said Guinness is never sweet :( I have drank whiskey and vodka before so I thought surely Guinness would have no effect on me. Due to the time restraint, I gulped down the whole pint in less than 30minutes. Boy, I felt light headed when I stood up to go. A slight floating sensation but I was still very alert. And no one could ever tell whether I was drunk either since the snow on the street so thick, that most people could not walk straight anyway :p
After Guinness, we walked to Dublinia and Christchurch Cathedral. These part of town is the Viking part of Dublin. The Dublinia is a museum that details the origins, culture and lifestyles of the Vikings. The topmost of the museum covers the archeological findings. There is an archway that connects the museum to the Christchurch Cathedral but one has to buy combined ticket to go there. It is about euro 11 for adult combined ticket. This Viking Dublin's cathedral was first built on 1030. Strongbow, the leader of the Cambro-Normans that captured Dublin in 1170 was buried in the cathedral in 1176.
By the time we exited the Cathedral, it was dark outside. It was time to walk back to the hostel to pick up my rucksack. Fortunately, the Dublin bus 16a that goes to the airport is only 1 block away. After shopped for Guinness fudge in a nearby shop, I boarded the bus. It took about 30-40minutes to reach the airport terminal but it is significantly cheaper (euro 2.20) than the airport coach (euro6). Thank God the flight back to London Gatwick was on time and in fact touched down 30minutes earlier than the schedule. I managed to catch a metrobus and reached home one hour earlier that I expected. Gosh, I was really very tired...
Next, I have to plan for my upcoming trip to Cologne during Christmas!!!
A visit to Guinness Storehouse is definitely a must. Rie and I were most excited about going there. The most impressive design is the central atrium which has the shape of a pint glass that stands over 32 metre high and can hold 14.3 million of Guinness! The seven floor visitor experience is fun and informative. It covers the ingredients, cooperage, transport, brewing, tasting laboratory, advertising, the story of the building and history of Guinness, Drink IQ, how to pour a perfect pint, Source Bar and Gravity Bar. At the topmost Gravity Bar, one can enjoy the 360 degrees view of Dublin. Unfortunately the view was all hazy due to the snow. One can redeem a free pint of Guinness either at the Source Bar or Gravity Bar. I do not actually like beer and I made a fool of myself by asking the waitress whether I could choose the sweeter version. She laughed and said Guinness is never sweet :( I have drank whiskey and vodka before so I thought surely Guinness would have no effect on me. Due to the time restraint, I gulped down the whole pint in less than 30minutes. Boy, I felt light headed when I stood up to go. A slight floating sensation but I was still very alert. And no one could ever tell whether I was drunk either since the snow on the street so thick, that most people could not walk straight anyway :p
The trademark harp of Guinness
Trinity College, houses Book of Kell in the library
After Guinness, we walked to Dublinia and Christchurch Cathedral. These part of town is the Viking part of Dublin. The Dublinia is a museum that details the origins, culture and lifestyles of the Vikings. The topmost of the museum covers the archeological findings. There is an archway that connects the museum to the Christchurch Cathedral but one has to buy combined ticket to go there. It is about euro 11 for adult combined ticket. This Viking Dublin's cathedral was first built on 1030. Strongbow, the leader of the Cambro-Normans that captured Dublin in 1170 was buried in the cathedral in 1176.
By the time we exited the Cathedral, it was dark outside. It was time to walk back to the hostel to pick up my rucksack. Fortunately, the Dublin bus 16a that goes to the airport is only 1 block away. After shopped for Guinness fudge in a nearby shop, I boarded the bus. It took about 30-40minutes to reach the airport terminal but it is significantly cheaper (euro 2.20) than the airport coach (euro6). Thank God the flight back to London Gatwick was on time and in fact touched down 30minutes earlier than the schedule. I managed to catch a metrobus and reached home one hour earlier that I expected. Gosh, I was really very tired...
Next, I have to plan for my upcoming trip to Cologne during Christmas!!!
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