Brandon O'Brien

Tuesday, July 2, 2013 @ 7:05 PM in 2013 Europe

Day 6

I arrived in Dublin during a downpour and left Dublin during a downpour. Fortunately I only had some rare light showers during most of my stay there and it hadn't started raining yet when I left for the bus station. I did most of my packing and organizing last night so this morning all I had to do was eat breakfast and take off.

The bus terminal was a short walk from my hostel and I made it there around 9:30am. Unfortunately I didn't realize there was also a 9:30 bus but I was just a few minutes late for it. I ended up hanging out at the bus station until 11:30 when the bus I originally planned on was set to leave. By the time I was getting on the bus it was raining pretty hard. I thought for sure I'd be in the rain all the way to Kilkenny but fortunately it let up by the time I got about 45 minutes outside of town.

It was still very overcast by the time I got to Kilkenny so I made my way to the hostel to get checked in and drop off my pack. It ended up being about a 20 minute walk through town from the bus station but it wasn't too bad. I got to the hostel and checked in and set off to explore a little bit.

On my way into town I passed by the Smithwick's Brewery Tour at the St. Francis Abbey brewery. For 10 euros I got a 1 hour guided tour through the facility and the old St. Francis Abbey. Afterwards I got a complimentary pint of Smithwick's Pale Ale.

Most of the brewing is done off location at the St. James Gate (Guinness brewery) in Dublin. They said that they're going to finally halt all production here by the end of the year and take everything down. I'm glad I was able to see the tour while it was still up and running.

It was about dinner time when I got out of the tour. I saw a Turkish Kebab place when I was walking around earlier so I thought I'd give that a shot. I was craving something filling and cheap and this definitely hit the spot. I had a mix of lamb and chicken and they also served it with some sauces, onions, cabbage and lettuce. It was a huge amount but I ate the whole thing.

The weather looks a little iffy so I might just stay in at the hostel tonight. Kilkenny is definitely more laid back than Dublin was and I don't really see there being too much happening on a random Tuesday night. The hostel also seems pretty empty but so far the majority of the people staying here seem to be Americans.

I booked this hostel for 2 nights but might extend my stay here after hearing about how I can rent a bike and ride out of the town a bit to see some sights.

Teaser photos:

Busaras Terminal in Dublin

Kilkenny Castle and River Nore

St Francis Abbey

Pint of Smithwick's after the brewery tour

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Tags: daily journal, ireland, kilkenny

Posted from: Ireland

Tuesday, July 2, 2013 @ 9:44 AM in 2013 Europe

These are random things I've noticed in my 5 days in Dublin (in no particular order.)

1. It seems like everyone smokes here. Definitely different than in the states.
2. Dublin seems to be filled with tourists.
3. native languages of people staying at my hostel: #1 - Spanish, #2 - German, #3 - French, #4 - English
4. Seeing someone who's overweight is a rarity.
5. So far I haven't come across any other long term travelers. Everyone is here in Dublin for a short time to party.
6. Fresh fruit means apples, bananas or oranges. Finding anything else is either really rare or extremely expensive.
7. Buying a bottle of beer is cheaper than a bottle of orange juice

Tags: observations,

Posted from: Ireland

Monday, July 1, 2013 @ 6:27 PM in 2013 Europe

Day 5

Last night I passed out around 9pm and didn't get up until 8am this morning. I really needed that sleep to catch up from the last several nights. I woke up feeling much better, ate, and then headed out to the Guinness Storehouse to take the tour and have my pint of Guinness in the Gravity Bar.

The Guinness Storehouse tour cost over 16 euros making it pretty pricey but it was fun to learn about the history of Guinness and how the beer used to be produced vs how it's produced now. The tour is self guided and at the end of it you head up to the Gravity Bar at the top fo the storehouse for a complimentary beer. The views from up there are really nice. You can see pretty much the entire city of Dublin and the surrounding areas. The pint up there was good as well (it was my first Guinness in Dublin!)

After the pint I went and got some ham and cheese to go with an extra baguette I brought with me. I ate near the Dublin Heuston train station then headed over to the Irish National War Memorial Gardens. The gardens were really nice to walk around and had some big flower gardens and statues.

Since Phoenix Park was fairly close by I ended up walking over there. The park is absolutely giant so I walked around quite a bit of it. While walking around I saw deer all over the place. There were also some huge herds of deer wandering around. They were so used to people that I saw some eating bread out of the hands of kids.

During some of my research into Dublin I saw the mention of an Oyster Stout at a microbrewery called The Porterhouse Temple Bar. I went over there and ordered a pint to see what it was like. It didn't have any oyster taste or smell but it was a decent stout. Apparently they shuck oysters into the conditioning tank to add some extra sweetness.

While at the Porterhouse I started looking for a good fish and chip shop nearby. I hadn't had any yet and figured it was about time to get some authentic fish and chips. I found a place called Leo Burdock's that wasn't too far away. I got there and ordered the cod and chips and went over to the Christ Church Cathedral to eat them (the chippery didn't have any seating there). I was actually a little disappointed with the fish and chips. There wasn't really much flavor and the breading was a little soggy. Oh well, I'm sure I'll have another chance to try it before I leave Ireland / UK.

The 3 swiss guys that showed up to meet with my other 2 swiss bunkmates left today. So far I don't have any new bunkmates but we'll see if any show up before the night's over. I'm not sure if Monday nights are big arrival dates.

Tomorrow I check out of the hostel and then catch a bus down to Kilkenny. It's about a 2 and a half hour ride which should get me into the town around 1:30pm. I'm not sure what I'm going to do tonight. I might go buy a cider from a grocery and relax here in the hostel. It definitely won't be another late night tonight!

Teaser photos:

Guinness at the Gravity Bar

Me outside the Guinness Factory

Irish Memorial Gardens

Deer in Phoenix Park

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Tags: daily journal, ireland, dublin

Posted from: Ireland