Dublin- December 30th

Today was our first day in Dublin, we took a little nap when we got to the hostel, because everyone else wanted to sleep for a few more hours.  We decided to just start looking around Dublin and head towards Dublin Castle.  Once we got to Dublin Castle we decided to have a nice cuppa coffee while we waited for our tour to start. We went on the tour with the tour guide and saw all the parts of the castle that they keep open.

 The Irish Constitution

 

The entrance to Dublin Castle

 

The Inauguration Room

This is part of the original castle

After Dublin Castle, we stopped by the gardens that are located behind the castle called Dubh Linn Gardens

We continued walking to the Guinness Storehouse to see how Guinness is made, which was really interesting.  The storehouse is 7 levels, you begin with the merchandise store, and then the beginning steps of how Guinness is made including the first steps like picking the barley that will be used in brewing.  We followed the path along and they told us all the different ingredients and steps in the process of making Guinness and you end on the 4th floor where you can get in line to be certified as a professional Guinness Pourer.  The 7th floor is Gravity Sky Bar which gives you a circular view of Dublin.

 The outside of the Guinness Storehouse

This is one of the signs that gives a summary of each step in the process

Me and my certification

That night, we went back to the hostel and made dinner and decided to check out a few of the local pubs.  There was some live music in one, which was really good.  They played a lot of American songs, and only a few Irish songs that we didn't recognize.  Then we stopped by the lovely cultural restaurant McDonald's on the way back to the Hostel to get some ice cream and fries.