.: Kiss Me I'm Irish

From one land of my ancestors to another.

Welcome to Ireland.

My long weekend to Dublin began at the crack of dawn
(make that before light)Thursday morning.
After hearing plenty of stories of the love for Irish from my grandma, I couldn’t wait to hear Irish accents, meet nice Irish people, and hit up some good ol’ pubs.

Not only did I travel solo from Florence, but I also had all of Thursday alone to explore, as I wasn’t meeting up with friends until Friday. Some think I was crazy for traveling alone, but I loved having a day by myself (and no, I did not get lost!)

It took only minutes after arrival for me to hear the great Irish accent and meet the nicest old man ever. I could probably write an entire blog entry about my taxi driver who not only is a world traveler (he has been to more places in the US than most Americans, how pitiful on our part), but told me everything to do in Dublin.

Although Dublin is a great city, it is just that… a large city. Knowing I had the entire weekend to immerse myself in Dublin, I immediately hoped on a train and headed to a small fishing port town thirty minutes outside of Dublin.

Howth was the name; it was breathtaking.

Fishing boats, fresh fish markets, and sailboats cast gorgeous reflections in the still blue water. The sun was out and the afternoon enjoying the piers alone was absolutely refreshing.

I felt like Hilary Swank’s character in P.S. I love you, only Gerard Butler never showed up to fall in love with me (darn!).

My favorite part of the day was walking the nearly two hour pebbly path up and through amazing cliffs

(my black leather boots were definitely not the proper footgear). The view out to the blue sea was exactly what you see in images of Ireland, but like most sceneries, there is no comparison to the real deal. Standing about the cliffs and water I could feel the beauty all around.

Friday morning my friend Bryan and his friends (who are all studying in London) arrived, and the festivities began. Most of the weekend was spent in true Irish style.

Drinking that is.

A tour of the eight story Guinness Storehouse taught me more than I ever needed to know about the thick, dark Irish drink. My Irish ancestors are probably rolling over in their graves while I say this, but Guinness is not my drink. You could have caught me pouring my drink into the boys’ glasses as we drank at the top floor of the tour

(a circular room with window walls, a 360 degree view over all of Dublin).

My educational experience continued Saturday when we visited the Jameson factory to learn all about the Irish whiskey (and you think I’m not learning at all while in Europe…). Lucky me, I got to be a taste tester comparing Jameson to Jack Daniels and a Scottish whisky. Lucky for everyone else, they got the amusement of my-oh-so funny shot face.

whiskey tasting diploma
(what a proud moment mom and dad...)

Irish pubs lived up to everything I expected. With its welcoming live Irish music and typical Irish pub décor, Temple Bar (one of the most famous pubs) was my favorite. There is nothing better than being able to enjoy conversation in a bar listening to great Irish music by some very talented voices.

Don’t worry mom and dad, I did more in Ireland than just drink. In addition to looking at artwork in the National Gallery and checking out the famous Trinity College, I visited two absolutely great churches — Christ’s Church and St. Patrick’s.

The later is by far the favorite church I have seen; I have never felt more connected than when in the church. The sand colored stones form high ceilings, intricate wood work makes the alter, and the detailed and colorful stained glass windows are mesmerizing. There was a simplicity in the Irish churches that made the feeling of the church different than those in Italy. The large frescos of biblical scenes and numerous images of the crucifix in Italian churches seems to me as though faith is being forced upon you. I did not feel this in Ireland.

The evening song I attended at St. Patrick’s was beautiful.

All in all, Dublin was full of laughter and good times. Exploring more of Ireland (especially the South) is definitely high on my bucket list.