Pot of Gold= Ireland

When I was younger, it seemed everyone I knew was either part or full Italian... it was the thing to be. I used to run home and repeatedly ask my parents if I was AT ALL Italian. When they informed me that I was not even 1%, I felt left out and did not understand. How could my family leave me without Italian descent?!

Well, now I am older, wiser, well-traveled (debatable), and can proudly say- I am not Italian, I am 99.9% IRISH! Dublin, Ireland is my home boy. It felt so good to be there. 

On Monday night, we arrived in Dublin just missing the heavy rain that passed through (that apparently flooded some areas). First stop? Burger King. Duh. We missed the boat on dinner so we made a little pit stop to fill our stomachs with our countries finest... fast food!

We were certainly given a warm welcome to Ireland on our way to the hostel when five drunk boys passed us streaking through the streets looking for money. We smiled, cheered, and told them to keep on running ;) We were told these kind of occurrences would be common in the Temple Bar area of the city. Oh joy! After a short walk, we arrived at our hostel- Litton Lane- which was originally a recording studio to some major music groups including: The Cranberries, Van Morrison, David Bowie, and U2 (to name a few). 

The next morning we jumped out of bed in a mad rush to make the countryside tour. Unfortunately, the weather was not in our favor so we decided to stick around the city, and I am so glad we did. 

Obviously, first up on our to-do list was the Leprechaun Museum, who are you kidding? Throughout the entire tour, with the help of a very funny and enthusiastic tour guide, we felt like little kids again. 

We learned about the origin of the Leprechaun legend, heard the infamous fairy tales, and even got to draw and color our very own pictures. Some of us got more into it then others, but I won't name names...

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Cool! A leprechaun!

We all had a great time. :)

My little creation

Kathy coloring away.

Up next was a tour of the Dublin Castle. This castle has stood there for several centuries and holds so much history. The entire castle was destroyed by a fire, accept for this one tower that is still standing today.

Oh, and I learned that my grandfather, Francis Johnston, designed the chapel royal within the castle. I always knew my family had a little secret.

Pretty nifty, huh?

Juuuust kidding!

After our tour, we made our way to St. Patrick's Cathedral which was so breathtaking and unbelievably enormous! It is actually the largest church in Ireland, and sits beside the well that St. Patrick used to baptize converts during his visits to Dublin many, many, many years ago. 

Our last stop of the day? Drum roll please..... the GUINNESS STOREHOUSE! (St. James Gate Brewery where the brown stuff originated.)

This was by far the best way to end a long day of walking. We toured all seven floors of the brewery, beginning with the 9,000 year lease signed by Arthur Guinness that lies within the first floor, literally. What a confident little man. 

9,000 year lease

Amongst many other things, we learned that barley, hops, water, and yeast are the main ingredients in brewing one of the world's most loved beer. After our tour, we enjoyed a complimentary pint of Guinness at the Gravity Bar complete with foam mustaches (at least I did) and a 360 view of Ireland. 

For me, Guinness is an acquired taste, and is definitely not easy on the taste buds. I pressed on after those first few sips to make my dad, brothers, and Arthur Guinness proud and finished that pint of hoppy goodness. It was a meal in itself. 

That night, Katie's father's college buddy, who resides in Dublin, treated us to a round of drinks at a local bar (Palace Bar) followed up with a delicious dinner. It was a wonderful surprise and very much appreciated! We spent the remainder of the night at the most perfect Irish pub right in the center of Temple Bar. Everyone was so happy-go-lucky throwing their drinks in the air, taking your hand to dance, and singing along to the live music. I loved every minute of it. I was even asked out to dinner by that singer right there. I sadly declined. ;)

River dancing

We met a few boys from London and Australia who ended up showing us a good time. When this bar closed, another one across the street was open so that is where we spent the remainder of our night still dancing, and still drinking in true Irish fashion.

Still going strong.

The infamous dip

It seemed our alarm went off the next morning just moments after we fell asleep. Probably because it did. We dragged ourselves to check out of the hostel and make our way to the bus station. I wish we could have spent more time in Dublin because I would have loved to see more of the city and take a day trip through the country-side. Ireland is definitely a place I would like to return to in the future! Add that to one of my many to-do lists.
Amsterdam, you're next!