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fromwinnipeg2everywhere · 5 years ago

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The Land of Guinness and Irish Whiskey

We typically don’t travel during summer because we are not fans of the crowds and the heat. Also, just like the days between Christmas and New Years’, it is usually nice and quiet at work in the summer, and with us being child-free, we’ve kind of taken it upon ourselves to “hold the fort” while everyone else is on summer holidays. Summer of 2019 was an exception. We just lost our beloved cat, Jake, in the early spring, and we were both so sad and full of guilt and grief, and at that time, our response to this was “Let’s book a trip!”. This was technically a “last minute” trip by our standards and picked Ireland because it was the least expensive we can find given our timeline and because they have mild summer weather.

We arrived in Dublin at around 11am on August 11, 2019 and we hit the ground running. We knew we only had a week and we had no time to waste. The first thing we did was buy four 24-hour LEAP visitor cards at the airport. The 24-hour LEAP cards are 10 Euros each and allows unlimited travel on the Airport Bus, city buses and DART trains. The Airport bus already costs 7 Euros one way, so if you plan the trip so that most of your commute is on the first and last 24 hours, then this card is worth it. We took the Airlink 747 bus to our hotel in the Temple Bar Area and the bus stop was just a three-minute walk to our hotel, which is convenient if you have lots of luggage. Many people would probably advise against staying at the Temple Bar area because it is very crowded and loud at night, but unlike most people, we actually thrive in busy and lively areas. Really, all you need is a good set of earplugs and you’re set. We like having our hotel in a central area because we can enjoy bars and restaurants late into the night without having to worry about the commute back to the hotel, and we enjoy being in the center of everything. We stayed at the Temple Bar Inn which is a couple of blocks away from the Temple Bar so it isn’t as loud, but who am I kidding, it was still pretty loud. Apparently, air conditioning isn’t a thing in hotels in Ireland, so you must keep the windows open which means you hear every drunken person within a hundred feet radius. Aside from being surrounded by bars, there is also a TESCO supermarket right next door to our hotel, so we never went hungry or thirsty. After checking in, we visited Phoenix Park. We read that there are a lot of wild deer in that park, but sadly we didn’t see any. After exploring the park, we went to a restaurant called Hairy Lemon for dinner. The lineup is long so go early if you want to try this restaurant! We ordered fish and chips, Irish stew and our first of many, many pints of Guinness for the trip. I’ve always appreciated the pub atmosphere where I feel more comfortable than in a fancy restaurant.

We had an early start for our second day. We set the alarm for 5am so we can be at our meeting point for 6:30am for our Northern Ireland tour. We don’t typically go for the big bus tours, but I was wary of driving on the left-hand side of the road with a right-hand side car and the roads in the Irish countryside are no wider than a Winnipeg back lane. We bought our tour on Viator, but the tour operator name is Finn McCool’s and I highly recommend them. The tour started promptly, and it was very organized. If you are doing this tour, do not forget to bring Gravol if you get motion sickness. The driver is very good but there are a lot of winding roads. The tour guide was very informative, and I learned a lot about Irish history and about Northern Ireland. Our first stop for this tour was the Giant’s Causeway. It was a long walk from the bus to the rocks. The Giant’s Causeway is basically this very cool rock formation extending into the sea. Legend has it that it used to be a bridge that the giants used between Ireland and Scotland. I’m sure there’s a pretty good scientific explanation for it, but the giant story is funny, and you should google it. We stayed a couple of hours here then drove over to Carrick-a-Rede. I’m not a fan of heights but since the crossing the bridge was already part of what we paid for, I went ahead and crossed the bridge. Apparently, I would rather scare myself to death crossing a bouncy, rickety, rope bridge than not get my money’s worth. I would have to admit the views on the other side of the bridge are worth it. After Carrick-a-Rede, we drove to the Belfast City Centre for a quick dinner then returned to Dublin. It was a very long day and it was late by the time that we got back to Dublin, but we still had drinks at the Palace Bar right across our hotel before calling it a night.

The next day was another early start to another long day. We needed to be at the Gresham Hotel by 6:30am for our Cliffs of Moher bus tour. We also bought the tour from Viator, but the tour operator is Wild Rover and they are also very good. Our tour guide was wonderful, and he entertained us a lot of stories about Irish culture, history, music and folklore. One unique thing about this tour is that about 2 hours (about halfway) to the cliffs from Dublin, we stopped at the Barack Obama Plaza at Moneygall. Barack Obama’s great-great-great grandfather’s ancestral home was in Moneygall and in 2011, Barack and Michelle paid the village a visit, had a pint of Guinness at the local bar and met a lot of his distant relatives. In 2014, they built the Plaza, which is basically a service area with gas stations and restaurants and restrooms for bus tours like ours. It was still quite a long drive to the cliffs from here, and by the time we got there, I was ready to barf. Thank goodness for Gravol. The long drive was so worth it. I wish that I could have driven there by myself and spent at least a couple of days just hiking the trail, perhaps going early in the morning for sunrise or staying late in the evening to catch sunset. They only gave us a couple of hours to explore and it was not even close to being enough time. I love that there were no guard rails and although we received abundant warning about not stepping too close to the edge, there were a few people who were brave (or stupid?) enough to go very close to the edge. I’m a little bit of a rebel myself, and I did go near the edge, but nowhere near that I would risk my life just to get a good photo (besides, hubby refused to let me near the edge). After lunch, we drove to Galway via the Wild Atlantic Way. The drive was so scenic and if you are going to take this tour, make sure you sit on the left side of the bus! I missed most of the drive because I took another Gravol and I was asleep for most of it. Galway City Centre is a little town full of pubs and shops and it was very quaint and lovely. We ate seafood chowder and had some Irish whiskey and Guinness, before heading back to Dublin.

The following day was hubby’s birthday, and what better way to celebrate it than to spend the morning at the Guinness Storehouse! The tour itself was pretty standard, but the highlight was that I learned how to properly pour a pint of Guinness and that I got to pour myself a pint at the bar. I even got a certificate to show for it! We spent a couple of hours here, bought some souvenirs then walked to Brother Hubbard for some yummy brunch. We did some more walking and shopping in between, then in the afternoon, we went to the Irish Whiskey Museum for the Blending Tour. We learned a lot about the history of Irish Whiskey and were given four kinds to do the blending and tasting with. Needless to say, I didn’t finish everything because we have been basically drinking since we got up that morning. We bought the tickets for the Guinness Storehouse and the Irish Whiskey Museum online way ahead of time so that we can get the timeslots that we want. You also get a bit of a discount when you buy online.

The following day, we went to Trinity College to see the Old Library and the Book of Kells. Hubby lined up super early so that he is in first in line. He wanted to be the first person in line so he can go straight to the Long Room and take photos of it before everyone else got there. This strategy works, but not for long. It probably bought him two to three minutes of being able to take photographs by himself. For me, although the library was beautiful, I enjoyed the Book of Kells more. The Book of Kells is from the 9th (!) century and it is very well preserved. After Trinity College, we headed over to the International Bar to meet Lorcan Collins, the leader of the 1916 Rebellion Tour. He talked about the rebellion and took us to some places around the city that figured prominently in the rebellion. Irish history is very interesting. I think what I took most out of it is how very inspiring it is, especially women’s role in it. After the tour, we went to Merrion Square to check out Oscar Wilde’s statue, then went to the National Gallery of Ireland. The museum is free to enter, and they have a decent collection of Picassos, Monets, Vermeers and Rembrandts. After the museum, we went to a pub called O’Neill’s. We ordered some more chowder and Irish stew. Later in the evening, we went to the Whiskey Palace for some drinks and we were lucky enough that they had a bunch of musicians having a jam session at the bar that night.

Our last day in Dublin was another busy one. We had an early start and took the bus to Kilmainham Gaol. If you want to visit Kilmainham Gaol, you need to be online the second that the tickets are released. They sell out very fast. The tour itself was very somber. We learned a lot about the inspiring men and women who were instrumental in liberating Ireland from British rule. After the tour, we went back to the hotel to check in for our flights back to Winnipeg for the following day. We were able to snag decent seats considering we only bought Basic Economy fares. After checking in, we took the DART to Howth. Howth is a village just outside of Dublin where you can eat amazing, fresh seafood. We ate crab claws and oysters and of course, had some more Guinness. We walked around the harbor and the lighthouse, then we took the trail for the Cliff Walk. It started out really sunny, but typical Irish weather meant an hour or so later, we got caught in a downpour up in the cliffs. It was quite the experience except that it destroyed hubby’s only pair of shoes for the trip and he ended up having to buy new ones once we got back to Dublin. After exploring Howth, we went back to Dublin and had dinner at Chapter One. The dinner started out strong – the amuse bouche was good (mushroom themed) and the first few courses (seafood) were excellent, but I wasn’t too impressed with the terrine and the duck dishes. Overall, it was a good experience, what you would typically expect from a one-starred Michelin establishment.

Our last day was also a very long day. We took the airport bus from Bachelor’s Walk and it was a good thing we were one of the first on the bus because by the third or fourth stop, the driver was no longer letting people on because it was full. The airport experience was uneventful, which is a good thing. The tax credit process was very efficient, and it didn’t take that long to get the credit back. We had a long layover in Toronto which gave us an opportunity to meet up with some friends. They took us for dinner at Pai and then we walked around the harbor before going back to Pearson to catch our flight to Winnipeg. The experience at Pearson was horrendous. The line ups were long, and they didn’t even bother opening the Nexus lines. Then they lost our luggage, which took a couple of days to turn up.

We basically booked Ireland without doing a lot of research. I was kind of hoping for it to be a relaxing, easy trip, but it turned out to be super busy with a lot of early mornings and late nights, but it was so worth it. I definitely want to return someday and spend more time in the countryside and the little villages. Ireland is one of the places we’ve visited that I would love to live in, but alas, I’m a little too old to meet their immigration criteria! But this just means I’ll just have to visit a little longer next time.

#dublin #ireland #travel #travel tips #wanderlust

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adambstingus · 6 years ago

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10+ People’s Last Wishes That Will Make You Cry

All of us know that a time will come for us to take our last breath and leave this human body – yet, the people in this list decided to make their last hours wonderful by doing something they longed to do for a long time.

We live as if there are countless days ahead. We fail to seize the moment and grab the opportunities to enjoy life to its fullest, do things that make our hearts sing, or express how we feel about the ones we cherish the most. It always seems that we will be able to do that ‘later’, when the only thing we really have is now.

So, what’s on your bucket list? Don’t wait for later, enjoy your life now.

#1 When 6-Year-Old Elena Was Diagnosed With Brain Cancer, She Began Hiding Hundreds Of Little Love Notes Around The House For Her Parents To Find After She Was Gone

#2 A Week Before My Grandfather Passed Away, I Snuck His Favorite Beer Into The Nursing Home For Him. It Was His Last Beer Ever

#3 Her Dying Wish Was To See Her Best Friend, Oliver The Cat, One Last Time To Say Goodbye

#4 Homeless Man Learned He Was Dying Of Cancer With Only A Few Weeks To Live And His Only Wish Was For Someone To Adopt His Sweet Dog, Baby

#5 Mom’s Last Dance With My Dad The Night Before She Passed Away After A 15 Year Battle With Cancer

#6 Dying 7-Year-Old-Boy Tells His Seriously Ill Mother To Let Him Die So He Can Give Her His Kidney And Save Her

#7 Cancer Patient Mario, 54, Says Goodbye To The Giraffes At Rotterdam Zoo, Whose Enclosure He Used To Clean

#8 Five-Year-Old Girl Suffering From Cystic Fibrosis Is Granted Her Dying Wish To Marry Her Best Friend In Heartbreaking Wedding Ceremony Just Hours Before She Passes

#9 Tattoo Artist Grants 12-Year-Old Boys Last Wish With Colourful Markers

#10 This Girl Gets Her Dying Wish Of Being Serenaded By Florence And The Machine

#12 Single Father With Terminal Cancer’s Final Wish Came True When He Found A Foster Family For His Four-Year-Old Son Before Dying

#13 After 75 Years Of Marriage, This Couple Died In Each Others Arms Hours Apart

#14 Cancer-Stricken Son Holds Dying Dad’s Hand One Last Time

#15 My Grandma Wanted To See The Ocean One Last Time Before Checking Into Hospice. Her Face Says It All

#16 A Former Show Jumper Crippled By Parkinson’s Disease Fulfills Her Dream Of Riding A Horse For The Final Time At The Age Of 87

#17 Dying Vietnam Vet Asks For A Final Meeting With Beloved Horses Outside Hospital

#18 Dying World War Two Engineer Gets Last Wish Granted: To Be Reunited With Iconic Plane, After Bosses See Him Staring Forlornly Through Fence From His Wheelchair

#19 Tijn Has One Last Wish: To Prevent Children Dying From Pneumonia. So He Challenged People To Paint Their Nails And Donate Money. He Has Raised Over 2.6 Million Euros To This Day

#20 Hospice Patient Receives Dying Wish To Snuggle Some Kittens

#22 One More Visit Home To See His Newborn Sister

#23 Dying Father Gets His Final Wish: To See Son Graduate

#24 North Carolina Neighborhood Celebrates Christmas In October So A Dying Woman Can Have Her Last Christmas

#25 Devoted Music Teacher Gives Last Lesson From A Hospital Bed As His Dying Wish To Pass On His Experience To His Students

#26 Dame Helen Mirren ‘Knights’ Dying Boy, 10, After Making His Wish For The Queen To Come To Have Tea With Him Come True

#27 Thousands Of Carolers Surround Home Of Dying Girl, 8, To Fulfill Her Wish For A Massive Christmas Sing-Along

#28 3-Year-Old Old Girl’s Last Wish Was To Meet A Prince And Princess

#29 James Wathen Is Reunited With His Dog Bubba One Last Time Before Death

#30 Father Dying Of Terminal Cancer Has Wish To See His Daughter Graduate From His Alma Matter Granted After Texas A&M Brings The Ceremony To Him

#32 Terminally Ill Air Force Veteran Granted Last Wish Of Sky Diving

#33 One Terminally Ill Woman’s Last Wish Was A Visit To The Hospital To See The Scans Of Her Unborn Grandchild

#34 Jack Benny Arranged To Have A Single Red Rose Sent To His Wife Every Day After He Was Gone

#35 One Last Visit To The Grave Of His Daughter

#36 101-Year-Old Meets Newborn Great-Granddaughter Before Dying Days Later

#37 Dying Forest Ranger Was Granted His Last Wish To See His Beloved Woods One Last Time

#38 Last Wish Of A Terminally Ill Woman Was A Private Viewing Of The Rembrandt Exhibition

#39 Angel De Jesus Zamora’s Wish Was Fulfilled When He Was Crowned Chief For A Day Because He Will Never Grow Up To Be One

#40 Saying Goodbye To His Farm

#42 Kailem Married His Girlfriend, Brandi-Lee Wadwell, In A Small Ceremony By His Hospital Bed

#43 Teenager Marries Her Terminally Ill High School Sweetheart In A Heartbreaking Hospital Ceremony Just Days Before He Dies In The Hospital

#44 Dying Man, 92, Is Granted His Last Wish To Hold Hands With His Wife Of 66 Years As The Couple Meets For The Last Time Two Hours Before He Dies

#45 Miles Scott Got To Be Batkid For A Day

#46 Terminally Ill Dad Leads His Daughter Down The Aisle 2 Weeks Before He Passes

#47 His Last Wish Was Seeing His Ponies

#48 Final Catch. Dying Vietnam Veteran Fulfills His Last Wish By Being Wheeled To Pond In His Hospital Bed To Go Fishing

#49 This Woman’s Wish Came True When She Met Lionel Richie

#50 He Wanted To See The Dolphins Playing For The Last Time

#52 All This Woman Wanted Was Saying Goodbye To Her Animals

#53 Terminally Ill Groom Fulfills His Final Wish In This Last Minute Wedding

#54 All This Terminally Ill Man Wanted For His Wish Was To Go Home Again

#55 Linda’s Final Wish Was To Raise Enough Money So That Her Parents Didn’t Have To Pay For Her Funeral

#56 Hospital Makes Exception And Allows Couple Married 73 Years To Be Together In Same Room

#57 Dying Patient’s Last Wish Comes True As She Is Reunited With Beloved Horse For Final Time

#58 Terminally Ill Patient Had “The Best Day Of His Life” When His Wish For The Last Ride Was Fulfilled

#59 Terminally Ill Star Wars Fan Gets His Dying Wish As He’s Granted Access To Early Force Awakens Screening

#60 A Scottish Teen Fulfilled His Dying Wish Of Taking His Girlfriend To The Prom

#62 Touching Moment: Crew Stand And Salute Dying Pearl Harbor Sailor As He Is Granted Final Wish To Board The Dewey Again

#63 A Costumed Worker Entertains A Smiling Patient On Her Classic Wish For A 3-Day Trip To Euro Disney

#64 Terminally Ill 14-Year-Old Girl’s Last Wish: To Have A Prom

#65 Once More To The Beach

#66 This Woman Got To See The Beach And Feel The Sand One Last Time

#67 New Hampshire Teacher Harriet Richardson Ames, 100, Meets Dream Of Getting Degree A Day Before Dying

#68 Terminally Ill Man Given Weeks To Live Fulfills Wish To Touch The Sea One Last Time

#69 92-Year-Old Grandmother Gets Dying Wish To Fly In A Rainbow Motorized Parachute Fulfilled

#70 This Gentleman Wanted To See His Hometown From Above

#72 I Didn’t Have A Picture But My Grandma Wanted Her Entire Family With Her While She Died

from All Of Beer http://allofbeer.com/10-peoples-last-wishes-that-will-make-you-cry/ from All of Beer https://allofbeercom.tumblr.com/post/182062508107

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allofbeercom · 6 years ago