Monday, October 15, 2012

If you only have two days in Dublin........

With just two days in Dublin we had to concentrate our time and maximize our sight seeing. Our driver from the airport was certainly entertaining as he captivated us with his Irish brogue and stories about everything from overpaid footballers to his wife and a squirrel...had to be there! We stayed at the Drury Court Hotel - nothing great but certainly reasonably priced, clean, and the perfect location for walking to the Temple Bar area. Our driver recommended a new "Masterchef" restaurant called the Rustic Stone - fabulous!
The steaks - Irish beef, of course - and the Tuna, came to the table on sizzling hot stones and you let it cook to the temperature you were happy with. It was a cool concept. From there we went to the original Temple Bar for music, beer, and people watching.
After a morning of shopping for some special Irish Christmas gifts we hit the Guinness Factory for a tour and tasting.
If you have the chance, don't miss the "free" Guinness, poured to perfection in the Sky Bar with a view of all of Dublin below! Fortified with a "light" lunch of Sheppard's Pie and Fish & Chips we met Shane and our bus mates for our "Rural Nights Pub Tour" - "Take in impressive sights whilst visiting some of Ireland's most traditional country pubs on this full-day tour. Experience live music, friendly locals, and traditional hearty meals as we make our way over the Dublin and Wicklow Mountains."
The highlight for me was our last stop where local musicians with traditional instruments just kept showing up to 'jam' together. It was a great evening and the Irish Coffee kept me going! The next morning armed with umbrellas for protection against the pouring rain, we toured the Jamison Whiskey Distillery. Doug volunteered to be a taster and learned to taste the difference between Irish, Scottish, and Kentucky whiskey....not easy to do after a night of pub hopping!
Our last stop before heading back to London was a cute pub across the street from our Hotel - appropriately named The Long Hall! (for those who do not know - I was Holly Hall and Christy married into the Long family!)

2 comments:

Sandi @the WhistleStop Cafe said...

Fun Post!
I'm thinking that was a 2 day liver stress test.
The 'Long Hall' would be the perfect pub sign to get... loved the guiness sign too :-)

A Tale of Two Cities said...

Wow! You guys really packed in the fun in such a short time. I know you really enjoyed having them there.