Dana Sue: some people study for midterms, some people go to ireland

The weekend before midterms (which was probably not the smartest decision, but so worth it!) we took our first trip out of Italy! Selina and I, along with our new friends Kaisa and Mallorie, went to the Emerald Isle for two and a half days.

After arriving at the airport in Dublin, the ‘Paddywagon’ picked us up and took us to our hostel, ‘Paddy’s Palace.’ It sounds dumb, but everything in Ireland is SO IRISH. It’s exactly what you picture in your mind when you think of Ireland. The first night we went to eat dinner at an Irish Pub. It was such a good break from Italy and Italian food…the menu was in English, the waiter spoke English, and the food was more like food from home! We all had a pint of Guinness, a famous Irish beer, with our dinner. Guinness is super dark and is honestly the best beer I’ve ever tasted…it is actually good! After dinner we stayed at the pub where an Irish band was performing traditional Irish music…once again, SO IRISH! We couldn’t have had a more Irish first night in Ireland.

The weather was a bit cold and rainy, but we still had a great day. We took a bus tour around Dublin to get us from place to place. Our first stop was Dublin Castle, where governmental business is still held today. Our next stop was at the Guinness Storehouse, where they make all the beer. We did a self-guided tour around the storehouse and read signs about each step in the process of making Guinness. The tour included a taste test and when you get to the top (which also gives a 360 degree view of Dublin) everyone gets a free pint of Guinness. We enjoyed that…even though it was only 1pm. After the Guinness Storehouse we went to Kilmainham Jail, a jail where many Irish rebels were imprisoned and executed during the Irish Revolution. As if the prison cells weren’t creepy enough, the tour guide told us super creepy stories of each of the inmates and even some of their execution stories.

all of us at the Guinness Storehouse

a view into one of the cells at Kilmainham Jail

That night we went on a ‘literary pub crawl.’ It sounds just as interesting as it was. Two actors or ‘literary enthusiasts’ as they preferred to be called, took a group of people of all ages (from 20 to 60) from pub to pub. They stopped at certain landmarks in between, like Trinity College, to act out Irish literature. It was absolutely hilarious and so much fun.

The next day we took a day trip to Howth, a fishing village about 30 minutes from Dublin. We ate magnificent seafood from the nearby sea, saw some strange seals beg for food, and saw some ‘real Ireland’: so much green land and even an Irish castle. It was the perfect way to end our trip to Ireland.

We flew from Dublin to Pisa (since the cheap airlines don’t fly to Florence) and decided to stay in Pisa for a night. Pisa is kind of an odd town…there’s not much there except for the Leaning Tower of Pisa. So we took the classic leaning tower pictures and then headed back to Florence.