Dublin Up on Writers

Hello everyone! My name is Ty and I am sure you have heard a little bit about me from my wonderful wife who has, until now, created this wonderful blog that many of our friends and family love to read. Now, I know I won’t do as good of a job as she did but I hope to convey how great of a time we had in the friendly town of Dublin, Ireland. As you may have seen from the wonderful Belfast/Northern Ireland post, that many of the sights were picturesque, post-card perfect views from the heavens, but we wanted to go and see the big city and maybe catch some great culture while we were at it.  So, Kelsie booked us a wonderful hotel in Balbriggan, a small town 45 minutes from city center. Guys, Balbriggan was an amazing secret because it was a simple train ride away from the city, quiet (except one 5 minute fight), and right next to the shore line. We stayed in Bracken Court Hotel and if you go to Dublin, you should look this place up because it was the nicest hotel we stayed at so far. From the spacious room to the 5 minute walk to the train station and beach, we had hit hotel gold because it was also very cheap.

Our first day, we went to the beach and had a “delightful” time exploring what the tides had left behind in the rocks. Sadly, we neglected to take a camera the first day and missed pictures of thousands of snails, some hermit crabs, and one single star-fish that made Kelsie’s trip. It was the first time I got to hold one and it was a great feeling! I don’t what the odds are of finding a wild star fish but it felt like treasure to us! 

This is a picture of the beach the next night we were there:

This is me with my new-found trusty shovel to go exploring.

Kelsie is using her good looks plus a flower to coax out some additional sea creatures. All we could sea was more see snails. Hahahaha sea what I did there! Oh okay, I might have been fishin’ a bit for those puns.

We did find a great view of the moon as the tides washed in over the dark sand. As you can see, the town was as calm as the beach and that is what you get all to yourself in Balbriggan.

Here's another relaxing picture.

As for our sightseeing, it came to us as no surprise that everyone said two things to see, and that was to go and see an Irish Pub and the Guiness Factory Storehouse. Well, the first thing we did was go see where the wonderful dark beer of the world got its start. Guiness was a beer that Kelsie and I had tried only once or twice and we were told that the beer was the best when served fresh from the tap at the storehouse. Well, I still think that it tastes like coffee and beer mixed but Kelsie liked the stuff after it had a while to lose some of the bubbliness (my scientific word for the carbonation) but nonetheless, it was a great beer that came free with the tour and it was definitely a great experience.

This is a sculpture that was made and stands from floor to ceiling. It was captivating and stands for all the things it took to get Guiness where it is today.

 Before Kelsie and I went, we had to pass the “look pretty while your husband moves this large metal support” test. Very few pass it, but the judge said Kelsie was the main reason we passed. Stupid right hand….just needed a few more inches.

This is a picture of one of the beers that were in our possession and that caramel and roasted barley was really showing through. It was as fresh as it gets and every flavor was enhanced by its 6 degrees Celsius temperature.   

 We took in the wonderful view from the Gravity Bar where we drank our delicious half pints and capped off a tour just the way any student would ever want to.

After our tour, we made our way on the tram back to city centre (Europe got to me evidently) and ate at a classic pub where we got Irish stew and chunky chips. The food was filling, warm, and good. It capped off our trip to Dublin with a full stomach and a yearning for bed.

Before I sign off of this entry, I would like to thank Kelsie for all the work she has done up to this point. I know that without her, our trip would not have ever been as great as it ever was. She has taken wonderful pictures, sorted out so many of our affairs and did so many of them correctly. Also, huge thanks for putting up with me, that takes talent. I love her and hope she will like this post enough to think that it will leave a positive mark on this wonderful Prague Blog.