Dublin: Guinness, Ziplines, and Castles

Our next stop on our trip was Dublin. It was a bit of an afterthought to add it to the itinerary, and we were only there for two nights. 

Dublin Castle

Once in Dublin, we met up with our friends from Bilbao, Piper and Brent.  We didn't have a ton of time,  so we had to pick and choose what we wanted to see. 

The first day, we took the train to Malahide. Matt had been to Dublin 5 years ago, and visited a castle there, and recommended it Since it was a nice day, we decided to check it out. 

After a 20 minute ride, we walked through a beautiful green park (it was the Emerald Isle, after all!), enjoying the sun. We made it to the castle only to find that it was closed because of renovations. We were still able to walk around the edge of the property. 

Castle in Malahide

On our way back from the castle, we came across the most fun playground I've ever seen in my life. There was a zipline. After a minute of contemplation, we decided to have some play time. Not only did it make for some great pictures, it is one of my fondest memories in Ireland. 

Piper and I racing on the zipline

Later that day, we walked over to the Guinness storehouse to check out that situation. I learned about Guinness and it's history, and one of my favorite parts (aside from the tasting, of course) was the display about Guinness advertising. Since my degree has an emphasis in advertising, it was fascinating to see the techniques they've used and hear the stories behind the campaigns.

The famous Guinness toucan

After the tour, we went up to the top floor and got to enjoy our complimentary pints at the Sky Bar, which gives an amazing 360 view of Dublin. It was a relaxing end to a busy day.

Our group in the Sky Bar

Our last day we wandered around the city, checked out Trinity College, and did some shopping on Grafton Street. We also enjoyed some traditional Irish fare-Guinness casserole- and listened to some live music.

Enjoying a hearty meal at the pub

I enjoyed Dublin, but to me, it didn't have that spark that Edinburgh and London had. What it really did was make me want to explore more of Ireland. All of the people we interacted with, whether it was at our hotel, in restaurants, or just asking directions from people on the street, were incredibly warm and helpful. I'm hoping that I'll get an opportunity to travel around Ireland a bit more before I head home. 

Next week, we conclude the Semana Blanca series with London!

Originally published 3.5.12