Day 2 - Two Times Around Dublin

Last night was a tough one for Jojo.  He is recovering from a cold and unfortunately was up coughing for most of the night.  We both woke up around 6:15 and spent a half hour checking our phones.  Jojo decided to roll over for a bit, and next thing I knew we had both fallen asleep for another four hours!!  I guess we needed some extra sleep.  Feeling quite a bit more rested we got up and started getting ready for the day.  Today we had a Hop-On-Hop-Off bus tour booked, as well as a tour of the Guinness Storehouse.  The weather was shaping up to be another beautiful day with mild temperatures and partly sunny skies.

I am a big fan of Hop-On-Hop-Off tours.  I think they are great way to get a feel for a city, and they offer many options for things to do and experience.  Today’s tour was no exception.  Dublin is an amazing city full of history and interesting attractions.  We saw many historical monuments, buildings, churches, cathedrals, pubs, and a few famous breweries and distilleries (Jameson, Teeling, and of course Guinness).  There are a lot of beautiful green spaces and parks in the city - most notable is Phoenix Park which is twice as big as Central Park in New York, and five times as big as Hyde Park in London.

Crossing The River Liffey On The Hop-On-Hop-Off Tour

By the time we went around the loop once we were getting close to our booked time at the Guinness Storehouse so we decided to stay on for another half loop where the bus would drop us off right at the front door.  It wasn’t entirely clear how the Storehouse experience worked but we eventually found our way to the fourth floor where we would attend Guinness Academy - Jojo and I both passed our pint-pouring final exam, and have the certificate to prove it!

Jojo Hard At Work

We Passed!!😁

After that we headed to the rooftop bar with 360-degree views of the city.  It was very packed and we only lasted long enough to quickly take in the views.  We then went back down to floor 1 and walked through 5 floors of interpretive displays detailing the history and process of the Guinness brewery.  It is a truly awe-inspiring facility taking up 65 acres of space, and producing three million pints per day!!🤯

Guinness Factory

At “The Most Famous Gate In The World”

After the tour and a quick trip to the gift shop we hopped back into the bus. A few stops shy of home we decided to get off the bus again and make a quick side trip to the Oscar Wilde memorial which is located in Merrion Square Park.  We had seen the house where he was born, and the house where he was raised, earlier in the day on our first trip around Dublin.  We also have both read his most famous novel, A Picture Of Dorian Gray.

Oscar Wilde Memorial

We walked back to the hotel to freshen up before heading to dinner at The Boxty House.  Boxty is a traditional Irish potato pancake, and they did not disappoint!!  Jojo and I both had chicken boxty and a pint of red ale.  The Boxty came in a creamy leak sauce with two crispy leak bits on top.  Sooooo yummy!!  Jojo had a seat facing the sidewalk and commented on how interesting and different all the people are from young to old, rich to poor, plain to wild.  We have also both noticed how many people still smoke - it’s impossible to walk down the street without passing or following behind at least a dozen smokers. 🤢

Yummy Boxty!!

After being so well fed we found sone energy and decided to go for another walk.  We headed east up the River Liffey towards a beautiful building which we would find out was the Four Courts - location of the Supreme Court, the High Court and the Dublin Circuit Court.  The fourth court, the Central Criminal Court, was housed there until 2010.

We hit a stroke of good luck as we turned to head back when we saw the Brazen Inn Pub - Ireland’s oldest pub.  We had discussed going there at some point, and our good fortune led us there tonight!  It was very busy inside - we were lucky to find a barrel and two stools in the partially covered inner courtyard, which is surrounded by three or four indoor bars and seating areas.  Jojo bought us dessert - another delicious pint of amber ale, Smithwicks this time.

Cheers!!

The Brazen Inn Pub

After we were done dessert 🤣 we strolled back to the hotel to relax and get ready for bed.  We had a nice chat with Mandy and Julie who are in Valencia tonight, and are now heading to bed to rest up for our final full day in Dublin tomorrow.  Thanks to everybody who is reading along, and talk to you tomorrow!!