On Saturday morning, we woke up to, yep you guessed it, more snow! We apparently traveled to Ireland during their coldest winters in at least 18 years! Here are some more snow pictures...
As soon as we scraped the snow off the car, we were off to the DART for our second day in Dublin. This time we were more focused and on a mission...mostly to take the Guinness Storehouse tour. I was so looking forward to Jeff being able to do this, since this is all he had been talking about since we initially booked the trip. If I may digress here, I just want to emphasize how much of a beer nut Jeff is...the man loves beer. But not just any beer; you can say that he is a sort of connoisseur of beers. He particularly likes microbrews and Guinness is one of his favorites...you will certainly never see a bottle of Budweiser at our house! He has a more refined taste in beer, I suppose.Anyway, this particular Saturday in Ireland was also "protest day"; all around the city people were protesting the government and the "bailout" needed to keep Ireland running smoothly. People were not happy and the entire city was plastered with fliers and propaganda regarding the rally on the steps of the government building on Saturday. Jeff was even given a flier as we walked around and asked if he would like to participate...I thought it was hilarious since he doesn't look Irish!
There was just so many different things to see and do while we were there...I mean, how many times do you actually get to see a protest in action, just walking around the city, in another country? Not often, so we were taking advantage of every minute of it. There were Garda (police) everywhere trying to make sure that the protests remained peaceful (which they did).
We eventually came upon Christchurch, another amazingly beautiful Irish church. I just couldn't help going inside and touring the place. Once again, the history alone is contagious, but coupled with the architecture, I was utterly spellbound. I was so moved in each of the churches we toured.
There was a gift shop in the church with the coolest name...the Foxy Friars Gift Shop! How awesome is that?!?
The best part about this church was that we could go down into the crypts and look around. There were so many neat things down there...like the skeletons of a cat and a rat that were found mummified in the organ when they were originally excavated.
There were actually people buried in the crypts...it was a little creepy but also pretty serene. The funniest part of our visit to the crypts was that there was a bathroom down there...and you know that I just had to go and visit the bathroom. I even took a picture of it...I means, how many times do you actually get to go to the bathroom in a crypt from the 11th century!
There were so many interesting artifacts and history in the crypts. We weren't allowed to take pictures of most of it, but here is some of the shots that we did get.
After Christchurch we headed to the Guinness Storehouse...it was a long walk in the snow, but hey, we were on vacation, so we made the best of it! I knew that Jeff was really looking forward to this tour and I was happy because he was happy. Anyway, as we approached, we started to see what all of the buzz was about...plus, we saw some funny things along the way, like this sign in a residential apartment complex.
...and this memorial that was across the street from the gates of the Guinness Storehouse. It was a tribute memorial to a soldier that had died. The funniest part was that the memorial stood right outside of a bar. I wonder how he died and if intoxication had something to do with it. Hmm...
Sometimes the journey was better than the actual tours! Anyway, here are some pictures as we approached St. James Gate.
Once inside, we took a ton of pictures. I mean literally a ton! I would love to be able to post them all, but I am so far behind in my blogging and I just don't have that much patience, so we will have to stick to the highlights (although I am sure that will still take a ton of time). The tour is a self guided one, which basically takes you through the entire beer making process. It starts in a huge foyer, which shows the 9,000 year lease for the Guinness Brewery...guess they won't be leaving or going out of business any time soon, huh?
We then began the tour...here are some of the highlights (sorry for the number of pictures, but, when you go to a place that your husband has been dreaming of his whole life, you tend to take a lot of pictures)!
We also got to sample the product, which (of course) Jeff was more than happy to do. Hell, even I drank some Guinness...after all, when at the Guinness Brewery, do as all the other people do!
And, I have to admit, it wasn't half bad. I guess what they say is true...it does taste better in Ireland! After we sampled the beer, we walked around and looked the Guinness' advertising over the years. They have had a ton of slogans and products over the years and it was fun to walk through and see how they evolved over time.
After the tour, we headed up to the Gravity Bar, where we could enjoy another pint of Guinness and the amazing 360 degree views of the city. From that vantage point, Dublin was immense and amazing. I just kept snapping pictures...
It was a really fun morning (even though we started drinking Guinness at about 10:30 am on an empty stomach). Just knowing that Jeff was in heaven made it that much more memorable for me. He was like a kid on Christmas morning, wide eyed and excited! Finally, as we were leaving, I got this hilarious picture of Jeff and a HUGE glass of Guinness!
The face says it all, right? :-)
After the Guinness tour, we were starving so we headed to the Jameson's Distillery and ate lunch. We would have taken the tour, but there was a huge wait, so we just ate some soup and sandwiches and headed back out into Dublin. We basically just wandered, window shopped and took some pictures.
It was another successful and fun day in Dublin. I was upset that we didn't get to do as much in the city as we had hoped; between all the snow and the temperatures, it made getting around the city difficult. The things we did see and do were amazing and made me want to go back...soon.
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