Ireland - Day Two

Got a somewhat later start yesterday. This was due to what amounted to the kiss of death for someone suffering their first day of jet lag - I took an evening nap. After eating dinner, I came back to the hostel to put my things down. I laid across the bed and that was it. I was awoken by the sound of someone in the room, a new hostel guest. I got myself together, but it was too late to really do anything since Dublin closes up shop so much earlier. So, I walked around the city a bit, checking things out. Still, when I got back to the hostel, I couldn't get to sleep until really late and that screwed me for the next day.

However, for day two, it didn't stop me from getting out and seeing it all. Instead of doing too much walking, which always seems to do me in, I decided to rely a lot on the buses to stave off the exhaustion that occurs from walking everywhere. This new plan worked and I found I had more energy at night. I took advantage of the Hop On Hop Off bus that was part of my super saver ticket. Starting from the beginning, it was a great way to see certain things quickly that walking would only take up too much time doing. I got off at the Kilmainham Gaol (Jail) stop because this was one of the attractions I really, really wanted to visit. I wasn't disappointed. It turned out to be one of the highlights of my trip.

Afterwards, I grabbed the HOHO bus back to the city centre. I hoofed it over to Trinity College to see the Book of Kells and the Long Room. I was more impressed with the Long Room. Saw the Molly Malone statue, aptly nicknamed "the tart with the cart". Doing research about places to eat, I had read about a little cafe called Queen of Tarts that I wanted to try. It turned out to be exactly what I needed for dinner. Since the hostel served a full Irish breakfast, and I got a late start, I was full for the entire day and only needed a light dinner.

I decided, last minute, that I really did want to visit the Guinness Storehouse. The HOHO bus had stopped there prior to the Kilmainham stop and I began to feel that this was something I shouldn't miss. I'm not a beer drinker and I can't stand stout. Having visited both Amsterdam and Copenhagen, I could have cared less to visit the Heineken and Carlsberg breweries. But, there was something about Guinness which made me rethink my position about visiting a brewery. It turned out to be a cool experience and the complimentary pint you get up top in the Sky Bar was actually quite smooth and creamy. I had always heard the cliche about Guinness tasting better in Ireland, and now, I get to be part of the choir who agrees - even though I don't drink the stuff. The views of Dublin from the top of the Sky Bar are fantastic!

For the rest of the day, I centered my travels around the Grafton Street area, and walking a bit through St. Stephen's Green. I tried a Butler's hot chocolate but was more impressed with the service I recieved than the actual drink. It was so lukewarm, I ended up throwing most of it out. At night, I walked around the Temple Bar section before calling it a night.