A Laid Back Week in Dublin

In the past week I have learned the following things:
1.  Professors or 'Lecturers' as they are called here will look at you like you have 7 heads and serious peppa tooth if you ask them to look over an outline for a paper you wrote that isn't due until January
and
2.  How to distinguish different types of whiskey & scotch..

I'd say that's a successful week, right?

After last weekend's trip to Galway we decided to 'lay low' this week and do some exploring in Dublin.  Megan and I attended ALL of our classes this week, which we were very proud of.  We even handed in some essay outlines for our professors to look over, we're doin' big things!  On Wednesday after class Megan and I went to St. Patrick's Cathedral in town.  St. Patricks was founded in 1191 and is the oldest cathedral in Ireland.  The interior was absolutely amazing.  Much of it has been preserved from medieval times and is very well kept.

 Tiles Preserved from Medieval times

On Friday, Meg, Sam, Kody, Martha and I set ourselves on a mission to do a Temple Bar Pub Crawl.  Temple bar is a very well known area in downtown Dublin filled with pubs, shops and other touristy attractions.  I think we made it into about 6 or 7 pubs, and even the actual 'Temple Bar' itself.  We all really enjoyed ourselves, and Meg and I even got to pour our own Guinness! (not sure how we finagled that one..but I'm not really surprised to be honest)

 All of us at Fitzgerald's Pub

 How to pour a Guinness: 101

 Temple Bar

The girls laughing at the expense of some poor girl who tripped on the cobble stone...

On Saturday we laid low, and then today (Sunday) we went into town for a tour of the Old Jameson Distillery.  The tour was quite interesting, this distillery and a replica of the original one which is in Cork.  At the end of the tour there was some complimentary Jameson, and at the beginning of the tour they asked for volunteers to be whiskey testers...you better believe my hand was the first one in the air!  So at the end of the tour in addition to my Jameson, neat in a snifter...I got to try three different types of whiskey, and I learned to distinguish between Irish whiskey, American whiskey (Jack Daniels) and Scotch (Johnny Walker Black Label).  Of course, Jameson was my favorite :)

 All of us at the Distillery 

 Meg & I on the tour

 Whiskey Princess

 Martha, Sam & Kody with their Jameson drinks

The Graduate..(official Jameson Whiskey taster...going on my resume)

I am SO excited for this week, Mom & Dad are arriving in Dublin on Thursday :) They will be staying in Dublin until Saturday, and then on Sunday we will be driving down the East coast of Ireland through Wicklow and Wexford.  Should be a fantastic time.  Actually...the thought of driving in a standard vehicle on the opposite side of the road with my parents (for those of you who know them...bicker like children..and I'm not sure who's a worse backseat driver) is slightly frightening.. But I'm sure the first hand view of the countryside and coast will be unreal.  I really hope we get stuck behind some cows for a while so I can get out and try to ride one...

Well until next time, enjoy!

xoxo

Lea