What a week it was! Packed with sight-seeing and three very different cultures we set off to experience it all. Our first stop was Dublin which naturally I was most excited for because of my Irish background. Jessica and I left the Santa Maria Novella train station at 3 am so we could catch our flight in Pisa-going on 2 hours of sleep was not easy. We made it to the airport and got on the plane to sit there for a couple hours because everything was backed up due to fog. When we arrived at the airport we were greeted by a man named Peter Fox who had bubbled out my name on a piece of paper and held it up for us. We were to be staying with Briga who lived down the road from Peter, they have been great friends for 40 years. We met both of them in Rome and she offered her house up to us if ever we visited Dublin. Peter had gotten all five of us bus passes for the three days as a gift for us, which made life so much easier. He showed us through town a little bit before we arrived in Raheny, which was where they lived. Briga made us some tea and coffee as we got settled and freshened up. We headed back into town to check out some of the sites. We went on the hop-on hop-off bus which described various areas around the city then naturally got off at the Guinness Brewery stop at St. James’s gate. We toured the brewery which was very neat. Arthur Guinness signed the lease for the building for 9,000 years-they knew they were on to something good. It was interesting to learn about the hops, barley and water used to make the beer as well as the advertising that has been done for it over the years such as the “Lovely Day for a Guinness” with the famous Parrot. We also learned how to pour a pint of Guinness, it must settle for 2 minutes before filling the rest of it up. Who knew there could be so much to a beer? At the end of our tour we enjoyed a pint of Guinness at the Gravity tower that overlooked the whole city. After the tour we went to dinner in the Temple Bar area then had a few drinks at The Temple Bar. It was a fun atmosphere and we were able to enjoy some live Irish music, everyone was dancing and singing a long. Once the played Galway Girl I knew that I was where I belonged. We met some great locals who were a lot of fun. After getting home and accidently setting the house alarm off-sorry Briga :/ we settled in for some much needed sleep. The next day I went to mass with Peter at the church he usually goes to then came back and enjoyed a nice home cooked breakfast. It was a beautiful day, we were very fortunate. Peter and Briga filled me in on some Irish history while we were waiting for the rest of the girls to get up. They described how the Protestants discriminated against the Catholics for so long-so bad that the Catholics couldn’t vote they even had to have there church facing away from the town center and even though it was designed to reach the main street they would not let it go out that far. It was a time they don’t like to think or talk about. Briga and I also sat out in her garden and chatted for a bit. They had wonderful stories to tell that mixed with Irish humor was extremely enjoyable to listen to. We headed out to Howth, which is a harbor town that was a little ways away. It was very beautiful, lined with cute shops and restaurants and tons of sail boats. We walked along the pier and took in the beauty of it all. We also enjoyed some fish and chips by the water. We rushed into the town center to shop and Pennies which was a clothing store that had cute but cheap clothing among other things-you can imagine 5 girls rushing around there trying to hurry to be home in time for dinner. Briga had made us a delicious meal with Roast Beef and tons of vegetables. I had a Parsnip for the first time which was actually very good. After some wine and funny banter between Peter and Briga Peter took us to the Brazen Head, which is the oldest pub in Dublin. We received certificates for pouring a pint of Guinness and enjoyed some Jameson. Peter referred to us as his daughters and constantly was looking out for us. The next day Peter took us around town so we went to St. Stephen’s Green which was a beautiful park which little bridges and tons of vibrant tulips and lilacs and little ducks. After that we headed to Grafton Street where we saw the famous Molly Malone statue and took in the fun shops, musicians on the road and beautiful flower vendors. We had lunch off Grafton St. then headed towards the Jameson Distillery. On our way we stopped at a place called The Queen of Tarts for some sweets then stopped at St. Michan’s Church. It is a very old church in Dublin with a lot of crypts underneath it. We were able to take a tour and see two of them, it was very unexpected. We had to climb down narrow stairs into what looked like a dungeon there were three caskets that had been broken so we could see their dead bodies! These bodies were around 600 years old! One of the bodies what that of an old crusader, at the time it was said to be good luck if you were able to touch a crusader’s hand so we were allowed to touch his hand for good luck. First and last time I think I will touch a skeleton. The Sheares brothers were also buried who were leading a rebellion in Ireland years ago and were caught and sentenced to a brutal death. After the tombs and mummies we headed to the Jameson Distillery just in time to catch the last tour. Jameson is different than American whiskey because it is aged in used barrels and is distilled three times rather than one time which Jack Daniels is. After the tour we enjoyed a glass of Jameson with Ginger Ale, which is now my favorite drink. After we headed home for another home cooked meal of turkey and vegetables. I also had my first Irish Coffee that Briga made for us all- very good! Such a process to make it it was. By that time we were too tired so we settled in and chatted with Briga and Peter before going to bed. We had an early flight so Peter dropped us off at the airport. It was very sad saying good bye to them, I felt like there wasn’t enough time there and so much more to see. The people were wonderful, I could not thank Briga and Peter enough for the kindness they showed us. It is people like them that make this world such a beautiful place. I know that I will not be able to stay away from Ireland too long, whether it was my Irish background or the comfort of people speaking or simply the beauty of the city I fell in love. With 600 churches and 900 pubs in the city its hard not too. Peter would speak of how he goes to mass sometimes at night on Sundays then heads to the Brazen head after for a beer, this is why the Irish are loved so much. Up Next: LONDON BABY!
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