Dublin: What to do

Ok...maybe by the time we take our next vacation I will be done blogging about the last. Sorry folks. I know I have been back in the country almost 2 months now and I still haven't gotten you guys out of Dublin...I will try harder to blog more.

So what did we do in Dublin? Besides eat and drink? No much....In fact one of my to-do's is to go drink. So let's get to it.

1. Day trip to Howth.
This is a nice little trip to take. I know it is not really Dublin, but I still recommend it. It is a 30 minute train ride east of the city. Howth is a little port town on the Irish Sea. Why go here? It is quaint, beautiful, you can feed the seals, you can eat great Irish fare like fish and chips, there is a little park and playground if you have kids, and there is a bit of shopping. (Don't let the shopping really sell you that much, it wasn't great). We enjoyed getting out and seeing the ocean. There are some nice views and it is a nice area to leisurely walk. There are lots of good restaurants and we ate at the Oar House. We spent most of the morning there and went back after lunch, so it wasn't a full day, but a nice escape.








2. Trinity College
What a gorgeous campus this is. We took the 30 minute tour, which I recommend. It gives you a little history on the college and you realize it has really been around for a long time. They also preface you a bit on the Book of Kells, so when you go see it, you know more about what you are looking at. The Book of Kells is a must see. On the surface it is not overly impressive, but when you think about how long ago it was done and completely by hand, that is when it becomes pretty awesome to look at it. That is why I think the tour was great. Once I knew more about it, it was infinitely more interesting. Plus...at the end of going to see the Book of Kells you walk through the old library which is a magnificent treat. It looks like something out of a movie or another era. Truly how you imagine an old college library to be. My favorite part of the whole Trinity college experience.

Isn't it AWESOME!

3. Shop Grafton Street
Yes...this is a must and yes there is a Gap and other stores we already all know about...but what a nice little afternoon to have spent perusing the other interesting shops. We found several great little finds. If you have little girls...take them to the Accessorize store...soooo cute clothes, shoes, jewelry, bags, etc... They have some great things for mom too!

4. Visit the Guinness Brew house
This was not at the top of my list of things I was dying to do in Ireland, but it is a definite must I will admit. Even if you don't drink beer, it was a great tour, an impressive building, and there is an amazing 360 degree view of Dublin at the top at the Gravity Bar. SO for nothing else....go for that. The gift shop is one of the best I have ever seen too.

Sarah playing in the Hops (Who says there is nothing for the kids at the brewery!)

Charlie pretending he is excited about it sample of Guinness! He is not a beer drinker.

These guys are beer drinkers, on the other hand....

Sarah and her Sprite at the Gravity Bar

5. Go find a pub and enjoy the good life in Dublin. If you are lucky they will be playing some Irish music and if you are really lucky, there might be some Irish dancing!