The morning of Sunday the 11th I took a bus to the airport and picked Sean up where he was patiently waiting :). This was his first time in Europe! Since it was bright and early and he was jet-lagged we took a nap and then headed out into the city!
Day 1:
I showed him all around Dublin and we walked to Croke Park to watch a Gaelic Football mach - Dublin won!
action shot photo credit to Sean
After the game we headed to a pub nearby my place so he could enjoy his first real Guinness
Day 2:
Guinness Factory (both of our first times visiting) and Jameson Distillery (my second time, his first).
The Guinness Factory is a self-guided tour and the place is huge. We probably spent three hours there, part of which we spent becoming certified in pouring the perfect pint of Guinness!
the old ads are my favorite!
learning how to properly pour
proof!
best picture ever
Jameson Distillery
he became a "certified whiskey taster"
Day 3:
I had to go to class from 11-2 so he met me outside of my school building, about a 25 minute walk from my apartment. It's an easy walk but I was still impressed with his directional skills on his third day in the city :)
We grabbed a late lunch at a build-your-own-burger place called The Counter. They were delicious!
i can't believe i'm sharing this - i generally appear to be a very neat and clean person, but honestly, i am a little bit of a messy eater...particularly with this large burger...
he just had to document it!
Afterwards we went into a few churches, visited the grounds of Trinity University, and did some shopping!
walking into Trinity campus
so many bikes
beautiful campus
Day 4:
We went to Phoenix Park - check out the website. It's huge! This is where the president of Ireland and the American Ambassador's houses are located, as well as a huge amount of deer that come from the original herd from when the park first opened. We spent about three hours walking around and then enjoyed a little lunch outside at the park cafe.
entrance
jumping in front of a monument
the presidents house
we saw two Garda (police) motorcycles zoom by, behind them was this little brigade - we assumed the president was in one of the vehicles!
the deer! there were multiple herds this big throughout the park
i love the street lamps
Day 5:
Took the 9am train to Howth, a small fishing village north of Dublin. I went here my first weekend in Ireland and wanted to take Sean. It's an adorable little town with a great cliff walk. It ended up being a beautiful day (for Ireland)! After our little hike we enjoyed some fresh fish n' chips in town.
blooming bushes
taking a little break along the way
(my latest favorite picture of us!)
That evening in Dublin we went to a restaurant I'd been wanting to try called Pasta Fresca. It was pretty good! We both ordered pizza - too big for me to eat in one sitting:
After dinner we went to a "Pre-Paddy Party" one of the other American's was having for an event management class. All of the other American's were there as well as a lot of people from DBS, it was really fun!
photo credit: Ali Harden...thank you!
Day 6:
We slept in, grabbed a quick lunch, and then headed to the National Leprechaun Museum. Yes, that's right. It was about what you'd expect, but definitely funny and entertaining. We're glad we went!
in the "giant room" to get a feel of how a leprechaun would feel
at the end of the tour they had everyone draw a picture - these are our masterpieces
mine on left, his on right
We had a relaxing day around Dublin and grabbed dinner and a few last Guinness' for Sean in Temple Bar. Considering Saint Patty's day was the following day you could say it became a bit crowded - all part of the fun, though! I was happy he got to see the St. Patty's "scene" before leaving the next morning!
Day 7:
7am wake up call and got ready to meet my parents for breakfast! Yes you read it right - they're in Ireland right now :). Since it's quite a busy weekend in Dublin, after breakfast they took Sean to the airport and began their drive around Ireland! That is until Friday evening when they'll return to me, then we'll get some quality parent/daughter bonding time until Tuesday morning when they head back home.
Sean and I had a fantastic week together! I am so happy he got to come see me and see Europe for the first time. It was sad to say goodbye but I'll be back to the States in no time and have much to look forward to - my birthday is this Thursday (21st), my parents will be here all weekend, and a few weeks into April classes will already be wrapping up. Time sure is flying!
Hope everyone had a great Saint Patty's weekend - I'll post a few pictures of the Dublin celebration soon!
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