Our last day of the trip, we wake up in Dublin. Even though we are not at full strength health-wise, we decide to get out and see a little of the city. We walk the streets along a pretty river, over a bridge. We do a little shopping; we listen to some live music, and we go to the Guinness Storehouse – listed as a “must-see” by Trip Advisor. As a rule, I don’t love museums. I’m pleasantly surprised to find I’m enjoying the visit once we get there. It’s interactive and interesting. The Storehouse is a beautiful space – full of gorgeous photography, moving water, different mediums to tell the story and even a room dedicated to smelling the different ingredients in Guinness and stages of the brewing process. They’ve isolated different scents and I love they are teaching using all the senses. I’m finding it fascinating. At the end, as part of the ticket, we get to go to the top floor of the storehouse – to the Gravity Bar which has a beautiful 360-degree view of Dublin. It’s a little cloudy but we can see the mountains not too far away. There are a lot of people and most of them have a pint of Guinness in front of them. We’re lucky that someone leaves a table right next to the window. I grab it and Chris gets our drinks. I’m going to taste my first Guinness! I’ve always thought it looks bitter and probably has an unpleasantly strong taste, but after learning all about the process I decide that I need to give it a try. After all, if I hate it, I don’t have to drink it all, right?  When Chris returns with our drinks, I’m surprised that he has chosen an IPA. He drinks Guinness regularly and likes it. After a toast, I take a tentative sip. I’m very surprised. It is smooth and rich – not bitter at all. I really like it. I realize it might be the view and being in Ireland that has influenced my taste buds, but I enjoy the whole thing!

Guinness Storehouse, Ireland’s No. 1 visitor attraction is a “must see” on any visit to Dublin. Housed in an old fermentation plant in the heart of St James’s Gate Brewery, the now seven-story visitor experience tells the story of Ireland’s iconic drink and brings to life the heritage of this world-famous beer. Your journey begins standing at the bottom of the world’s largest pint glass, which rises through the building. It is a dramatic story that begins over 250 years ago and ends in Gravity(R) Bar, Dublin’s highest bar where you will receive a complimentary pint of GUINNESS(R) while enjoying spectacular views over Dublin.

www.tripadvisor.ca

It’s strange. No matter how long we travel for, I’m always ready to come home by the end. Our trip to Ireland has been short – just 8-days. You would think I would feel like it wasn’t enough, especially given all the wonderful experiences we had, but in the last day or two I feel ready to be home. Perhaps (probably) that had something to do with the fact that we’ve both been less than 100 percent.

We packed a whole lot into 8 days – a really long first day, time in Clifden and on Achill Island, enjoying amazing live music and exceptional food, driving up in what felt like the sky and along wild coastline, visiting less of Galway than we thought we would, and ending up in Dublin.

Reflections

Doing this travel blog, helped me to remember and capture all these experiences we had in beautiful Ireland. It also means I have completed my goal of posting 8 times in a month for my Toastmasters project – yay! That feels good. I’ve been avoiding this project for more than a year because it felt like so much work.

While travel can be stressful and exhausting, it is also fun and helps me to be adventurous. When I travel, I realize that not everyone lives like, or thinks like I do. It helps me to remain flexible in my thinking and behavior – this is quite challenging for me a whole lot of the time.  I love that when we travel, most often, Chris and I are together, doing the same thing, spending time with each other, with no external responsibilities. This is one of the things we do to help build a strong relationship – married 30 years this year!

If you enjoyed my Ireland Travel Stories, be sure to let me know and I might consider doing another travel blog on our next trip. Thanks for journeying with us to Ireland!