Day 19 - 05/19/17
Flight to Dublin
Our morning in Chelsea started very early with a 5 a.m. wake up. We had our flight at 8:30 a.m. and needed to get to the Gatwick Airport which was about 45 minutes away from us. We planned on taking the city bus to the coach station, but we wouldn’t have been able to get a coach until 6:30 a.m. and that would’ve been cutting it too close. Instead, we tried to brainstorm ideas, but because we were short on time and resources we decided to split a cab to the airport. Uber wasn’t an option either since it was so early and the app wouldn’t work for us. Our cab fee ended up being about 150 pounds, but at least we got to the airport by 6:30 a.m. We printed our tickets at the check-in desk and made our way to security. Security was fairly quick to get through so we decided to hang out at Starbucks until our gate was announced. I decided to get a Vanilla Sweet Creame Cold Brew Iced Coffee to help me wake up a little. Our gate was announced 30 minutes before our flight, but due to Gatwick’s size and structure, we had to walk at least 10 minutes to get to our gate on time. At our gate, I was forced to check my carry-on bag because it didn’t fit in the basket outside the ticket counter used to check the size of bags, but at least I didn’t have to pay for it and everything I would need for our short flight could be easily carried. They started boarding our plane around 8:30 a.m. and we had to walk from the gate onto the runway to get to our plane. The plane was a little less comfortable and gave an uneasy feeling with its plastic yellow and blue seats. There were no pockets in the backs of the seats so we had to keep our personal belongings on our lap or under the seat in front of us. I had a middle seat, but since I was sitting in-between Emily and Rachel and the flight was only an hour long it wasn’t that big of a deal. We had some entertainment on our flight when we weren’t sleeping because of the two hen parties and single stag party that were accompanying our flight to Dublin. The flight itself was pretty quick and it felt like we landed in Dublin in no time.
Dublin Airport and Bus Ride to Hostel
Once we landed, we had to go through customs. We waited in line for about 45 minutes before security checked our passports. The officer was very kind to us as we went through customs and sent us on our way without any issues. Once we got through customs, we made our way to baggage claim so I could retrieve my bag. We found my bag on the belt and then started walking towards the bus service. We went ahead and bought our bus tickets and a hop-on, hop-off city bus tour ticket for Friday and Saturday. We walked to the bus stop and were directed to the right bus so we could get to our hostel as quickly as possible. Our bus ride to the hostel was a little more than a half hour, but it was nice to just relax for a little since we had gotten up so early that morning.
Hostel
After our bus, we walked about 10 minutes to get to the hostel. We had to get buzzed into the building since we didn’t have room keys and then we walked towards the front desk to check in. They gave us some linens and our keys and sent us on our way. Our room was on the same level so luckily, we didn’t have to take the stairs or get lost trying to find our way around. The hostel itself was pretty nice and better than I expected in terms of appearances. Our room had four bunk beds (slept eight people) and I was assigned to the top bunk. No one else was there when we started unpacking so we weren’t really sure if we were going to have more roommates or not. We were each given a locker to put our stuff in, but we had to supply our own locks to lock them up.
La Pausa Café
After moving in to our hostel, we walked down the street to a local café. We packed some stuff in our bags for the day since we planned on staying out for most of the afternoon. The café was pretty small and had some indoor and outdoor seating. I ordered a chipotle chicken wrap with onion and it was absolutely delicious. The other items on their menu looked pretty good too, but we were crunched for time and wanted to save our money.
Hop-On, Hop-Off Bus Tour
Since we had already paid the €17 for our two-day bus tour pass, we decided to put it to good use. This pass also included a ticket to the Guinness Factory. We rode the bus all around Dublin and even got off a time or two to enjoy the area. We decided to explore Trinity College with the intentions of going into their library, but it was very crowded and kind of expensive to get in so instead, we just explored the beautiful campus. It was a nice day for the tour since there wasn’t any rain. After visiting Trinity College, we took to bus to the Guinness Factory.
Guinness Factory
The Guinness Factory was very interactive. You learned their story as you moved throughout the museum through various plaques, demonstrations and videos. Since there were no tour guides, you were able to move at your own pace. Emily, Rachel and I spent a good amount of time exploring the factory. We went through the sample room and learned the proper way to drink beer (you breathe in, take a big sip, allow it to coat your pallet, swallow, then exhale in case you’re curious). We were also given vouchers upon entry to redeem a free pint (or soft drink) at any of the restaurants or Gravity Bar. The Gravity Bar was on the top floor of the factory and gave us a panoramic view of Dublin. We met some people that were visiting Dublin on a stag party. They were very nice and gave us some suggestions on things to do close to Chelsea when we returned to London.
Murray’s
After visiting the factory, we waited 15 minutes for the Hop-On, Hop-Off bus to return. We took it back to main street and started looking for a place to eat. We were all very indecisive, but starving so we settled on a place down the street called Murray’s. It was a very loud pub full of rowdy Irishmen. They were playing a rugby game on the projector screen, which only added to the high noise level. Everyone was having a good time and enjoying themselves which was fun to watch. I ended up ordering a burger and fries for 16 euros.
Hostel
When we got back to the hostel that night we paid for our Wicklow Bus Tour tickets and made our way back to our room. The lights were turned off when we got back to our room (around 10 p.m.) so we couldn’t tell if anyone else had been assigned to our room or not. One of the beds looked like it had a body it in, but really it was only a comforter messed up on the bed. The bathrooms were a little less than desirable since they lacked sanitation in some areas and it was frightening to take a shower, but we ended up getting ready for bed without any issues. It wasn’t difficult to fall asleep since we were tired, couldn’t access the wi-fi, and had to get up early the next day for our Wicklow Bus Tour.
Our morning in Chelsea started very early with a 5 a.m. wake up. We had our flight at 8:30 a.m. and needed to get to the Gatwick Airport which was about 45 minutes away from us. We planned on taking the city bus to the coach station, but we wouldn’t have been able to get a coach until 6:30 a.m. and that would’ve been cutting it too close. Instead, we tried to brainstorm ideas, but because we were short on time and resources we decided to split a cab to the airport. Uber wasn’t an option either since it was so early and the app wouldn’t work for us. Our cab fee ended up being about 150 pounds, but at least we got to the airport by 6:30 a.m. We printed our tickets at the check-in desk and made our way to security. Security was fairly quick to get through so we decided to hang out at Starbucks until our gate was announced. I decided to get a Vanilla Sweet Creame Cold Brew Iced Coffee to help me wake up a little. Our gate was announced 30 minutes before our flight, but due to Gatwick’s size and structure, we had to walk at least 10 minutes to get to our gate on time. At our gate, I was forced to check my carry-on bag because it didn’t fit in the basket outside the ticket counter used to check the size of bags, but at least I didn’t have to pay for it and everything I would need for our short flight could be easily carried. They started boarding our plane around 8:30 a.m. and we had to walk from the gate onto the runway to get to our plane. The plane was a little less comfortable and gave an uneasy feeling with its plastic yellow and blue seats. There were no pockets in the backs of the seats so we had to keep our personal belongings on our lap or under the seat in front of us. I had a middle seat, but since I was sitting in-between Emily and Rachel and the flight was only an hour long it wasn’t that big of a deal. We had some entertainment on our flight when we weren’t sleeping because of the two hen parties and single stag party that were accompanying our flight to Dublin. The flight itself was pretty quick and it felt like we landed in Dublin in no time.
Dublin Airport and Bus Ride to Hostel
Once we landed, we had to go through customs. We waited in line for about 45 minutes before security checked our passports. The officer was very kind to us as we went through customs and sent us on our way without any issues. Once we got through customs, we made our way to baggage claim so I could retrieve my bag. We found my bag on the belt and then started walking towards the bus service. We went ahead and bought our bus tickets and a hop-on, hop-off city bus tour ticket for Friday and Saturday. We walked to the bus stop and were directed to the right bus so we could get to our hostel as quickly as possible. Our bus ride to the hostel was a little more than a half hour, but it was nice to just relax for a little since we had gotten up so early that morning.
Hostel
After our bus, we walked about 10 minutes to get to the hostel. We had to get buzzed into the building since we didn’t have room keys and then we walked towards the front desk to check in. They gave us some linens and our keys and sent us on our way. Our room was on the same level so luckily, we didn’t have to take the stairs or get lost trying to find our way around. The hostel itself was pretty nice and better than I expected in terms of appearances. Our room had four bunk beds (slept eight people) and I was assigned to the top bunk. No one else was there when we started unpacking so we weren’t really sure if we were going to have more roommates or not. We were each given a locker to put our stuff in, but we had to supply our own locks to lock them up.
La Pausa Café
After moving in to our hostel, we walked down the street to a local café. We packed some stuff in our bags for the day since we planned on staying out for most of the afternoon. The café was pretty small and had some indoor and outdoor seating. I ordered a chipotle chicken wrap with onion and it was absolutely delicious. The other items on their menu looked pretty good too, but we were crunched for time and wanted to save our money.
Hop-On, Hop-Off Bus Tour
Since we had already paid the €17 for our two-day bus tour pass, we decided to put it to good use. This pass also included a ticket to the Guinness Factory. We rode the bus all around Dublin and even got off a time or two to enjoy the area. We decided to explore Trinity College with the intentions of going into their library, but it was very crowded and kind of expensive to get in so instead, we just explored the beautiful campus. It was a nice day for the tour since there wasn’t any rain. After visiting Trinity College, we took to bus to the Guinness Factory.
Guinness Factory
The Guinness Factory was very interactive. You learned their story as you moved throughout the museum through various plaques, demonstrations and videos. Since there were no tour guides, you were able to move at your own pace. Emily, Rachel and I spent a good amount of time exploring the factory. We went through the sample room and learned the proper way to drink beer (you breathe in, take a big sip, allow it to coat your pallet, swallow, then exhale in case you’re curious). We were also given vouchers upon entry to redeem a free pint (or soft drink) at any of the restaurants or Gravity Bar. The Gravity Bar was on the top floor of the factory and gave us a panoramic view of Dublin. We met some people that were visiting Dublin on a stag party. They were very nice and gave us some suggestions on things to do close to Chelsea when we returned to London.
Murray’s
After visiting the factory, we waited 15 minutes for the Hop-On, Hop-Off bus to return. We took it back to main street and started looking for a place to eat. We were all very indecisive, but starving so we settled on a place down the street called Murray’s. It was a very loud pub full of rowdy Irishmen. They were playing a rugby game on the projector screen, which only added to the high noise level. Everyone was having a good time and enjoying themselves which was fun to watch. I ended up ordering a burger and fries for 16 euros.
Hostel
When we got back to the hostel that night we paid for our Wicklow Bus Tour tickets and made our way back to our room. The lights were turned off when we got back to our room (around 10 p.m.) so we couldn’t tell if anyone else had been assigned to our room or not. One of the beds looked like it had a body it in, but really it was only a comforter messed up on the bed. The bathrooms were a little less than desirable since they lacked sanitation in some areas and it was frightening to take a shower, but we ended up getting ready for bed without any issues. It wasn’t difficult to fall asleep since we were tired, couldn’t access the wi-fi, and had to get up early the next day for our Wicklow Bus Tour.
Day 20 - 05/20/17
Wicklow Bus Tour
Our morning started out very early since we were expected to be at the bus stop on O’Connell Street by 8:30 a.m. We got there right on the dot so not many seats were left. I ended up sitting in the very front seat of the coach bus where the tour guides normally sit, but since our tour guide was our bus driver it wasn’t an issue. Our driver’s name was Eoin (pronounced like Owen). He was super kind and genuine and his pride for his country was very apparent. He gave us some little-known facts about Ireland on our way to Wicklow. We passed a lot of landmarks on the way to Wicklow and Eoin was very helpful with answering our questions along the way.
Graveyard
We spent some time at an old graveyard and creek before heading to Wicklow National Park. Although this part of the tour wasn’t as intriguing as the later parts, we ended up enjoying the historical significance of the graveyard and buildings around us.
Wicklow National Park
We made multiple stops in the Wicklow National Park. This 20,000-plue acre park is one of the gems in Ireland. It houses two lakes left over from the ice age and is a pivotal source for peat moss. The water there is brown because of all the plant minerals that end up washing down the river and the abundance of peat on the park grounds. Many films like Braveheart were filmed here too, which adds to the tourism aspect of the park. We passed the Guinness Lake, which is property of the Guinness family (shocking, I know). The family actually imported sand for their own personal beach and it represents the white foam on top of a Guinness beer. They are currently selling the lake and surrounding property for €28 million. The property includes seven houses, a hunting lodge, and more. We were also able to make a pit stop at the bridge made famous by the rom-com P.S. I Love You. It was fun exploring the surrounding area and appreciating such a beautiful piece of nature. On our way out of the park we stopped at a small sheep farm and I was able to hold a sheep named Patty for two euros. I’m pretty sure I ended up getting poop on my white shirt and favorite pair of jeans, but it was super cute and lots of fun to hold her for a few minutes.
Lunch at Fitzgeralds
We stopped in a small town close to Wicklow. The local pub is good friends with Eoin and serves some fantastic food. Fitzgeralds was big enough to seat all 50 of us comfortably. I ended up sitting with Rachel, Emily, our new friend Kristina, and Eoin. I decided to go with a more authentic lunch and get the Bangers and Creamy Mash. It was absolutely delicious and our conversation with our new friends was even better. We learned Kristina was a 30-year-old Harvard graduate with a BA in philosophy, but for her job she’s a professional wedding photographer. She has traveled all over Europe and is here on holiday and for a destination wedding for a close friend. They rented out a castle for everyone to stay in and Kristina was waiting on some friends to come over to Ireland before they left for the wedding. She’s married to a firefighter named Jeff and has a dog named Holly. She also uses a 15-year-old camera for her shots and its uses film so each shot costs $2 to develop. She uses film instead of digital because it captures a lot more detail which is important to her clientele.
Glendalough
We finished up lunch within an hour and started heading towards Glendalough. It was absolutely amazing. We saw an old monastic settlement with graveyards and preserved buildings from hundreds of years ago. It featured many St. Kevin’s crosses around the settlement as well. Legend has it that if one could wrap their arms around the cross with their fingers touching or interlocking, they could make a wish for someone else. After visiting the monastic settlement, we took a 30-minute hike to upper lake. We saw a small waterfall along the way, but upper lake was breathtaking. It was really cool to see the rain coming in, but we had to scramble to get pictures and it was really funny while it was going on, but by the end our hands were frozen. We didn’t spend much time there because of the rain and us being on a schedule, but I can’t wait to go back. On the way back to the bus I ate a gorse bush flower. These golden flower bushes covered much of the Irish land and stood out for miles. They are edible and taste like coconut to some, but it tasted quite bitter to me. On the bus ride back it was fairly quiet so we were able to just soak in our surroundings. We saw Sugarloaf Mountain on the way back. It was surrounded by beautiful countryside and lots of gorse bushes.
Bob’s Bad Bar
When we arrived back to O’Connell Street, we had about fifteen minutes to find Bob’s Bad Bar because we were meeting Emily’s cousin Hallie and her boyfriend Jack. Hallie met Jack when she was studying abroad and she never came back to the U.S., so now she studies acting at a small college in Dublin. They were both super nice and it was fun talking about some of the cultural differences since Jack had never really been to America. We ended up getting a mixed variety of food including burgers and wings.
Lanigans Bar
After dinner, we followed Hallie and Jack through Temple Bar to go to Lanigans. They were meeting some friends and invited us along for the ride. The bar was really neat because it was Halloween-themed and had some very cool decorations. We ended up ordering some pints of Orchard Thieves Cider while Hallie ordered a Guinness. It was also cool how they played some very popular American songs like “Don’t You Forget (About Me)” made famous by the movie The Breakfast Club. It was a lot of fun getting to know Hallie and Jack and talk about their lives in Dublin. We thoroughly enjoyed our last night in Dublin, but we knew it was important to get back to the hostel to pack our things and get ready for our early morning flight back to London.
Our morning started out very early since we were expected to be at the bus stop on O’Connell Street by 8:30 a.m. We got there right on the dot so not many seats were left. I ended up sitting in the very front seat of the coach bus where the tour guides normally sit, but since our tour guide was our bus driver it wasn’t an issue. Our driver’s name was Eoin (pronounced like Owen). He was super kind and genuine and his pride for his country was very apparent. He gave us some little-known facts about Ireland on our way to Wicklow. We passed a lot of landmarks on the way to Wicklow and Eoin was very helpful with answering our questions along the way.
Graveyard
We spent some time at an old graveyard and creek before heading to Wicklow National Park. Although this part of the tour wasn’t as intriguing as the later parts, we ended up enjoying the historical significance of the graveyard and buildings around us.
Wicklow National Park
We made multiple stops in the Wicklow National Park. This 20,000-plue acre park is one of the gems in Ireland. It houses two lakes left over from the ice age and is a pivotal source for peat moss. The water there is brown because of all the plant minerals that end up washing down the river and the abundance of peat on the park grounds. Many films like Braveheart were filmed here too, which adds to the tourism aspect of the park. We passed the Guinness Lake, which is property of the Guinness family (shocking, I know). The family actually imported sand for their own personal beach and it represents the white foam on top of a Guinness beer. They are currently selling the lake and surrounding property for €28 million. The property includes seven houses, a hunting lodge, and more. We were also able to make a pit stop at the bridge made famous by the rom-com P.S. I Love You. It was fun exploring the surrounding area and appreciating such a beautiful piece of nature. On our way out of the park we stopped at a small sheep farm and I was able to hold a sheep named Patty for two euros. I’m pretty sure I ended up getting poop on my white shirt and favorite pair of jeans, but it was super cute and lots of fun to hold her for a few minutes.
Lunch at Fitzgeralds
We stopped in a small town close to Wicklow. The local pub is good friends with Eoin and serves some fantastic food. Fitzgeralds was big enough to seat all 50 of us comfortably. I ended up sitting with Rachel, Emily, our new friend Kristina, and Eoin. I decided to go with a more authentic lunch and get the Bangers and Creamy Mash. It was absolutely delicious and our conversation with our new friends was even better. We learned Kristina was a 30-year-old Harvard graduate with a BA in philosophy, but for her job she’s a professional wedding photographer. She has traveled all over Europe and is here on holiday and for a destination wedding for a close friend. They rented out a castle for everyone to stay in and Kristina was waiting on some friends to come over to Ireland before they left for the wedding. She’s married to a firefighter named Jeff and has a dog named Holly. She also uses a 15-year-old camera for her shots and its uses film so each shot costs $2 to develop. She uses film instead of digital because it captures a lot more detail which is important to her clientele.
Glendalough
We finished up lunch within an hour and started heading towards Glendalough. It was absolutely amazing. We saw an old monastic settlement with graveyards and preserved buildings from hundreds of years ago. It featured many St. Kevin’s crosses around the settlement as well. Legend has it that if one could wrap their arms around the cross with their fingers touching or interlocking, they could make a wish for someone else. After visiting the monastic settlement, we took a 30-minute hike to upper lake. We saw a small waterfall along the way, but upper lake was breathtaking. It was really cool to see the rain coming in, but we had to scramble to get pictures and it was really funny while it was going on, but by the end our hands were frozen. We didn’t spend much time there because of the rain and us being on a schedule, but I can’t wait to go back. On the way back to the bus I ate a gorse bush flower. These golden flower bushes covered much of the Irish land and stood out for miles. They are edible and taste like coconut to some, but it tasted quite bitter to me. On the bus ride back it was fairly quiet so we were able to just soak in our surroundings. We saw Sugarloaf Mountain on the way back. It was surrounded by beautiful countryside and lots of gorse bushes.
Bob’s Bad Bar
When we arrived back to O’Connell Street, we had about fifteen minutes to find Bob’s Bad Bar because we were meeting Emily’s cousin Hallie and her boyfriend Jack. Hallie met Jack when she was studying abroad and she never came back to the U.S., so now she studies acting at a small college in Dublin. They were both super nice and it was fun talking about some of the cultural differences since Jack had never really been to America. We ended up getting a mixed variety of food including burgers and wings.
Lanigans Bar
After dinner, we followed Hallie and Jack through Temple Bar to go to Lanigans. They were meeting some friends and invited us along for the ride. The bar was really neat because it was Halloween-themed and had some very cool decorations. We ended up ordering some pints of Orchard Thieves Cider while Hallie ordered a Guinness. It was also cool how they played some very popular American songs like “Don’t You Forget (About Me)” made famous by the movie The Breakfast Club. It was a lot of fun getting to know Hallie and Jack and talk about their lives in Dublin. We thoroughly enjoyed our last night in Dublin, but we knew it was important to get back to the hostel to pack our things and get ready for our early morning flight back to London.