But before I talk more about the actual event, let's start from the beginning! I caught a 9:40 PM with Stacie and Eric Friday night. We got to the airport nearly 3 hours earlier than our departure time, but it was a good thing since going through security involved a pat down and an embarrassing struggle to put all of my liquids into one plastic bag. We grabbed some airport Italian food and had some fine chats before boarding. The flight was actually a lot faster than I thought it was going to be--it felt like it was only 30 minutes? Which is good, because I hate flying anyway. Once we arrived in Dublin, we boarded a bus, got to our hostel, and called it a night.
The next morning, I was still super tired because I had the hardest time falling asleep. I'm pretty sure I only managed to get about 2 hours of sleep, so it was a great way to start the day! After having a rather bland (but free!) breakfast, my friends and I walked around Dublin exploring various places. We stopped by Trinity College, found Oscar Wilde's seductive-looking statue, and discovered Ireland's local animals in taxidermy form at the Natural History Museum.
 |
| Hay gurl. |
During the afternoon, we made our way to St. Stephen Green's park, walked around the shops along Grafton St., passed by Dublin Castle, and browsed some fine art at the Chester Beatty Library. We also stopped by Dublin's Christmas Markets to grab some lunch. It was so crowded, and it was madness trying to get to the stalls. But everything looked and smelled delicious, and I ended up getting a hot dog--the large size, obviously. I'm not sure if it was because I was super hungry or if I hadn't had a hot dog in a long time, but my goodness, it was probably one of the best hot dogs I've ever had. The casing was crispy, and the I love the charred flavor it got from the grill. Thank goodness there are Christmas Markets in Manchester because I am definitely getting another one. After lunch, we ended our afternoon with a tour at the Irish Whiskey Museum, naturally. This tour was definitely stranger than the one in Scotland. It involved lots of interactive videos, and there were no scratch and sniff cards this time. And once again, the whiskey burned my throat. It burns so good... (not).
 |
| Come to me. |
At night, we got all dressed up and went to the Guinness Storehouse to finally have our Thanksgiving dinner. We left the hostel around 6:30 PM, and had to wait forever to actually get into the main dining room. While waiting, we were served refreshing lemonade with cucumber and mint. I don't know why I didn't grab another when I had the chance because they were so yummy.
I don't think we actually got into the dining room until almost 8:00 PM. Unfortunately, we didn't get in fast enough to secure seats for all of us to sit together, so that was pretty upsetting. Nonetheless, all of at this point just really wanted food. After a couple of speeches, we finally got served 1 bread roll. Yay! And thankfully we didn't wait have to wait too long for the main course. I was expecting a larger variety of potato dishes since we were in Ireland, but we only got good ol' mashed potatoes. And for dessert, we were served a fudgey brownie with Guinness in it, of course. Overall, it was a pretty darn good meal. It wasn't as good as Thanksgiving at home, but it was satisfying enough. (Note: I apologize for the horrible looking photos that are about to follow. Bad lighting is a camera's worst enemy.)
 |
| The night's menu + magnet as gifts! |
We ended the night with a live Irish band and a performance by Irish dancers. The dancers were amazing. I couldn't see their feet, but boy, do they know how to kick! The way they dance looks super tiring-- I don't know how they can manage to keep smiling. The whole room was full of energy, and we cheered them on as they danced. I tried to get good pictures, but they moved too darn fast. The band was also awesome--they played Irish folk songs, and Kyle said it felt like that scene in Titanic where Jack and Rose danced the night away. I totally agree; I didn't have my own Jack Dawson for the night, but eh... who needs one anyway when you're with great friends? The band also threw in quite a few American songs like "Sweet Caroline," "Folsom Prison Blues," and "I'm A Believer." When they played "You Can Never Tell," I felt like getting up and doing the dance from Pulp Fiction, but sadly no one got the reference. But it's okay, I sang along and did my own little moves in my seat. Actually, I surprisingly sang a lot throughout the night and let loose more than I usually would. I think this resulted from my lack of sleep. Nevertheless, I had a wonderful time.
 |
| Fun night with these beautiful people. |
The next morning, Stacie, Kyle, Katherine and I decided to head back to the Guinness Storehouse for a proper tour. Now, I knew very little about Guinness before coming here. I thought it was just your average beer--but oh no, it's apparently kind of its own thing. It has a distinct dark ruby red flavor that comes from the roasted malted barely, and a creamy white foam is formed when poured correctly into a cold glass.
Overall, this was probably one of the most enjoyable tours I've ever been on. The Storehouse is HUGE, and there's so much to see and do. One of the most interesting parts of the tour was going into the Tasting Rooms, where you get to smell the actual flavors and ingredients found in Guinness and are shown how to correctly drink it.
 |
| Woahhh. |
 |
| It's like he was there, but not really. |
STEP 1: Take a cool, clean, dry, Guinness branded glass.
STEP 2: Hold the glass under the tap at an angle of 45 degrees.
STEP 3: Pull the handle forward until it is horizontal and fill the glass to between 15mm and 20mm (about ¾”) from the top. Never put the tap spout into the Guinness.
STEP 4: Leave the surge to settle (approx 119.5 secs).
STEP 5: Top up the glass by pushing the tap handle backwards until the head is just proud of
the glass. Do not let the stout overflow, and never use a spatula to level the head.
STEP 6 : Hand the pint to the consumer with a steady hand. There should be no overspill.
It looked easy when the instructor did it, but I was really nervous to pour in front of the whole group. I think I messed up a bit because I didn't get a lot of foam, but oh well. We all received certificates at the end, and it was certainly one of my proudest achievements.
After graduating from the Guinness Academy, we headed to the top floor's Gravity Bar that offered a 365 degree view of Dublin. And I've gotta say, I don't drink beer, but Guinness is actually okay! I mean, I still didn't like it, but it wasn't as bad as other beers I've tried (which is not that many, anyway). I managed to finish drinking up to the end of the Guinness logo on the glass. It was probably the most alcohol I've ever consumed in one sitting, which ended up being a bad thing because I got a headache afterwards.
 |
| Don't worry. I'm certified to pour your next pint of Guinness. |
 |
| Enjoyed my Guinness as I looked to the horizon. |
After the tour, it was time to grab our bags back at the hostel, hop on the bus, and catch the plane back to Manchester. Thank you to those from UCEAP for putting on such a wonderful event! Although my time was short in Dublin, it is a beautiful city and I had a fantastic time. I definitely want to come back to Ireland one day and explore the countryside. Farewell for now, Ireland!
No comments:
Post a Comment