2013 Ireland - Day Three - Guinness Storehouse

The Guinness Storehouse is five stories dedicated to Ireland's favorite beer, Guinness.  Admission for self-guided tours is 11 Euros for students, and only 9 Euros for students under age 18 (because you can't drink).  The regular price of admission for non-students is 15 Euros.  It's open daily from 9:30 AM to 5 PM September through June, and 9:30 AM to 7 PM in July and August.



Visitors start at the bottom and work their way up.  It's completely self-guided and self-paced.  The bottom floors describe the different procedures of making Guinness.  You just stand in front of a display, and the automated voice recording will begin every 20 seconds or so.



After you learn how Guinness is made, there is a "taste experience" offering free samples.  You don't get a full pint, and it's supposed to be limited one per guest, but you could really just circulate through multiple times if you really like Guinness and want more.



After the taste experience, there is a bakery with Guinness treats.  I just had to try the cupcake!  It was actually really good.



There is a wall of famous people drinking a pint of Guinness.  America, you'll be proud to know that Barack and Michelle Obama are on that wall.

There's also this interesting marketing campaign.....





And then you reach the fun interactive area.  Here's a quiz on Drink IQ.  I suppose it's necessary to educate people about the effects that alcohol has on the body at a beer museum.



There was also a giant wall that popped up messages.  I thought it was going to send an electronic postcard to you or something, which is why I used my sister's name.



And then you have the opportunity to pour the "perfect pint" of Guinness.  When you first started your self-guided tour, you were given a voucher which you could redeem for a complimentary pint of Guinness anywhere in the museum.  This might be the most popular place to use it because you get a certificate for pouring a perfect pint.









You get two pours - a practice round, and then a "testing" round.  For some reason, I was really nervous that I was going to do something wrong.  But everyone who does it gets a certificate - they don't actually grade you.



And then the top floor has a bar with a panorama view of Dublin.






I definitely recommend touring the Guinness Storehouse.  It's like the Irish version of the Coca Cola Museum in Atlanta, Georgia..... except perhaps less fun for children.

2013 Ireland - Day Three - Dublin Free Walking Tour

The other Clemson people that we had randomly run into on our first day in Dublin had suggested that we do the free walking tour offered by our hostel.  They had done the tour in London and said that it was really good because the tour guides were working hard for tips.  Our hostels, Jacobs Inn and Isaac's Hostel are brother hostels, so the tour was for both of them which worked out perfectly.  We started from our hostel, Jacob's Inn and then picked up the group from Isaac's Hostel.



Unfortunately, I cannot recall the name of our guide, but he was really entertaining.  He was very knowledgeable about the history of Dublin but was also sarcastic (most Irishmen I met were very sarcastic) and funny.

















The Father Pat Noise plaque was actually a hoax.  It was placed there in 2004 by pranksters, but wasn't discovered until 2006.  Ironically, it was covered in the Sunday Tribune, and the Dublin City Council claimed that the work was a tribute to their father.  When its fate of removal was announced, people laid flowers by the plaque.  A meeting of the council in December 2006 determined that the plaque should remain in place.



















At the end of the tour, our guide said that he appreciated tips, but he wasn't super aggressive about it.  We tipped him 5 Euros per person.  He then offered to walk us toward the Guinness Warehouse where we were headed next.

2013 Ireland - Day Two - Cliffs of Moher

The day we arrived, we booked a tour to the Cliffs of Moher through Extreme Ireland / Ireland Day Tours based on a brochure at our hostel.  The Cliffs of Moher was on my Bucket List, so the 45 Euros and full-day adventure was definitely worth it.  Though our Italian professor and tour guide, Giuditta, did laugh at us for visiting Dublin to then cross the country to the Cliffs of Moher.

We met our tour around the Temple Bar area.  It was about a ten to fifteen minute walk from our Hostel.  One of the incredible things that I learned when in Europe is that you can use the GPS on your iPhone.... without using data!  Just load the maps before you depart, turn your data off, and the little blue dot will keep up with you through GPS (this will be included in my advice for studying abroad which has yet to be written).

We were on a large charter-like bus.  We were told that the seats we chose were our seats for the entire journey (which is good etiquette anyway, according to my mother, Miss Manners).  Whenever the bus driver wasn't talking to us, about 90% of the bus conked out, myself included.  I just couldn't keep my eyes open!  It was weird, though, because the driver never turned his mic off, so you would hear him breathing into it when he wasn't talking.



Our first stop was at Blarney Woollen Mills for the bathroom and shopping.  I did a little exploring while the other girls browsed the gift shops.

















It was then an hour or more until we reached the Cliffs of Moher.  Our guide warned us not to get too close to the edge because the wind is strong and could pull us in.  I don't doubt it.



At first, I was completely disappointed because we were let out in an area surrounded by handrails and tourist paths.  All this time I had been envisioning something more natural, tangible, and amazing.  It turns out we just had to walk a little further...















































We spent an hour and a half at the Cliffs which sounds like a long time, but I could have spent a lot longer there.  I would be interested to return in the future and stay in the countryside.




We stopped about ten minutes down the road for lunch.  It was cafeteria-style, and I remember eating the Shepard's Pie.  It was somewhere around 20 Euros per person which is quite typical for a meal in Europe.



After lunch, I did some more wandering while the other girls got ahead on the bus.  They had spent an entire semester with me, so they were quite used to me wandering off unannounced.






We then stopped at a few scenic locations for photos and exploring.





























That evening, we did a bar crawl through our hostel. I think it was 7 Euros per person which included a pint of Guinness and several other shots and drinks. The tour was led by a young Irishman who was of course really friendly and outgoing. We went to four or five different bars and before entering, he'd tell us a little about the history and what they were known for. One bar had a table set up for flip cup, and being Americans (drinking is serious business for the Irish... they don't play these silly drinking games), we had to teach everyone else how to play. The last bar was a club-like atmosphere, and it was so crowded that we didn't spend much time in there. But we had a good time, and if you ever stay at a hostel which offers a bar crawl like this, I would highly recommend going. Not only is it very reasonably priced, but they know where to go.