Wednesday was the second full day in Dublin, and the day of the Guinness Storehouse tour! I started the day by exploring St. Stephen's Green, an enormous park in the middle of Dublin home to several beautiful gardens and lots of swans. The Green was especially beautiful today because of rare sunshine- much nicer than the snow and rain from the day before! Following an afternoon of frolicking through the fields, I headed to Christ Church Cathedral, a church built by settled vikings in 800 AD. The current building is much different from the original, the facade was completed in the 1200s. Among the notable aspects of Christ Church is the tomb of Strongbow, the Norman conqueror enlisted by the English to conquer Ireland. Also the namesake for an English ale.
Following Christ Church, I went to the Chester Beatty Library, a museum that houses the oldest Gospel texts in his existence. Also at the museum are very rare illuminated copies of the Qur'an and other very rare, ancient religious texts. The free tour was definitely tailor fit for me. After the visit, I enjoyed a delectable Mediterranean lunch at the library's cafe, rated among some of the best lunch places in Dublin.
That afternoon, of course, we visited the pilgrimage sight for all travelers to Dublin, the Guinness Storehouse. Designed in the shape of a pint glass and spanning over seven stories, the museum takes you through an interactive self-guided tour talking about the process of beer making, the history of the Guinness corporation, the media empire created by Guinness, and of course, it culminates with a free pint. There's nothing more relaxing than sipping a Guinness while sitting at Dublin's tallest point, with a 360 degree panoramic view of the city. I'll admit I had my doubts about Guinness before coming to Europe (especially since I wasn't 21 and had never had a beer before...). But now, I realize that Guinness is an outstanding Stout beer, with a complex taste that tastes somewhere between a cup of coffee and tiramisu. Good, good stuff.
Finished the evening by enjoying an order of Fish n' Chips from a very popular fast food joint- probably had about 10,000 calories in it though. Then it was off to Cobblestone, Dublin's most famous "trad" (or traditional music) bar, where we listened to Irish fife tunes, ironically played by a guy from Chicago. Definitely liked the Irish Fest Milwaukee sticker on the bar's wall.
The next day... Cliffs of Moher!
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