Day one: Dublin!
Our plane! Way different than the states. It was a small terminal like the one in Flint so it was very relaxed. However before the plane boarded everyone started to line up so Josh and I hopped in line. There are no zones for this airline. Therefore if you are in the front of the line then you get to get on the plane first and if you are not then you get on when you get on. So we get on the plane and I asked where to find our seats cause we couldn't find them on our tickets. Well… There are no assigned seats. Its first come first serve. Very new for us American travelers but we got some great seats! Not too far from the front but by a window with a great view!
Our view! I do not remember if this was the rolling hills of Ireland or if its the French country side.
Josh and I on the plane!!
I do not know what island this is but it looked cool from the window so I took a pic.
Josh and I in Ireland!! Right off the plane
It was a little sunny lol
I had to buy this and take a pic. Dark chocolate with a kitkat is fantastic!!
super cute store front decorated for Christmas
THE BEST club sandwich and chips!
If you don't know what to dip your fries in you can have brown sauce, cause its brown sauce…. haha its such a descriptive label. Why is it called brown sauce and not gravy. Day one of strange things the Irish say.
Right around the corner from our hotel was this monument to those who have served in the Irish Army.
Across the memorial and down the street in the far corner of the pic is the road our hotel was on.
Entire view of the memorial
Josh was a little excited to be there lol with his camera
Opposite view of the memorial.
View of Dublin, its like Paris with a river flowing through the middle, the river is called Liffey
City Hall
So like in Canada where everything is in French and English, in Dublin everything is in Gaelic and English. Dublin's national language is Gallic first and then English and they hold on to this. Since it was the Christmas season there were signs saying "Baile Átha Cliath" or Gaelic for Dublin. Josh and I thought it meant Merry Christmas however it didn't. In the City Hall we over heard a group tour and the tour guide taught the group how to say hello in Gaelic "céad míle fáilte." It means one hundred thousands welcomes.
Inside of city hall
below city hall was a museum of Ireland showing the history of the Irish
The Great City Sword given to Ireland by the King Henry IV in 1403.
Royal charter to the city of Dublin 1171
Register from the 1660s
Uniform of the Mayor Coachman 1791
Dublin Castle!
The tallest and kinda creepiest nutcracker because of his smile which I never got a good shot of but the side shot kinda shows it.
Inner court yard of Dublin Castle
we got there just in time for the 230pm tour and got these green stickers which we wore by accident for the rest of the day lol
The castle has been around for 800 years and was the seat of British rule in Ireland. Its now the place where the Irish President is inaugurated and used for some government functions. The throne is the actual seat where the Kings and Queens of Britain would sit while the Irish lords showed their loyalty. When Queen Victoria came she was much sorter than all of the previous Kings and Queens. On her first visit she had to be helped up into the chair so they had the feet sawed off so it was shorter even then she had to be helped up. (this is the shorter chair) So on her second time to Ireland they had this foot stool built so she could get into the chair herself.
The throne room
King George III
Inauguration room. All of the presidents of the current Irish Republic have been sworn in here.
The ceiling
Flags of all the Irish tribes
Another nutcracker, not as creepy as the ones outside which were mysteriously moved when we left
I know this medal means something important but I don't remember… my bad lol
On the top of this arch is the statue of lady justice (aka Statue of Iustitia). She is portrayed differently than usual statues of lady justice. Normally she is blindfolded however she isn't here and she is looking at what was the seat of the British government in Ireland. The scales would tip in the favor of the British government whenever it rained because of how it was made so when it rained the water wouldn't drain out but collect on the scale. The tour guide said that the Irish found it funny that the scales always tipped in their favor and never in the Irish favor.
The remains of the original castle. It was accidentally burnt and this is the only part that remains from the original castle.
This used to be a port that supplies were brought into the castle however its been boarded up and unfortunately no one knows why.
A painting of what Dublin looked like before the castle burned.
What the original castle outline looks like over what the castle is now
THIS was awesome! The author of Dracula was from Ireland and he worked at Dublin Castle!
See moved… weird...
the garden behind the castle
no idea why the castle is colored in different color but its really cool
flowers in January, super cool!!
This shot made me think that I was in the medieval times
Normal castle and colorful castle
southern fried chicken place… no idea why European countries are so obsessed with the south of the States but they are. I've seen a couple of places in Paris that have southern fried chicken. If I see some in other countries then its a confirmed fact.
our hotel room
For dinner we went to the Winding Stair it was this little restaurant that I found online and it was recommend for a very good reason because dinner was fantastic!
Josh's beer, had a hint of oyster taste as the label said but it was good.
My dinner: the first time I tried venison but it came with mashed pumpkin and roasted garlic and shallots.
Josh had the 28 day dry aged Irish Hereford beef strip steak with onions and homemade chips.
for dessert we had chocolate, white chocolate, and cherry brownie with vanilla ice cream aka FANTASTIC!! I am never making brownies without cherries again!!
The view of our restaurant with my café.
the front door of the restuarant aka an actual winding staircase
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