The Best of Dublin

I've been to so many places in the past few months I don't have the time (or the energy!) to give full-blown details. So I've decided to do a summary posts. I'll start with the most recent getaway - Dublin, Ireland! It's my first time to step into this part of Europe and its quite refreshing to understand what people are saying in the streets!

1) Ireland's oldest pub, The Brazen Head. Order the Irish Stew, or the Bacon & Cabbage, and drink up a pint of Smithwick's Ale (don't forget to ask the barman for a "Guiness head").

2) Ireland happiest pub (for me, anyway), The Cobblestone, for their live Irish music and low-key crowd. It was packed on a Thursday night--- despite the recession!

3) The Irish people - cheerful, talkative, storytelling, and oh-so-into the local drinks. It pays to listen to them! Besides the knowledgeable taxi & bus drivers, one of the highlights was getting the scoop on contemporary artists from an old security guard at the National Gallery (where incidentally, admission is free).

4) The 3.5 hours free walking tour courtesy of Sandeman's New Dublin Tours. is a great way to get an overview and history of Dublin. The entertaining tour guides work on tips and its far from the dry, boring, paid tours I've taken before.

Our guide, Helena.

Christ Church Cathedral

The River Liffey

The oldest part of Dublin Palace.

5) The Guinness Storehouse. I have to admit that I'm not the biggest fan of this super heavy beer but when it comes straight from the source it just tastes so fresh! Plus the view of the city from the top of the museum is hard to beat.

The best tasting Guinness ever.

View from the top.

6) The company. We were 7 in the group from 6 different countries. What a mix!

Philippines, USA, Macedonia, Norway, Malaysia, Mexico, Australia