The Kids Experience Cultural Diversity

2-Aug-14

What could we do with another day in Dublin? A bit of rain and some lingering jet lag would not stop us from finding out. Having to wait for a breakfast table put us off our game enough that we forgot to order properly, but there would be other meals.

The first stop of the day was Trinity College. It was collegy. Then we walked to Temple Bar, which is an area and also an actual bar. We didn't go the actual bar. We did find a farmers market of sorts, and the kids got a Nutella crepe to share. We then did a bit of shopping, including a stop at Knockers and Knobs. Unfortunately, we could find none that suited us.

We tried for some take away fish and chips, but the shop was closed for a bank holiday. Instead we wound up at Slattery's for pint 5. I was now able to confirm with certainty that Guinness does taste a different, and yes better, in Ireland. As excellent parents, we felt that the kids should get to experience this cultural diversity first hand. Ella was first:

It was then on to the Irish equivalent of 7-11 for what lets call lunch. We consumed this back in our room while watching You've Been Framed, which is like America's Funniest Home Videos minus the funny.

The days showers progressed into a solid evening downpour, but we were not done with Dublin just yet. We donned our raincoats and walked the mile to O'Donoghue's for some dinner and traditional Irish music. Unfortunately, that pub was full, so we went a few blocks south to Doheny and Nesbitt, which was not founded by half the Monkees. Even so, the food was tasty and reasonable. Shelley had a chicken sandwich, Alex had his second shepherd's pie, Ella and I properly ordered fish and chips and everyone but Shelley had some kind of salad. Alex was also ready to participate in the black pint challenge:

A good dinner to end a good but wet day, but still no traditional Irish Music. Yet.

Learning Things In Dublin

1-August-14

We were all reluctantly out of bed by ten and ready to start the day. This would a day of learning. At breakfast we learned the Irish order food by saying "I'll do" instead of "I'll have". Good to know. With our bellies full of Irish breakfast and our minds slightly fuller with this fun fact, it was time to walk into Dublin to hop on the hop on hop off bus.

On the bus we learned and promptly forgot some history of Dublin along the way to our first hopping off point - The Guiness Storehouse. Think of this as Dublin's answer to Hershey's Chocolate World, except bigger, older and with delicious beer. Here we learned the proper way to drink a pint. This was very good to know. Soon we got to apply this new found knowledge with our sample pints up in the Gravity Bar, which is the Great Glass Elevator of bars.

 

Lunch was at Arthur's, a fine pub where 3 of us enjoyed Shepherd's pie and Shelley got a chicken avocado wrap. We rode the bus around some more, learned some more stuff, forgot some more stuff, then got off. We walked home, got some take away pizza and evtually called it a night.