Dublin, Ireland - Part I

This week I realized that I never finished telling you about our latest Euro trip,

so I figured the last week of 2012 would be the perfect time to catch up. 

The flight from Edinburgh to Dublin was so quick, that I barely even had a chance to drink my coffee. 

Upon landing, we set off to find our home for the next few days,

an adorable Georgian apartment from the best host we could have ever asked for.

Karin, the landlord, provided all the essentials,

including breakfast, laundry service, and most importantly, personal recommendations that helped make our trip unforgettable. 

If you ever need a place to stay in Dublin, I highly recommend this one.

After settling in, we grabbed our umbrellas and went exploring. 

Our first stop?

The Guiness Storehouse of course!

Why?

Because it would be a sin to come to Ireland and not have a few pints of the creamy dark liquid,

and where better to start than the birthplace of it all?

We spent a few good hours wandering around the factory,

learning about the brewing process and how it all got started. 

My favorite part of the day was taking the "Guiness pour lesson",

where we were taught how to properly pour a pint, and even recieved a graduation certificate after successfully completing the final exam. 

The views from the top floor of the building were simply amazing,

and although I'm bummed that we don't have any photos, I know that it's something I'll never forget. 

Another landmark that is an absolute must in Dublin, is Trinity College. 

Founded in 1592, it is the oldest university in Ireland,

and holds a prestige title as one of the seven ancient universities of Britain and Ireland, 

(sibling to places like Oxford, Cambridge and St. Andrews). 

The campus, as you might expect, is absolutely gorgeous. 

We blended in with the students for a bit before donning our tourist hats again to check out the famous Book of Kells, 

in the world famous Trinity College Library. 

For those of you who are not familiar with the Book of Kells,

(like, I for example, heard of it, but didn't quite know what it was),

it is an illuminated manuscript gospel book, written in Latin, 

containing the four gospels of the New Testament, together with various prefatory texts and tables. 

It was created by Celtic monks ca. 800 or slightly earlier.

Now can we pause for a second and talk about that date?!

I literally had to look up how to write it because to see something so ancient is just unbelievable to me.

The only downside of the experience is that we were in the library,

and as gorgeous as it was, in libraries there are always rules,

and the main rule here was no pictures. 

Womp. 

Of course the husband decided to be a rebel and sneak a few with his iPhone,

but to my dismay, he's not cut out to be a secret agent because he was immediately spotted by security and was kindly asked to leave. 

Here's our only remaining evidence that we were actually there:

Ha ha,

told you it wasn't much, but hey, it's better than nothing!

Anyway, I could have wandered around the campus for days, it was so beautiful. 

Definitely worth a visit if you're ever in Dublin.

I have one more small post coming up about Dublin,

where I'll tell you about the most amazing restaurants we had the pleasure of visiting. 

Stay tuned!