I’d slowly been traveling more and more by myself, and
Ireland was the first country I traveled 100% alone to. I’d never really cared
about going to Ireland for some reason either…I think any place cold was just
unappealing to me. But just how I was wrong about England, I was wrong about
Ireland too. I had so much fun! I kept busy the entire time there and had such
an amazing time. I definitely did the most unique things in Ireland and jam-packed
it all into the 3 days that I was there.
DAY 1
I arrived in Ireland after a very short flight from
Scotland. I found a bus terminal outside of the airport (I could not survive
without looking at Google maps for public transportation routes) and hopped on.
There was a stop that was right across from my hostel so I got off there. I
walked into Abrahams Hostel and got a key to my room. I only stayed there 1 night
out of the 3 because I wanted to stay at Generator (yes, there is 1 in Dublin
too) but it was booked the first night. As I opened my room door, I wondered
who would be my roommates. It’s always a fun experience in hostels meeting your
roommates! I opened it and there were 2 girls and a guy standing there
unpacking some stuff. They were all really friendly Americans who were studying
abroad I think in Germany and took a trip to Ireland. We talked for a while as
I connected to the wifi, and that’s when I saw I had a message from Bryan. I “checked
in” to Dublin, Ireland on Facebook when I arrived and Bryan saw. He told me
that he was also in Dublin with his brother and said we should meet up. They
were currently at the Guinness Factory on a tour, but they wanted to do the
Jameson one next. When Bryan told me they were headed to the Jameson factory, I
left my hostel.
It was about a 30 minute walk to get to the Jameson
Distillery and it was a completely straight walk. The street I was on had so
many people with lots of shops and lots of action which made it a really fun
and entertaining walk. I saw a guy dressed up in a Leprechaun costume, a
Leprechaun museum (whatever that was), and just a lot of typical Irish stuff. I
finally made it to the Jameson factory and saw Bryan and his brother right
away. We bought our tickets to go on the Jameson tour, but the next one
available didn’t leave for a few more hours. We started walking and crossed
over a bridge to get to this area called Temple Bar. I originally thought it
was just one restaurant but later realized it was what the whole area was
called. We found a pub and decided to have a drink. It was midday and the pub
was packed, full of lots of loud middle-aged men drinking beer. Such a
different vibe than America. Pubs are the casual hangout spot in the UK and
Ireland and people are always getting together and having drinks no matter the setting.
I heard lots of people even have work meetings in pubs. I like that.
After soaking in the environment and wandering around for a
bit, we started heading back to the Jameson Distillery. Our tour guide was
really funny and made the tour interesting. We learned all the steps into
making Jameson Whiskey and boy did it look complicated. The tour ended in a
room with tables. There were placemats and on each placemat, there were 3
little shot glasses about ¼ full. 1 had Jameson in it, another had Jack Daniels
in it, and another had some Scottish whiskey. Our tour guide walked us all
through trying each one and tasting them to see what makes them unique. I
couldn’t drink the Scottish one since it tasted so gross to me so I gave it to
Bryan who happily drank it. Jameson was alright, but I liked American Whiskey,
Jack Daniels, the best! After our little taste testing sesh, we got led out to
another room where we got to pick between 2 drinks with Jameson in it. I don’t
remember what the options were, but the one I chose was so good!
After the tour, we went back to Temple Bar to grab dinner.
Out of all of the countries I traveled to, I was surprised to find that Ireland
was the hardest place to find gluten free food! It took us a while to select a
restaurant since everything was so crowded and places were expensive. We
finally found a restaurant and sat down. I asked them what they had that was
gluten free and they said they had nothing. I asked if they could modify
anything (since everywhere I go tries to be accommodating) and they said no.
They literally told me that there was nothing for me there. I couldn’t believe
it because even if they don’t have gluten free stuff, there’s basic things they
can make that are gluten free like mashed potatoes with grilled fish or
something. I felt bad but we had to get up and find a new place to eat at.
We discovered a place close by that had typical American
food. It was kind of like a hybrid of Red Robin and the Hard Rock Cafe
actually. It was a fun environment with lots of people celebrating different
things like Bachelorette Parties (in the UK and Ireland, they call Bachelorette
parties “Hen Parties”) and all that. The food was really good but I was bummed
I couldn’t eat at an Irish restaurant! After we ate, we were pretty tired and
parted ways but said we would meet up again. When I got back to my hostel, it
was still pretty early, but the 3 Americans in my room were already getting
ready for bed. I was trying to convince Bryan to go out but realized that it
probably was not a good idea since I was waking up so early the following day,
so I joined the other Americans and went to bed early.
I woke up in the middle of the night to a guy coming in the
room. There were about 4 other people staying in the room and I hadn’t met any
of them. This guy was noticeably drunk and somehow managed to climb up to the
top bunk where his bed was. A few minutes later, I heard him stumble back down
and saw him standing by the door. All of a sudden I heard something that
sounded like running water. He was peeing! He was too drunk to make it to the
bathroom and peed on the carpet/wall by the door. I was both disgusted but so
entertained. When he finished peeing, he stumbled over to the closest bottom
bunk and falls face first onto it and passes out laying on his stomach. I tried
to contain my laughter and finally closed my eyes and fell asleep. Within the
next hour, I woke up again to 2 more guys walking in the room and one of their
beds was the one that the drunk guy had passed out on. He started poking him
and eventually got him up out of his bed. It was so funny and when people ask
me to tell them any stories from abroad, this one is usually the one that comes
to my mind first! Oh hostels…
DAY 2
I woke up and checked out of the hostel. Luckily they let me
leave my stuff in the storage room because I couldn’t bring it on my daytrip…to
Northern Ireland (only Northern Ireland is part of the UK). There are so many daytrips
offered in Ireland where it’s a nice tour on a bus and you get off and see lots
of stuff, but since I only had 2 FULL days in Ireland, I had to choose my 2
carefully. Well the first day was an easy choice: Game of Thrones tour!
The bus was parked in front of a hotel and I checked in and
got on. I was a bit nervous because I thought I might be the only person
traveling solo, but there were a few more! I chose my spot towards the back of
the bus, and in the very back sat about 5 guys who were dressed up. It turns
out one of the guys was doing the tour as a part of his Bachelor party and he
wore a blonde Daenerys wig and all that. It was hilarious. As the bus got
fuller and fuller, I wondered who would end up sitting next to me. Well I got
lucky! A really nice late-20s Argentinian guy sat next to me and we immediately
got talking. We stuck together the whole tour and everyone else was so friendly
and pretty much as much of a Game of Thrones nerd as I am.
I booked the tour through gameofthronestours.com and picked
the “Dublin Winterfell Locations Trek” which was just 50 euros for the whole
day. It left at 8am and we got to our first location 2 hours later. In the
trunk of the bus, there were a ton of wool cloaks that are worn by characters
in Game of Thrones, so the vast majority of us put one on and trekked down a
path and into the woods. I got the only blue coat and everyone else’s was
black. The blue one is what one of the main characters, Sansa, wears (I don’t think
it’s the real one but who knows…). We headed into the woods and the site was so
funny. About 40 people, most of them in cloaks, trekking through the woods
where other people were going for their morning runs and all that. So many
people looked at us funny and I was just cracking up but owning it.
Those woods were used for various scenes from different
characters, and our tour guide would lead us to the location then show us the
Game of Thrones scene that was filmed at that location on her iPad. It was
really cool! I took tons of pictures and couldn’t believe that all these
characters I love had all walked where I was walking.
We later had lunch at a place called “Paddy’s Barn” where I
had “mash and gravy”. I pre-ordered it so they already knew of my gluten
allergy and it wasn’t a problem which was nice. After an amazing lunch and
drinking some hard cider, we got led out front when our tour guide said there
were surprise guests waiting for us. I thought it could no way be any of the
Game of Thrones actors so I had no idea what to expect. I came out to two
adorable big Huskies! They were “actors” in the first season and were 2 of the dire
wolf puppies that were picked up by some of the main characters. I couldn’t
stop petting them...they were adorable! Another guy was there with a little
scrapbook and he showed us all how he was an “extra” in a lot of the Game of
Thrones episodes. It was really cool.
We set back out after a nice break and meeting cool people
and animals, then arrived in Winterfell shortly after! This is the home to one
of the main families, the Starks, and I was amazed how much it DIDN’T look like
it did in Game of Thrones. They built so much that was already taken down, they
used a green screen, and they added snow to make it look so different. We were
greeted by a guy dressed up like people are in Game of Thrones (he looked a lot
like Stannis for you Game of Thrones watchers), and he welcomed us. We later
set out on a little trek on a trail close to the lake where 9 different Game of
Thrones film locations were!
After we left, we got on the bus to head to our last stop.
We were handed out a sheet and our tour guide asked us some Game of Thrones trivia
questions that were pretty hard. I think I still got like 8/10 but the guy
having the Bachelor party got 9/10 right, so he got to be crowned “King in the
North” (just like Robb Stark for you GOT watchers) at the next location we went
to, where that actually happened in the TV show.
It was a 2 hour drive back to Dublin and they played 2
episodes on the bus. I had so much fun on this tour and met such great people.
From 2 American girls who were my age, to a friendly mother and son, to solo
travelers from around the world, to the Spanish Bachelor party guys, it was a
great group. I definitely let out my nerdy side and we didn’t get back until
10.5 hours later, at 6:30pm! When I got back to the hostel, I grabbed my stuff and headed
off to Generator hostel. It was right by the Jameson Distillery so it was
really easy to get to. I walked in and it was such a nice open area and I was
so excited to be staying at another Generator. I got the key to my room and
right as I was about to enter, I wondered who I would encounter in the room this
time. I opened the door and there was a guy and girl about my age. I
immediately started talking to them and they were some of the friendliest
people I have ever met. Why? Because they’re Canadian! They were such a cute
couple who were traveling around some of Europe together.
I got settled and connected to wifi and all that while
non-stop talking to them, and they said they wanted to go down to the hostel
lobby and get a drink. They invited me to come along and of course I said yes.
I hadn’t had dinner yet and the grill was just closing up, but the cook was
nice enough to whip me up some nachos with the remaining ingredients he had
out, free of charge! I love those random acts of kindness. I grabbed a table
with the Canadian couple and the guy grabbed the first round. We only ended up
having one round of drinks though, but we talked for a couple of hours about
who knows what. I feel like I turn into a different person when I travel…more
outgoing because you’re pretty much forced to be, but I wish I remembered the
conversations I had with people better because they were always good. You meet
the best people while traveling!
DAY 3
The next morning I left for my 2nd day tour (that
left at freaking 6:50am) to the famous Cliffs of Moher! I told Bryan about it
and he and his brother decided to book the same tour! I planned on walking to
the Trinity College area which was around where the bus picked us up, but as I
left the hostel, a girl around my age with her brother were leaving too for the
same tour. They knew about a trolley and we made it to the trolley just in time
which went a little closer to Trinity. We made it to the place and Bryan and
his brother showed up a few minutes later.
I booked the tour through daytours.ie which offers a ton of
other tours, but I’d always heard of the Cliffs of Moher and knew I had to see
them. It cost 40 euros for the 12 hour tour which sounded good to me. There
were a couple pit stops along the way, but we finally made it to the cliffs
after almost a 5 hour drive. It was worth it though because the cliffs were
absolutely stunning. Our tour guide warned us to not go too close to the edge
because the wind picks up at random times and can even move CARS! Luckily it
wasn’t too windy when we were there and it was a really nice day. The previous
day or two had been raining so we were lucky! We had about an hour to walk
around, and I took a ton of GoPro videos and pictures. At one part of the
cliffs, the wind somehow blew the water all the way up to us and I got kind of
wet! This was right by the O’Brien’s Tower part of the cliffs which marks the
highest point of the Cliffs at 702 feet! It is so crazy to think that the ocean
water managed to travel that high up.
We had lunch after we walked around the cliffs, then slowly
started heading back. We stopped a few more times at old ruins (tombs I think)
and to look at some old forts/castles, but we were all getting pretty tired
from the long ride. Ireland is so beautiful and green so I loved just gazing
out my window, or sleeping. We made it back and I said bye to Bryan since I was
leaving the next day and I probably wouldn’t see him again for a long time (I
haven’t seen him since then and it’s been 7.5 months-he lives on the East
Coast).
I headed back to my hostel and sadly the Canadians had
checked out. I connected to wifi and got talking with the Argentinian guy,
Gabriel, who I met on the Game of Thrones tour. He invited me out to Temple Bar
where he was meeting up with 2 of his friends. I bussed my way to there, found
the pub, but couldn’t find him for about 20 minutes. I decided to sit and wait
at the bar, and this guy came over and started talking to me while ordering 2
drinks. He was on a date with this girl he was really interested in and was
talking to me about how awesome his night was going but he was still feeling
kind of nervous. It was adorable and I loved how he found me approachable to
just randomly start talking about that with me.
Gabriel finally found me (he was already there but it was
awful wifi and he just saw that I was there) and led me towards the back. He
was with 2 women who seemed to also be in their late-20s, and they both were
from Spain and so sweet! We talked for a while, but the women had work early in
the morning so they left about an hour later. Gabriel and I then decided to
leave and see what was happening around town that night, but it was a Monday
night and we didn’t expect much. Well, after walking around for a few minutes,
I ran into a group of 4 guys from California who happened to be on the Game of
Thrones tour we were on a couple days ago! We were so excited to see each other
and they joined in the wandering about. (One of the guys was the designated “Hodor”
of the tour and kept saying “Hodor” throughout the day and kept saying it that
night too. It was hilarious. If you don’t watch Game of Thrones, just type “Hodor
says Hodor” on google and watch the 42 second clip).
We finally found a place that was playing live music, and it
was packed! The band was playing a lot of country music and I was having a
blast singing along. We stayed there for a while, but it closed pretty early.
We were not ready to call it a night, so we wandered about a bit more. We found
2 other American girls, 1 whose birthday was that day, and they tagged along
with us. We ended up at some club that had no one in there, maybe 3 at most. It
was sad. So we made it fun ourselves. We requested fun songs like “Don’t Stop
Believing” and danced and sang wildly on the dance floor. It was so much fun!
Again, you meet the best people while traveling!
After all our voices were almost gone from belting out every
song, we left and stopped by some pizza place because some of us were hungry.
We then departed ways, but luckily the 4 California guys had an Airbnb (they
rented out someone else’s apartment) literally a block away from Generator
hostel. I walked with them and we realized none of us were tired yet, so I came
up to their apartment after they tempted me with a new Game of Thrones episode
that had aired the night before. It was probably like 4am by the time it ended
but I’ll stay up anytime to see a new episode! Only one of the guys was still
awake so I said bye and walked across the street to Generator and crashed.
DAY 4
I took a taxi to the airport after I got led to a “bus stop”
that wasn’t actually the correct bus stop. Sometimes Google maps can be stupid.
I was getting sick of public transportation anyways, so I just paid the money
for a taxi. I got to the airport so excited to get to my next stop: Lisbon,
Portugal! But I thought about how much Ireland surprised me. It’s such a
beautiful place with friendly outgoing people. There is so much to do and I
wish I had more time to go on more tours! Oh well, maybe next time… ;)
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