My week in Dublin #2 | Archive Travel

The sun was shining and I had a great time in oh so green Ireland. Let’s get into the second part of my trip to Dublin.

First posted in Dutch on May 22 2017 and updated on November 18 2024.

On my 4th day in Dublin, just before the weekend, I visited the Guinness Storehouse and I was really surprised how beautiful it was. I know it is a tourist attraction, but I expected anything but this.

Short story:
When I bought my ticket at the counter, the young woman behind the counter asked me if I wanted to wish Sean, her colleague, a happy birthday. Sean is a security guard and he would be standing around the corner where I had to go up for my tour of the Storehouse. I saw Sean standing there right away and wished him a happy birthday. A big smile appeared on his face and he thanked me. Only… it wasn’t his birthday! At first he thought that there was another Sean who had to work that day. But guess what? When I wanted to leave the building (at the end of the day) I ran into Sean and he told me that the girl behind the counter was playing a prank on him. He was congratulated by at least twenty other people that day! Super funny to pull such a stunt. In addition, the same atmosphere was noticeable between most of the staff members when I walked through the buildings. It was clear that the colleagues get along well with each other and also enjoy talking to tourists.

The problem with travelling alone? I usually take a selfie, but an Instagram boyfriend (not mine, but another girl’s) quickly came to my rescue. And before I knew it, I had someone who took several pictures of me that day.

Besides the atmosphere, I also really liked the museum part. But now came the moment that I was allowed to taste the beer. Super fun and a must do. It doesn’t cost anything extra and you learn even more about the beer. First we went to a white room where we learned about the different ingredients in the beer. After that we walked to the black room where we learned how to drink the beer and what you should taste in different places on your tongue.

Then it was time to go all the way to the top of the Storehouse where I had a 360 degree view of the city with a Guinness in my hand.

I managed to entertain myself for a few hours in the Storehouse. It was already mid-afternoon when I walked outside. I took a walk to the city centre where I bought a ticket for a tour of Ireland two days later. After that day I was tired from all the walking and the impressions, so I decided to make an early evening of it. I cooked at my Airbnb and went to bed.

Day 5 started with a nice walk to the city centre. This time I did not walk through the park or along the water, but I decided to get to know more of the city.

Ireland is known for its poetry. As a souvenir of my visit to Dublin I wanted to buy a book of poems by an Irish author. When I was paying, the shop owner told me that the poetry book I had chosen had its launch party in that bookstore. How special that I chose this particular poetry book to buy as a souvenir!

With a cappuccino, I plopped down in one of the large leather chairs in the Costa coffee shop and enjoyed every letter I read from the poetry book I had just bought.

In the afternoon, I visited Dublin Castle.

All those beautiful colours! But I came for the library that can also be found on this site. I can recommend that place to every book lover. During the exhibition I learned so much about books and how books came about in different cultures and parts of the world.

The same evening, I tried to go to bed on time, since I had to get up early the next day for my tour. But that plan failed miserably. I was so enthusiastic that I hardly slept a wink that night.

I will skip day 6 and save that for another blog post. Day 7 was all about lazing around and enjoying my last day in Dublin. And boy did I enjoy it!

Then day 8 dawned. The night before I had already said goodbye to my host with whom I have a very good relationship. We talked a lot and exchanged ideas about life. We said goodbye with a hug and if I ever go back to Dublin, there is a good chance that I will stay at her place again.

I took the bus to the airport and then the waiting began. But the scones at the airport were delicious! So it was certainly not a punishment to have to wait a long time. Once in the Netherlands? Normal life started again and I didn’t take the train home, but to school… Haha, it seems a bit like that was a downer of my holiday. But it was anything but. I am glad that I managed to create this lifestyle for myself. Travelling, working and school: as impossible as it may seem, it is a nice combination.

This blog was originally written in 2017, so please keep in mind some information might be outdated.

Love,