Our original plan for this past weekend was to go to Munich, Germany for Oktoberfest. However we found out the whole trip was going to cost us quite a bit of money, so we decided to go to Dublin, Ireland instead.
Our flight was at a normal time so we didn't have to wake up too too early. We were flying out of Paris BVA so we had to take a 1.5hr shuttle bus from the Port Maillot bus station, which I hated because that particular bus always made me carsick.
Once we got to Dublin, we got into a taxi and realized that the cars drove on the opposite side of the road there, and that the driver's seat was on the left instead of the right. I sat in the passenger seat so it was definitely really trippy to be in that seat while the car was moving, but it wasn't I who was driving it!
We then arrived at our hotel where we checked in, expecting to get a king sized bed for the 4 of us to share (which is what we originally booked), but when we got to our room, we found 2 single beds and a double bed. It was a super pleasant surprise!
We then went to explore Dublin, and very soon I noticed Dublin reminded me a lot of Toronto! The buildings were not too old (like in Paris or the other countries we have visited), and everything was actually in English. We had lunch at KC Peaches which one of our new Irish friends recommended to us, and it was absolutely delicious!
After that we wanted to go to Penneys, and asked one of the waitresses where the nearest one was. The waitress was kind enough to come out from behind the counter and stand in the street to draw us a map and give us directions. People in Ireland are so nice! On our way to Penneys, we found a Tim Hortons inside of a Spar convenience store. It was soo weird and unexpected! Let's just say Letizia and Karen were beyond ecstatic. We then get to Penneys, and let me tell you... Penneys is THE best store in the entire universe, I cannot even express my love for it. I spent a ridiculous amount of money there but got the best stuff for so cheap! (ie. a thick circle scarf for 4€, slipper socks for 1.50€, shoes for 12€... what?!) I ended up buying 4 pairs of shoes and it was a mission and a half to fit all my purchases into my backpack. I ended up having to wear 2 thick scarves and my hat, shove my slipper socks into my jacket pockets, and hide my purse and camera under my jacket for the plane. Shopping in Europe is seriously the best, so many cute things and more variety than in Canada.
Anyway, kind of went off on a tangent there... back to Dublin. After Penney's, we went to get fish & chips at Leo Burdock's, a place that the hotel recommended. When we got there, we found out that many celebrities such as Tom Cruise and Jackie Chan have also eaten there which was pretty cool. The portions at Leo's were HUGE for the price we paid. I don't think I had ever seen a bigger piece of fish! The taste of the fish & chips itself was not bad... it was pretty good but I've had better. After dinner, we met up with Brianne's friend who was on exchange in Dublin, along with some of her new friends. We headed over to Temple Bar, in the Temple Bar area, where we had a few drinks. There, we actually met a guy from London who had gone on exchange to ISC Paris a few years back. What a small world!
The next day, we met up with one of Rebecca (one of our new Irish friends)'s best friend, Sarah. She took us to a crepe place called Lemon Crepe & Coffee Co. where we grabbed breakfast and chatted for a bit. Then, she took us through Stephens Green Park and Trinity College (where she actually went to school!). After we explored the streets of Dublin some more, and then stopped to get 99ers, something Letizia was the most excited for. 99ers are soft serve vanilla ice cream cones with Flake bars stuck into the side. They were deelicious! Best soft serve I had had in a while. We then went to Penneys (again) where we picked up a few more items, before saying goodbye to Sarah and making our way to the Guinness Storehouse.
At the Guinness Storehouse, we learned about the Guinness brewing process, got to taste test some of the beer, and finally learned to pour our own pints!! I would say I like the taste of Guinness in small amounts, but I definitely could not finish a whole pint to myself. We also got to go to the Gravity Bar at the top floor of the storehouse for some panoramic views of Dublin.
All in all, Dublin was a fun city, especially to shop! Penneys, I will forever love you ♥
Grafton Street
KC Peaches
Tim Hortons section
My Penneys purchases! (with the exception of a few small items)
Anyway, kind of went off on a tangent there... back to Dublin. After Penney's, we went to get fish & chips at Leo Burdock's, a place that the hotel recommended. When we got there, we found out that many celebrities such as Tom Cruise and Jackie Chan have also eaten there which was pretty cool. The portions at Leo's were HUGE for the price we paid. I don't think I had ever seen a bigger piece of fish! The taste of the fish & chips itself was not bad... it was pretty good but I've had better. After dinner, we met up with Brianne's friend who was on exchange in Dublin, along with some of her new friends. We headed over to Temple Bar, in the Temple Bar area, where we had a few drinks. There, we actually met a guy from London who had gone on exchange to ISC Paris a few years back. What a small world!
Leo Burdock fish & chips
Dublin at night
Yummiest drink
The next day, we met up with one of Rebecca (one of our new Irish friends)'s best friend, Sarah. She took us to a crepe place called Lemon Crepe & Coffee Co. where we grabbed breakfast and chatted for a bit. Then, she took us through Stephens Green Park and Trinity College (where she actually went to school!). After we explored the streets of Dublin some more, and then stopped to get 99ers, something Letizia was the most excited for. 99ers are soft serve vanilla ice cream cones with Flake bars stuck into the side. They were deelicious! Best soft serve I had had in a while. We then went to Penneys (again) where we picked up a few more items, before saying goodbye to Sarah and making our way to the Guinness Storehouse.
Lemon
Pretty fall scenery at Stephens Green
Trinity College
Us with our 99ers
Not a fan of the taste
Us with our Perfect Pint certificates!
After we left Guinness, we went for dinner at a greek restaurant named Corfu. I ordered feta pies to start (SO good), chicken souvlaki, and baklava for dessert. We ended up staying at the restaurant for like 3 hours because the waiter would never come to our table.
Feta pies
We then went back to our hotel where we all struggled to pack our new goodies into our backpacks, and then just had a chill night in since we had to wake up at 3AM for our flight back to Paris. When we got to the airport, there was a lot more repacking of items and Brianne and Letizia even had to buy a water bottle from a duty free store so that they could get the plastic bag to put all their leftover items in it that wouldn't fit into their backpacks.
My airport attire
All in all, Dublin was a fun city, especially to shop! Penneys, I will forever love you ♥
No comments:
Post a Comment