We continued our tour around Dublin, using the O'Connell and Ha'penny bridges to explore both banks of the Liffey, visiting numerous pubs along the way - including our second visit to The Brazen Head (Ireland's oldest pub) in as many days. It was also election day back in Canada, though with the five-hour time difference, we wouldn't know the results until the next morning.
We shopped some more for souvenirs, including some traditional Irish hats from the Aran Wool Market. Despite being told (in jest) that Ireland only got five days of sunshine a year, we had managed to see three of them in three days.
For our final day in Dublin, we had set aside time to tour the Guinness Storehouse. Using the hop on-hop off bus again (thanks to our 48-hour pass), we made our way to the iconic brewery and toured the many floors of well-designed interactive education, topped off with a pint of the dark stuff in the top floor Gravity Bar where we enjoyed a commanding 360-degree view of the city.
We had a nice dinner at The Celt pub, with Jane opting for fish and chips (big surprise there) and me trying the delicious Guinness stew with dark Guinness bread. Unfortunately we were too early for the live traditional music, but this historic pub went quickly from empty upon arrival to full as we departed.
We also had an interesting conversation with the owner who kept chatting with us even when staff and phone calls attempted to pull him away. Gift of the gab indeed. He told us the story of those starving Irish who "took the soup" during the great famine - accepting food from the British in exchange for dropping the O' from their last name as part of their long subjugation. When he realized we were Canadian, he also regaled us with stories of his time hanging out with Leonard Cohen!
As Jane repacked our things back at the apartment in preparation for tomorrow's travel, Sensei and I headed back to Temple Bar in search of live music. We enjoyed a pint and some traditional albeit low-key music at The Voyageur, and then moved on for a few more drinks at Gogarty's for a much more lively experience.
Heading back to the apartment, we had one last beer to celebrate three awesome days in Dublin before turning in for early morning departure - knowing that we definitely need to come back but also explore the countryside next time!
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