Dublin!!

The River Liffey that runs through Dublin! I love the rivers that cut across cities (London has the Thames, France had the River Seine). They make the city so easy to navigate! The reason for all these rivers? Every big city had to have some way to import and export goods back in the day, so the cities were always built on a river! That's why every major city is connected to some body of water! 

The streets of Dublin!

There really are Leprechauns! 

Cute building we found on our walk around Dublin.

Dublin's big department store, the equivalent of Saks in the states.

Entrance into Saint Stephen's Green Park.

The park was beautiful! I do have a soft spot for green areas, but this was truly beautiful!! 

more of the park...

Dublin Castle!

Dublin Castle

Christ Church Cathedral

Our hostel!! Although this hostel was very nice and had a great location, I hope I never ever have to stay in one again! Trying to sleep in a 20-person room while crazies are coming back drunk at all hours of the night is not an ideal situation. Not only did I hardly sleep while I was there, I also didn't shower. For 3 days. The showers were just too much to handle!! Great staff, great location, great price. But, not for me. I prefer a nice hotel with my own bathroom and a telly. Is that too much to ask?

The famous Temple Bar! It really was cool!!

The best part about Temple Bar and all the other pubs in Dublin was that there was always live music. At EVERY pub!! And not just a strange cover band, or a middle-aged man with a guitar. These were authentic, enthusiastic, traditional Irish bands and they were AMAZING! The atmosphere in the pubs was amazing, and I truly wish there was something like it in London and the States! Everyone was so happy and excited about the live music - a truly Irish atmosphere. 

Trinity College! Beautiful!

More Trinity College

GUINNESS!!!!

Entrance to the factory. 

Seeing the old Guinness advertisements was perhaps the funniest part of the whole trip. They used to recommend Guinness for everything: a stomach ache, strong muscles, to keep your health balanced. Guinness was even referred to as part of a balanced diet, and the carbohydrates were "good for you." I can't even believe people believe that!! Smart advertising...

"Guinness for Strength." Yeah, right. 

Amazing view of Dublin from the Gravity Bar at the top of the Guiness factory!

As we were up in the Gravity Bar, God decided to give us a little reward to make up for the hostel we had to stay in...

Perhaps the most beautiful sight I have even seen. This rainbow was a full arch; if only I could have gotten both ends of it with my camera. It was the most bright and vibrant rainbow I have ever seen, and seeing it from the tallest building in Dublin made it that much better. The absolute best part about it, was that this end of the rainbow ended right at Saint Patrick's Cathedral. We were so thrilled that we got to experience a manifestation of the Irish stereotype: Drinking a Guinness while looking out over the city onto a rainbow shining over Saint Patrick's Cathedral. If I'd have had a box of Lucky Charms with me it would have been game over.