Day 1: Dublin, Ireland

SUNDAY: 22 MARCH 2009

Touched down in Dublin at 6:45 am! By 7:15 am, I was already on the shuttle bus to the city center. I was the only person on the bus. Felt like some kinda celebrity, had the whole bus to myself. Haha… Too bad it was not a limo. By 7: 35 am, I was at the city center.

First mission was to check in at my hotel. Abbey Hotel. This is me with Mini and my Lonely Planet guide book.

Pretty good hotel with nice, big bed. =)

Next up, jalan-jalan around town. It was only 8:00 am and there was absolutely nobody in town. Really. NOBODY. My guess was people was either in bed or IN BED. The shops are all closed but the public transport were running. There was sunlight and the weather was perfect. Picture time! Since there was no human being around, I took some really nice pictures, like this.

This is Bachelor's Walk and River Liffey on the left. Nobody except me, at Bachelor's Walk.

Continued walking alone and this is the Post Office. This is a historical site because the 1916 Easter Rising happened here, amongst some other buildings.

Absolutely good picture, not ruined by other tourists trying to take pictures because I was the only tourist there at that time. =p

As I was walking on O' Connell Street I stumbled upon this.

Pulau Pinang in Ireland?

I did not eat at this restaurant. I didn't go all the way to Dublin for Malaysian food. Anyways, I think I can cook some pretty decent Malaysian dishes myself. =)

As soon as it was 9:30am, I took bus No. 78 to:

Translation: Kilmainham Jail.

The jail was situated on top of a hill. This is for air ventilation, important for good sanitation. Back in the days, there was no heat or electricity there and I could imagine how terrible the condition was. Cold cement walls and cold stone floors. I followed the guided tour in the jail. The tour guide told stories of the famous prisoners and the conditions in the jail. It was really cold in the jail. And the rooms were really small. I did not take any pictures of the individual rooms because I was in a somber mood. The tour ended with the tour guide showing us where the leaders for the 1916 Easter Rising were shot. Again I did not take any pictures. Just to respect the place, although photography was allowed. I only took three pictures in the jail. One of them is this.

Victorian Wing of the jail.

Alright, enough about the jail. Next up, met up with d-loh to follow a walking tour about the history of Ireland. It was really worth it and I would recommend it to anyone who visits Dublin. I learnt a lot about the history of Ireland's independence from both the walking tour and the jail tour. It was during this walking tour that my jetlag decided to kick in. I felt terribly tired and all I could think of was bed!

However, we had more in our itinerary. Bus No. 78 again to Guinness Storehouse. We learnt the 5 important ingredients in Guinness. Barley, malt, water from Wicklow Mountain, yeast and Arthur Guinness himself. Haha... That is funny. But it is what they said.

Fun Fact

I like this poster. See how the birds serve Guinness using their beaks? Hillarious. I hate birds by the way.

Our Guinness experience ended with a pint of Guinness in Gravity Bar, on top floor of the building. Jetlag+Guinness=Best Sleep Medicine Ever.

Had dinner in Temple Bar area with d-loh then called it a day and headed separate ways. Pictures in Temple Bar area still with d-loh who is in London at this moment. Will update pictures when d-loh gets back.