Krysti's Big Adventure!: Dublin-lovin' & London-town

Ahoyhoy. I'm off on my first Contiki trip early tomorrow morning heading to France so I thought I should do a very quick update so I don't get too behind.
Well the girls weekend in Dublin was SO great! I love that city so much! It was so so sad to leave. 3 days there was definitely not long enough so I will certainly be back. Dublin had such a great atmosphere, it has a vibe to it and the people are so sociable and friendly which really adds to the culture. Not to mention the Irish accents- phwoar!

My friends and I arrived at different times, Sarah was already there when I arrived early evening. We had hired out an AirB&B house to ourselves in a quaint suburb called Stoneybatter (say that in an Irish accent hehe). We got snacks and a couple of drinks each while we waited for Carrie to arrive and then we all went to a local pub to be sure, to be sure (I'm not even sorry). That was pretty much us for the first night.

On Saturday we walked into the centre of town and had a cooked breakfast. I of course got the full Irish, which was amazing. We then went into the famous Temple Bar which had live Irish music playing and was packed with people drinking at that time of the day already! So we decided to join them and I had my first ever Irish coffee at 11 am in the morning!

Feeling invigorated we then passed by a giant Irish souvenir store which we went pretty nuts in... we all bought matching Green Ireland t-shirts as well as badges, a mini leprechaun soft-toy/keyring etc. All of us were already wearing green t-shirts so that just added to our craziness. Although there was a big rugby game on- Ireland vs Scotland so there were heaps of people walking around sporting Irish gear (and there were even a few kilts) so I'm sure we just fitted right in.....

In the afternoon we joined a free 3 hour walking tour which was cool and interesting to hear the abysmal history of the country. We covered a bit of ground and saw the castle, the historical university and the library which holds the most books in the world! Following that we were pretty exhausted so just decided to have a few drinks at home and we later got takeaways for dinner.

Sunday we all donned our matching shirts and headed back to town. We started with a delightful second breakfast at a chocolate cafe before heading to the Guinness Brewery- which is something I've been looking forward to for years! That was such a great way to spend 4 hours, it was definitely a highlight of the trip. We got to explore the storehouse and learn how it was made- it was about 7 floors and ended at a bar on the top with an excellent view over Dublin.
We went to Guinness Academy where we learned how to pour the perfect pint and got a certificate for it. Then of course we got to drink it and- best Guinness I've ever had! Definitely something in the water in Ireland! We sat in a big room with a live Irish band and there were Irish dancers performing. They even came up and grabbed us to join in a big group dance at one stage which was fun but a bit of a workout! Leg flailing is quite an effort. We probably stayed in that room for a whole hour cause it was so enjoyable! I bought a cool Irish Guinness t-shirt and Guinness fudge- the souvenir store was amazing, I wanted to buy everything.
After the brewery there was a horse and carriage waiting outside so we decided to be fancy and ride back to town that way- it was so awesome! We finished at a pub with a meal and a couple of pints. The dinner was so amazing- beef and Guinness stew- omg!

Our final half day on Monday we explored a bit more of town and had nice coffee and scones and found an epic Disney store where we had fun posing with the characters. Sarah and I bought the same t-shirt again- a Star Wars one because it was so cool! I shouldn't be buying anything as my suitcase is already a kg overweight but I can't help myseeeelf.
We then went to the library by the castle as it had a recommended exhibition there and after we had a super lunch at their cafe. We had such a good food weekend.
Sadly we had to head back to the house and pack our suitcases. Of course we left some time to spare to have a final pint of Guinness at the pub before we headed to the airport. So our short time in Dublin was wicked and I can't wait to come back and to explore the rest of Ireland as well.

But next stop- London! It's my third time here in less than a year- feeling very spoilt! As soon as I arrived in Carrie's neighborhood I saw a fox within minutes- I love them! On Tuesday I ticked off something I hadn't yet done and always wanted to do- go to Platform 9 and 3/4 at King's Cross! I met Sarah there after she had finished work and we waited in line for about 40 minutes because it was so popular- but it was so worth the wait! I can't believe they actually employ someone as a 'wind maker'. There's a guy who wraps the scarf around your neck and then holds it waiting for the photographer to say go and the guy whips it out so it creates wind and looks like you're moving! So funny! So that was a lot of fun and I love my photo. After that we had a steak and ale cornish pasty for lunch and then headed to Camden Town. We walked around there for a while and explored some shops and a bit of the market before ending up at the World's End pub. When Sarah had to go back to work I headed home and met Carrie and we made a nice home made dinner before heading out with her flatmate and his friends to a local open-mic night in Tooting. I was so surprised with the talent there- I thought it would be average at best, but I was really blown away. Every single singer and musician was extremely talented- they should be famous. So that was a really enjoyable night.

On Wednesday I headed to Trafalgar and I couldn't help but get another pasty for lunch (it's the closest thing to a NZ pie- which I miss very much). I then went to the London National Gallery which is a top art museum, but I was a bit of a snob in there, as after the Louvre in Paris or the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican City- everything else seems mediocre! No, they had a few cool bits in there. Mostly I enjoyed the really old stuff from 12-15th Century. I only stayed for about an hour and then wandered to Covent Garden and then over the Thames and down South Bank. I ended up in the Tate Modern museum which I actually enjoyed a lot more. Apparently I love abstract art haha- I never knew. There was some really random stuff in there.
After that I ended up at Borough Market and had a pint while I waited for Carrie and Sarah to meet me after they finished work. We then headed to Jamie Oliver's at London Bridge for some drinks and a nice dinner and dessert. Sarah gave me a surprise present- the coolest little fox toy! I love it. :)

So today is my last day here and I'm going to head back to Borough Market as it's supposed to be a foodies paradise- I'm going for the paella! And then I'm going to do the Sandeman's walking tour of London, which will be good to brush up on the history as well as seeing my favourite places again like Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace etc.
Meeting with the girls again later on for my last night and then off to France tomorrow! Exciting times. Only about a month to go now before I'm home again~ time is flying.

Dublin: