All I do is eat: My first Thanks Giving and a food-and-beer-filled weekend in Dublin!

Today is my 140th day away from home- and I after the weekend just gone I feel like I have eaten 140 days worth of food! Ok, slight exaggeration... but I my weekend really was food and beer-packed! It started on Thursday night with my first ever Thanks Giving! Because of my American flat mates and also the ones next door, Thanks Giving was a big deal in Clanny House!

The dinner was held in next door's flat (a nice change from our own flat where the parties are always held) and every person was asked to bring some sort of food or drink contribution. I made butter and herb roasted potatoes and honey-glazed carrots- any excuse to cook!

This is Gluehwein- It is a German Christmas drink that I am now addicted to!
It is a warm red wine, which I thought I really wouldn't like...but it is really sweet with a cinnamon
flavour- the only way to describe it is 'Christmas in a bottle!'

The idea of us all contributing was a good one because it meant no one had to spend

too much money...but my god did we have a lot of food! We were in food heaven!

 

We had ham, 4 different types of potatoes, roast vegetables, beer bread, cheese bread, garlic bread,

pumpkin pie, pecan pie, choc-pumpkin pie, ice cream….

I had to stand on a chair to get a photo of all of it- my friend Ruben suggested that
we get a panoramic camera to get the perfect photo of our feast!

I was happy that Thanks Giving mainly consisted of eating copious amounts of food, rather than drinking alcohol (although I did have a few more mugs of Gluewein than I should have) because the next day we had to wake up early for our flight to Dublin!!! Our crew was made up of myself, Beth, Matt, Sascha, Rose and Kelsey and we all had to meet in our kitchen at 8am. 

We had to catch a train to Newcastle airport and then a 50minute flight to Dublin- it was all smooth sailing and we arrived by about 1pm.

Always happy to be on a plane- funnily enough, my first ever flight with Beth!

I think we were all expecting rain and drizzly weather for the whole weekend- but I am pleased to announce that it did not rain once! The weather was so kind to us, and I think it made the trip even better than it was already going to be!

We started our weekend by taking a walk after we had checked into our hostel (which was Jacob's Inn on Talbot street- one of the best hostels I have ever stayed in!). The streets of Dublin are quite beautiful. Especially with the sun shining, everything looked really green and picturesque. The town is built around the banks of the River Liffey and there are lots of little foot bridges crossing it, making it easy to get from one side to the other. The streets are full of pubs with live music streaming out of the windows and people drinking pints of Guinness out the front. There is also a lot of street art, which I wasn't expecting- something I always love to see!

My fascination with yellow trees continues...

GREEN letter boxes! 

Dublin knows how to do a good pub- that is for sure!

My first pint of Guinness in Dublin!

The crew! Led by the beautiful Rose in the front there!

Of course, there was a lot of silliness on this trip- always the case when
me and Sascha are together! The snowman is smiling because Sascha is pinching
his butt in this photo!

Pints with my girl! 

Matt looks so enthused!

I adored the streets of Dublin- such a lively, pub-filled place!

After having a stroll, we decided that in Dublin, 4pm is a good time to start drinking! So we headed to Temple Bar, which is the main 'pub zone' in Dublin...

Dublin is honestly my kind of party scene! Every pub was packed with jolly people with pints in their hands singing along to the live traditional Irish music. A lot of the Irish pubs actually reminded me of Australian pubs in regard to their atmosphere... but I think Dublin wins in the area of live music!

Matt ordering his first of many, MANY pints...

View from the Ha'Penny bridge. We all shared a cheap bottle of wine and some cigars
at this point- both were beyond nasty but it was still
an experience I will never forget!

I have been looking for this beer ever since I got to the UK- it is one of my Dad's favourites,
so I had to order one when I saw it in Dublin! It was a nice change from all the Guinness and it quickly became
my staple beer for the weekend! Such a good brew! Plus I thought of my Dad every time I had one!

Because we started drinking so early, we ended up going home by about 1.30pm- a 10 hour drinking effort still isn't bad! Plus, it worked out well because we all got a long sleep so none of us were really hung over the next day- a good thing since we had a big day planned! The weather was gorgeous, which was extra motivation, so we started our day early after enjoying a free hostel breakfast!

The first place we went to was the Leprechaun Museum! It was an interesting experience, probably more aimed at little kids than big kids like us, but we enjoyed it all the same! It was all about tradition Irish folk-lore and fairy tales, which was really interesting because there was a lot of true historical facts tied up in all the stories. The best part was the 'Giants Room,' which was full of huge furniture that was designed to make us feel like Leprechauns ourselves!

Either I am being grumpy because Sascha
got to be on the top of the chair, or my hang over just kicked in...

...But don't worry, some silliness would cheer me up!
Rachel, Sascha and Rose: The Leprechauns

After the Leprechaun Museum, we were all pretty hungry. One bad thing about Dublin is everything is soooooo expensive! Most of us were on a pretty strict budget, so we had already eaten fast food for most of our meals. So Sascha had the genius idea of getting some bread and cheese from a corner store. The weather was so nice that it was almost rude not to enjoy our food on a sunny park bench! One of the best meals of the trip, not to mention the cheapest by far!

After lunch, it was time for the Guinness Store!

When we got there, we were disappointed to see the HUGE line that was waiting out the front of the store... but it moved really quickly and we were inside after about half an hour.

Not to sound ungrateful or anything, but I think I was expecting too much from the Guinness Store. It was impressive to see all the Guinuess stock and merchandise, and the view from the top was really cool. But most of the 'sights' and 'attractions' were big screens displaying how the beer is made in the factory. I think I was expecting to see the actual machines at work, so I was a little bit disappointed. Plus, by this stage we were all so tired that it was hard to really enjoy anything. Our free pint of Guinness was probably the best part of the Guinness Store!

After the Guinness Store, we all eagerly agreed that we would have a big nap. It was a long walk from our hostel and we were just deciding if we should walk or catch a tram when a horse and cart pulled up beside us. So, after paying what was almost definitely a complete rip-off amount to the driver, we all piled in the back and 'Co-Co' the horse took us most of the way back to our hostel! A very fun experience- so not a complete waste of money!

We had the longest and most beautiful nap ever! We slept until about 8pm and when we woke up it seemed like we had a new day ahead of us- it honestly extended the trip!

We went to a pub called O'Sheas (super Irish!) and had a tradition Irish meal.

Matt and I both ordered the Steak and Guinness pie- a decision we did not regret! It was beyond delicious and it was nicely washed down with a pint of Guinness on the side!

For desert we had coffee with baileys and a fried mars bar with ice-cream! I was, once again, in food heaven. I hope after reading this post you understand my current craving for the gym and some healthy food! 

My weekend in Dublin was everything I hoped it would be, if not more! The weather was glorious, the streets were lively and full of culture, the beers were a-flowin', the pubs were fun and jolly- and all of this was made even better by the awesome friends I got to share it with!