A Day in Dublin

Unfortunately, today was my last day abroad, as my Tennessee bound flight departs tomorrow. Today was a great day though; we got an early start and toured Dublin almost all day long. Grandpa got us all tickets for a live commentated ‘hop-on hop-off’ tour bus that ran all throughout the city. The first placed we hopped off was at the Dublin Castle. The castle was built by King John of England in 1204 for the “defense of the city, the administration of justice, and the protection of the King's treasure”. It once housed the First Lord of Ireland and is nowadays where the Irish president is inaugurated.

Our second stop was the St. Patrick’s Cathedral of Dublin, where reportedly the saint baptized new converts to Christianity. It was very beautiful!

We then wandered around the streets and enjoyed the fun sights of street performers, did a little shopping, and ate the most amazing gelato ice cream ever!

Kinda Creepy

Beautiful Music

We then rode the bus along its full rout and saw many interesting things like the Guinness Brewery, the oldest pub in Dublin, a mass grave, and the Irish president’s house.

Their 'White House'

For dinner we ate at a pub and I enjoyed a Guinness legally for the last time for another year. The food was great, the beer cold, and the company reminisced about their favorite parts of the trip. Oh, and a native told me how Irish I look. ;)

This has been an amazing trip: new experiences from new places, observing my younger siblings and Brandon go on their first adventure, and getting to briefly touch the places my ancestors lived. Tomorrow I return to Tennessee and fall back into routine.

Cheers, Ireland. 

Thanks for reading!

Jessica Nicole Shultz