Diving through Dublin, PT.1
Let’s take it back to the summer of 2022, I decided to book another trip through EF Ultimate Break; however, this time, I’m traveling solo, with no friends to accompany me as they did for my Greece trip in 2021. My stomach is over here doing cartwheels out of the pure excitement and nervousness I have about my first-ever solo international trip. I truly did not know one person on this trip but at the end of it, I had lifelong friends.
I arrived at Dublin Airport and immediately rushed to luggage claim with the hopes my check-in bag made the trip in one piece. In the meantime, I got my phone to match the local wifi and checked our travel app group chat to see if there are others who have arrived. I was so nervous to meet new people but as soon as I got my bag and headed over to the meetup spot, I knew right then and there, I was going to have the best time.
We waited a few more hours for everyone to arrive and we all started to get to know one another. There were travelers from all over, Texas, California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, etc. We also meet our Tour Guide, who was not what we were expecting. Turns out our original tour guide had a family emergency and we had a quick swap of tour guides. The new tour guide’s name was Shane. He was very nervous at first as his usual tour groups consisted of the older generation. However, throughout the trip, we all become Shane’s #1 fans. He made us laugh and we enjoyed all his guidance and advice.
After checking in to our hotel, The Hendrick Smithfield, we all had a quick tour of the area and then proceeded to unpack and relax for a bit before heading out to our welcome dinner. The welcome dinner was a quick walk from the hotel at Christophe’s, conveniently across from the Jameson Distillery. The food was flowing, drinks were coming, and dessert just hit the spot. We were encouraged to continue the party elsewhere and we ended up at Frank Ryan’s Bar. It had old-school vibes with bras hanging from the ceiling, old Guinness beer bottles, and loud music. Oh and some of the best coasters, which I obviously had to take back home to the states.
““Dublin is a city where there’s familiarity without friendship, loneliness without solitude” ”
We then meet up with the rest of the tour group at one of the oldest pubs in Dublin, The Cobblestone. They’re known as “a drinking pub with a music problem.” Here, I was introduced to one of my new favorite shots to take, a baby Guinness. It consists of Irish cream and coffee liqueur, not much but after let’s say six or more, you feel it! They’re very easy to take down and it just brings the party to you. We were lucky to arrive right before the band started playing and it was a blast. Everyone came together to drink, party, and simply have fun. After that, we all headed back to sleep as we had a BUSY day to look forward to. Stay tuned for Diving through Dublin, PT.2!
