Okay, so I started writing this post last night while sitting propped up in bed....and I fell asleep while typing, haha, wow! So here is the finished version....
Late last night I arrived in Dublin after an amazing trip in Paris and Venice. Not without some more travel trouble of course! Without going into too much detail about that, I will say that I will NEVER again fly on Ryanair or any other similar airlines. So they are part of the reason I had to sit in an airport for over 12 hours yesterday and then catch such a late flight. All is well now that I am in Dublin though! But before I start chatting about Dublin, a few thoughts I will share with you now about my time in Europe so far.
Firstly, this is not my first time in Europe. In fact, prior to this trip I had been to 16 countries already. I am happy to report that my total is now at 18! Woohoo! Paris and Venice were both awesome cities and both were also very romantic places for my girlfriend and I to spend time together. We met up in Paris and this is part of the reason for the panic with trying to connect on my flight out of D.C. We both felt that we enjoyed Venice a little bit more than Paris, but both cities have so much to offer in their own unique ways that it is hard to compare the two. Another reason we both might be feeling a little more drawn towards Italy could be the fact that we just got engaged there!! Yes indeed, I am now engaged with the love of my life Irina and couldn't be any happier! But while that is not the point of this blog, I do plan on posting some updates, pictures, and thoughts about all of this experience. We got engaged on a gondola just past the famous Rialto bridge in Venice. Then we had a nice evening dinner...it was super romantic and an incredible evening neither of us will ever forget.
We started off the day with a visit to the famous Kilmainham Gaol prison museum and learned about its great importance in Ireland history and some of the politics that were involved in this historic place. It reminded me of the struggles the U.S. endured for its independence. The scars that still exist from these struggles are an important lesson for not just Ireland, but mankind. The photos posted here show a brief picture of what I saw there, but words cannot explain the somberness I felt from this place. I feel strangely connected and tied into this when I consider the connections our U.S. history has to Europe and independence forged by my forefathers in many wars. Since I have recently found out that I have Irish in me from my Grandfather on my moms side, I am interested in learning more about Irish history and the struggles of those in my bloodlines from this side of my family. I also want to learn more Irish history now and I am feeling a strong connection with Ireland now that I am here that I cannot explain.
After the tour, I was separated from my group and then because I knew we were headed towards the Guinness brewery I made my way there. It was another awesome tour and I learned some new things about the brewing process and what makes Guinness unique. It is a very tasty beer and I had a blast with my new group/friends checking it all out. We enjoyed some of the food as well and it was some very good local flavors. I also purchased a Guinness long sleeve shirt...guess I got caught up in the fun!
After the tour we had a group dinner that included everyone again, and this organized dinner was a three course meal. It was so good and I was impressed that they had gluten free items on their menu. I take notice of this thing because my mom has to eat gluten free, and she would have really enjoyed this spot. It is hard for her to travel to Europe and I can't wait to pass along to her that Ireland is a great place to visit and she can enjoy being here without worrying as much about food. After dinner we visited a bar called the International bar and watched a fûtball match they were showing there as we sat around and chatted. What a great day and great fun with new found friends. Then I came home and crashed as I wrote this blog, hence the post today. So now I am caught up and ready to keep sharing this amazing experience with all that care to read about this trip!
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