Staying in Greystones, Home Away From Home

Well we've drank a Guiness, downed a meal of fish and chips and tried blood pudding...we must be in Ireland! Arriving to Dublin yesterday morning, after 7 hours of travel and a 3:15 am wake-up call, we left the airport and headed for Powerscourt. This is one site that you have surely seen already, even if you haven't stepped foot on the Emerald Isle. The picturesque courtyard is a stunning scene from The Count of Monte Cristo, we walked the same steps that the count landed his hot airballoon on. The beauty cannot be conveyed through film, nor through our camera lens (although we sure tried!), the landscapes are immaculate and inventive. We strolled leisurely through forests, Japanese gardens and flowerbeds, even a pet cemetary! We then made our way to Greystones, home of Whitney's study abroad program in college, and settled into our somewhat musty, but comfortable-enough B&B. It looks right over the Greystones Harbor. We walked through the town, gobbled down our Fish and Chips and washed it all down with some Club Rock Shandy. It was a perfect Irish ending to our busy and strenuous day.

Today, the Guiness Factory was number one on our To-Do list. We are pretty much brewmasters now and are thinking of taking over Mr. Guiness' operation. The museum was amazing, informative and how can dislike a tour that ends with a free brew? Whitney didn't partake, a Coke sounded more refreshing. We sit and sipped while viewing the city of Dublin from high atop the seven floors. Hopping back on our very touristy bus, we rode it to the Kilmainam Gaol (pronounced Jail for those of you non-Gaelic speakers) where several of the rebels from the 1916 Easter Uprising were executed. The committment to their cause was staggering and inspiring. We wondered what we would do under such strains. This is being written from an Internet cafe, our first in Europe, but we're about to miss our train, so off we go!