Our journey started with two days in Dublin, Ireland. The first day was our day of arrival and Rick and I had the day together. We took a three-hour nap after checking into our hotel. There were plans to meet up a little later in the afternoon at the Guinness Storehouse with the people attending the training, so we decided to take a taxi there so we would know where it was.

When we got there we saw horse-drawn carriages waiting curbside so we took a short tour in one. Our horse was very peppy and trotted right out. What fun! Sometimes you just have to be a tourist! Here are some scenes taken from our carriage ride. Mind you, we were snapping these while in motion!

St. Patrick’s.

Christchurch.

There were an amazing number of horse-drawn carriages on the streets, and not all of them were for the tourists. One absolutely gorgeous horse went trotting by so fast pulling what looked like a harness racing buggy that I just stood there with my mouth open and not even enough time to get the camera out. This is obviously a country that loves their horses.

Another thing that is quite obvious that the Irish love and are proud of: their Guinness. Hence, the obligatory tour of the Guinness Storehouse with it’s “free” beer at the end. I say “free” because they charge 15 euros for the tour ~wink~.

The best part of the tour for me was not the beer, but learning how the coopers made the barrels. True craftsmen. It’s a shame that it’s a dying art.

On the way up to the bar at the top these reflective windows caught my eye.

And finally the end of the tour and what everyone really came for.

I am not a beer lover, so after getting about half of mine down I handed it over to Rick to finish. I was amazed at how long it held its foamy head though!

The view of Dublin from the top of the Storehouse.

I am throwing in this photo taken on the Guinness grounds just for fun. Someone had a sense of humor!

I have to admit that although I found the people warm and friendly, Dublin itself did not grab me in any special way. And beans (like pork & beans), cooked tomatoes and mushrooms are just not appealing to me as a side for breakfast!

After another day of sightseeing on my own, it was off to France!