Dublin, Ireland

Welcome to Ireland, the country that perfectly depicts the land of fantasy and magic that you dreamed of as a small child. A land that looks like it is home to dungeons, princes, castles and knights in gleaming armour. I will warn you before you get too far; you will either fall in love with the nature of the land. Or your knees will go weak from the historic architecture. However, out of this sprawling green country, there is a small slice that you must visit. The capital and the largest city of Ireland – Dublin!

While you can very, very easily spend an entire week in Dublin and never grow tired of it – I cannot blame you for wanting to take an adventure outside of the city’s grounds. Your options range from stoic castles to the wild untamed nature that Ireland has to offer, with everything in between. While you may want to jump right in and book the tour before your visit, I highly recommend that you wait till you touch down to decide on your day trip.

Whether you make the choice to stay within the city your entire trip or, leave to explore the beautiful grounds that surround it – I can almost guarantee that you will find yourself in a pub. Let’s go over a few basic guidelines before you pay the closest watering hole a visit.

• If you are going to a pub in the evening, then dress up a tad. It is looked down upon to show up at a pub in the evening in dirt drenched jeans and smelling of the day’s activity. Save that for your day time pub visits!
• Instead of buying individual drinks, it is popular in Ireland to purchase a round of drinks for everyone at the table and to take turns. This being said, it is safe to say that if there are four people at the table, then you should expect no less than four rounds.

Before you venture outside of the city’s limits, there are dishes that I highly recommend you try! For the adventurous eater I recommend you try Black or White pudding. Black pudding is made with; onions, herbs, barley or oatmeal, while white pudding is made of the same sans blood. However, this is something that you would find in standard English households so it’s not a very unique dish if you call the United Kingdom home. Don’t be afraid, try it! If you still wish to try out something that is wonderfully Irish, dig into a load of Irish soda or brown bread – it’ll melt in your mouth like a dream. Then most importantly after each meal, don’t forget to order yourself a glass of fine Irish Whiskey.