Another day, another new city and country! I arrived early for a full day in Dublin. The museum highlight of the day was definitely the bog bodies at the National Museum of Ireland Archaeology. These bodies are burials or sacrifices discovered in peat bogs in Ireland – most of them accidentally. Due to the low temperature and acidic and anoxic water, features like hair and fingernails are preserved on these burials.
After getting my fill of museums and walking around the city, I stopped by the Guinness storehouse for a tour, a lesson on tasting, and a pint on their sky-high “gravity bar.”
That night, I found a small pub with a bunch of local musicians cycling through. They were sitting in a circle with uilleann pipes, fiddles, a banjo and a concertina, all playing traditional Irish tunes. Cobblestone is off the beaten tourist path and definitely recommended if you’re looking for a more local spot in Dublin. There’s only so much banjo I can take in one night, so I later headed to Temple Bar in the city center. Well known for attracting travelers from all over the world, I met a couple from Connecticut and listened to cover songs with an Irish twist til the morning hours.
I had a few hours to kill before my flight the next morning. Dublin has an upcoming craft coffee scene, which was actually quite impressive. I wandered around the city, trying different shops and sending my caffeine level sky-high. No napping on this plane ride!