We left for our journey on Thursday morning from San Diego to a short stop in Philadelphia. From Philadelphia we were off to Dublin. We were greeted by Pat and Jeff at the airport with signs that read "Sir Gilbert and Queen Kelly". We wasted no time and headed straight out to see the sights of Dublin. We jumped on the public bus, hit up our first pub in Temple Bar for a quick bite (toasties, chips and a couple pints). Then on to the double decker tour bus to get to our desired stops in downtown Dublin. Our first day we saw the Guinness Factory Storefront and downtown Dublin. Freshened up at the hotel (maybe a little nappy) and then headed out for a fun night in downtown Dublin. We started our night at 9pm (which is very early there and still light out) and had dinner at a nice little Italian restaurant. We were just finishing up our meal when the lights dimmed and the whole staff broke out in a song and dance to ABBA. It was unexpected and a lot of fun! You apparently can't turn in for the night at 11pm in Dublin, so we were off to Temple Bar to find the best live traditional Irish music. We found a great Pub called Oliver St John Goharty's Pub and got a great seat right next to the band. What a fabulous first day/night! The band played all of the favorites and finished the night with the young drummer breaking into an Irish dance that rocked the house. On the way to catch the cab, we saw some great street musicians playing "Surf Music" and they drew a big crowd in the streets. We saw tons of Hen and Stag parties, complete with grown men in pink tutus. Off to bed for a much needed rest!
