Day 15, Dublin, Ireland

Last night, after settling in our new hostel, we walked to the nearby Spar (rather expensive convenience store) and bought some food for the night and today. We have been eating really well recently. For lunch today microwaved "Grilled" cheese sandwiches and a couple of cans of soup for dinner!

After our gourmet dinner we went to the famous Temple Bar area a couple of blocks from our hostel. The Temple Bar has a handful of famous bars and claims to be the cultural and musical capital of Dublin. The band U2 got there start there for one; apparently the locals aren't to fond of Bono being an ambassador for the Irish. While sitting outside one of the bars listening to the live music within we got to talk to our first European cop. We learned to our surprise that you can't drink in public places in Dublin. Not a big deal. He was more interested in the trashed local that couldn't stop spilling his drink next to us, so as he walked him to the garbage can to empty his can we walked the other way and finished ours.

This morning we got up, ate our complimentary toast (and shot glass full of OJ) and went out to meet up with a free walking tour of the area that we had seen fliers for. The tour lasted about 3 hours and was quite informative about the local sights and gave a concise history of Ireland. Leaving the tour we went back to the hostel to enjoy our fabulous lunch and then headed for the Guinness brewery.

Very much a tourist attraction now they have a tour that spans 7 floors detailing the history of the company and the process that has been used for the last 250 years. A little expensive (E13 each) but probably worth it. The tour ends on the top floor with 360 degree views above Dublin and a free pint of Guinness.

Now we are back at the hostel, had a stellar dinner, and are preparing to head back to the airport tomorrow for Oslo, Norway.