Yep, Beer is Still Gross

Ironically, I left to meet the girls right after Christology (I felt a little guilty wanting to leave the priest to go to the Guinness factory...). It started pouring rain, and I was worried that it would ruin our time, but the sun was shining by the time I arrived in Dublin (good ol' Irish weather). We ate at The Boar's Head (YES, I KNOW I EAT THERE ALL THE TIME. I WILL TRY SOMETHING NEW, I PROMISE. I just wanted to show them my favorite place is all, okay?) and the girls really liked it. We ended up chatting with the owner, (who I finally told my name), and it turns out he had a son studying in the states at a school where Maggie has a friend. After our delicious meal, we strolled to the factory. Again, it was a beautiful day, no coat necessary.

Outside one of the many gates

Even though I'm not a huge beer fan, I found the tour really enjoyable. I learned a lot, even that the water they use is from the Wicklow Mountains, which I visited! So, that was really awesome. They had plenty of interactive stations, almost like a Beer drinker's Disney. There was also a modern art piece that I found amazing, it had every part of the world on it, and was made to look like a glass of Guinness.

Storage

Focusing on the "foam"

Dad, you would've loved this

Once we had read how Guinness was made, we were taken into a smelling room. Everything was white and there were four pods in the middle of the room with what looked like dry ice overflowing from them. Each pod smelled like a different ingredient in Guinness, and there was a guide there instructing us on what we should take from each smell. Then, we were taken into a dark brown room with little shots of Guinness. Before we could drink it, we were instructed on how to properly drink it. A person is supposed to let it stay on their tongue and basically swish it around their mouth to take in every flavor, but I was not about that life and just drank it fast. But, it was very official and we even rang a bell to celebrate.

Mini Guinness!

We had to choose between learning to pour our own Guinness or going up to The Gravity Bar to view the skyline. We agreed the skyline was the better option. Here was my conversation with the bartender:

Him: "Irish? Is that real?"

Me: "Yes, haha very. I'm not making it up for a glass of Guinness, trust me."

Him: "Mara Irish? And you're Irish?"

Me: "Yes, sir."

Him: "And you're from Ireland?"

Me: "No, I'm from the states."

Him: "Awww that's a pity! I'd give you a free beer if it didn't already come with your tour. Well, and you're not from Ireland."

Me: "So close!"

He did, however, enjoy the three of us so much, he made our drinks special by putting a clover in the foam. No one else received one and we were all very excited. Sometimes my last name is worth all the questions. 

Shout out to that awesome bartender

It wasn't quite sunset, but the view was still very blue and very bright. It was crowded, and the light caused issue with some of the pictures, but it was still a fun time. The girls split my Guinness, and I guess I should be ashamed, but whatever, I did try it.

Maggie and I

Enjoying Guinness (Well, they are. Well, they did.)

Skyline 

I had to get artsy

See? I did drink it! 

Hated it! *In In Living Color voice*

We returned home, made some dinner, and got a little rest before getting ready to head to Brady's. We met up with some mutual friends, and though it was extremely crowded, I enjoyed bonding with the girls. Emma, goes to school in Dayton, but is studying in Maynooth. She's a triplet, and one of her brothers goes to Notre Dame, and is currently in the London program with Jill and Maggie. They all went to Scotland together with a group, and were there at the same time I was, but were always one step ahead of me. But, I met Emma on the bus home from the airport on the way back from Scotland. Shelby, one of Emma's roomies, is from Australia, and I had met her before because she's friends with Sara (my Australian). Isn't it such a small world?

Emma, Jill, Shelby, Maggie and I outside Bradys

I'm going to be so sad when they leave in the morning, but I know I'll be seeing them again soon. It was truly a blessing to have a distant friend become close, and a stranger become a friend. I'm so glad I'm getting to know more people, and I'm loving every second of my experience. Tomorrow, I'll be going to The Roost with the roomies, and I'm pumped for some live music. Until then!