Ireland & Scotland
Day 1 - Dublin
I decided to go to Dublin when I found out one of my best friends from Atlanta was going to be there for a wedding with her family. Madeline Keb and I have been friends since middle school and I have been fortunate enough to go on many trips with her family over the years. From summer trips to Charleston to Georgia Tech football games, we always have fun together so I was very excited to hear that the entire Keb family was going to be making the trip across the Atlantic.
I arrived in Dublin early in the afternoon and met up the Kebs at our hotel. We grabbed a quick bite to eat and got a beer at the Hairy Lemon before heading to the Jameson Distillery for a tour. The Jameson Distillery on Bow Street was established in 1780 and is the original site where Jameson Irish Whiskey was distilled. Today, Jameson is distilled at the New Midleton Distillery in Midleton, Ireland and the Bow Street Distillery is a visitor center for tours and tastings. The tour took us about 30 minutes and was both short and informative. Although I do not love whiskey, the tasting was fun and the building was beautiful.
For dinner and drinks we headed to Fade Street Social. The restaurant has a great rooftop bar where we enjoyed a bottle of rosé before dinner. For dinner, I had beef stew and we shared sides amongst the table. The food and wine were fabulous.
Day 2 - Dublin
At dinner the night before, I remember eating my beef stew and saying to Mr. Keb that it was so good and I wish I could eat it everyday. That wish quickly changed at 1:30 am when I woke up with food poisoning. So to say the least, it was a rough 2nd day in Dublin.
Because I had spent most of the day in the hotel room, I forced myself to go on a walk with Madeline in St Stephen’s Green. Located right in the middle of Dublin, St Stephen’s Green is a beautiful 22-acre park. We walked along the paved path that looped around the park. The park was filled with people eating lunch and enjoying the rare sunshine.
While I enjoyed getting to be outside, I was still not feeling great and headed back to the hotel to rest and lay low for the remainder of the day. Because my Dublin trip was both short and spent mostly in a hotel room, I will definitely have to go back to Dublin and give it another chance.
Day 3 - Edinburgh
Still recovering from food poisoning, I headed to Edinburgh where I met up with my cousin Claire. Claire and I rented an Airbnb that was located right on the Royal Mile in the center of Old Town and was the perfect location. Most of the afternoon we spent walking around the city admiring all of the beautiful stone buildings and stopping to see some of the free street performances that were part of Fringe Festival. We also did a bit of shopping, marveling at all the beautiful tweeds and plaids. My Great-Grandmother on my Mom’s side was an Armstrong. As such, we loved seeing all of the Clan Armstrong souvenirs and the Armstrong tartan.
After shopping, we took a ride on the Edinburgh Festival Wheel in East Princes St Gardens and then headed to dinner. While our intention was to find a pub and get some fish and chips, we walked past a wonderful smelling Thai restaurant and just had to stop. The food was delicious and we were glad we skipped out on the fish and chips.
For our evening activities, we decided that we wanted to go to a Fringe Festival show. Having absolutely no idea where to go or what to look for, we stumbled upon a Fringe Festival venue and bought tickets to a show that was described as “cabaret and variety”. The ticket seller assured us that this would be a good show to start out Fringe Festival with and would give us a glimpse of what to expect for other shows. I feel that I cannot come up with the appropriate words to describe what we saw. The show was a mix between a ballet, strip tease, and drag show. I wish I could unsee what I witnessed but unfortunately I cannot. While it only lasted an hour, it was an hour of my life that I cannot get back. It was certainly an interesting way to start out our stay in Edinburgh.
Day 4 - Edinburgh
Because I grew up during the Harry Potter craze and have read all the books and watched all of the movies, I thought it might be fun to go on a Harry Potter walking tour. So Claire and I went on the free Harry Potter walking tour. Our tour guide took us to the cemetery/park where J.K. Rowling spent a lot of time writing her books and we stopped by Nicholson’s Café which is where she wrote her first novel. While outside Nicholson’s Café, the guide mentioned that the restaurant next door, Spoon, was very good. As Claire and I were starving, we decided to ditch the tour and stop for lunch. And I am glad we did because I had the BEST tea I have ever had. Even though it was just a lemon ginger tea, it was fabulous and Claire and I still talk about it.
After lunch we went to Edinburgh Castle and walked the grounds. The castle sits on the top of a hill in Old Town. The views from the castle are fantastic as is the remarkable history of the structure. After the castle we headed for a beer at Bow Bar and met up with my friend Meredith, who is studying at St. Andrews. Deciding to give Fringe Festival another chance, we went to a stand-up comedy show that Meredith had heard about from a friend. Unfortunately, it wasn’t much better than the previous evening’s performance.
Day 5 - Edinburgh
After we spent the morning shopping and walking around, we decided to go to high tea at The Balmoral Hotel. The hotel’s interior and exterior is gorgeous and is beautifully decorated. Completed in 1902, the hotel is a landmark in Edinburgh. It is also where J.K. Rowling finished her last Harry Potter book. You can even stay in the room she finished the book in. We enjoyed a beautiful four-course tea that included gazpacho, tea sandwiches, scones, and desserts. The food and tea were wonderful. It was a delightful experience that I would highly recommend doing.
After tea, we headed to various Fringe Fest events and just enjoyed being outside in the afternoon sunshine. To cap off our stay in Edinburgh, we ate dinner at Dishoom (the same fabulous Indian restaurant that I went to in London).
