Last of Our Ireland Trip

We spent our last full day in Dublin by sleeping in until 10:30. :0)
The museum we wanted to go to didn't open until 2:00, so we got up, got ready, and headed out to go shopping.
We stopped at a little French pastry shop & got cappuccino and macrons. These were just like the ones we had in Paris. YUM!!! Oh, how I have missed those!  

While we were out wandering around, we finally found a leprechaun!! ;0)

We left the shopping streets and went to the National Museum of Ireland. They have several & they are free to get in, but we just wanted to see the one of Decorative Arts and History.

It had all kinds of interesting things in it! Irish silver, china, clothes, and furniture form different time periods. 

This is a table snuff box.

The following are a silver desk set and women's silver vanity set. 

This is how the upper class in the cities would have furnished their homes:

Corsets; don't those look fun to wear? ;0)

A woman's bonnet:

Jewelry!

This is how a rural framers' family would have lived. Bit of a difference, isn't it?

After the museum, we went to the Guinness factory. It was conveniently located by the museum!

Horsies!!

Jeff smelling the hops:

Jeff & Kathleen smelling the different scents of things that go into Guinness; hops, barley, etc.

Everyone got a tasting glass, but had to wait to drink it until you went to the next room to be told how to drink it.

After more touring, you could either go to the Guinness Academy and learn how to pour the perfect pint, or you could just go up to the Skybar and get a pint to drink. We chose to go to the academy.

You have to hold the glass at a 40* angle and fill it until it reaches the bottom of the harp on the glass, then straighten the glass & fill until it reaches the top of the harp. Then you have to let it sit for 2 minutes, top it off, then let it sit for another minute.

My perfect pint!

My certificate!

Kathleen & Jeff with their perfect pints & certificates:

Enjoying our pints!

Later that evening, we enjoyed our last meal in Ireland together.

 

Kathleen's flight left very early (5:30 am) for Berlin, so I vaguely remember saying goodbye to her as Jeff took her to the airport at 3:30 am. (Such a nice guy....I think I'll keep him.) ;0)

 

Our flight didn't leave until 12:20, so we got to sleep in a bit longer.

At the airport Jeff & I got our last Irish Coffee (mine) and Guinness (Jeff's) in Ireland:



After a loooong day of flying, we finally got home late Monday night. But just seeing these three cuties excited to see up made me perk back up!!

(Poor Riley was not feeling good, his allergies were really bothering him. He was happy to see us, I promise!) ;0)

It was SUCH a great trip!!! I am so glad I got to go and see so many wonderful and interesting things!