Well, hello! I can’t believe I’ve neglected this space for so long. Life got busy, but that’s always my excuse. I have been doing a lot of travel this year already- Puerto Vallarta, MX, Orlando and Sebring, FL, San Diego, CA Seattle, WA and Portland, OR.

When I wrote this up, I was in Dublin, Ireland for work. It seems that travel time is the only time I can dedicate to the blog. To get here on time, I had to come in a day early. Go ahead and twist my arm! I spent the day walking all over the city without much of a plan, and ended up having a great time without spending much of anything.

My Uber driver from the airport was very insistent that I go on a tour of the jail and cemetery, but to skip Guinness. A little morbid, don’t you think? I skipped all 3 in favor of free attractions. He also had a thick accent and was yelling about the ‘rubbers in suits’ and to avoid them at all costs, and I was not following…but apparently he meant robbers and therefore politicians. Irish humor..

I landed around 9:30am and my hotel room wasn’t ready, so I dropped my bags, grabbed a magazine from my carry-on stash, and hit a coffee shop for brunch. Meet Me In The Morning was a short walk from my hotel, but not in a touristy strip. The cafe is compact and cheery with a sunny upstairs seating area. There’s a coffee shop on one side and a vegan butcher on the other. I am very curious about the latter. Alas, one can only consume so many calories in a day without feeling ill…

Back to Meet Me In The Morning: One thing I noticed and loved is that so many menus in Dublin are clearly labeled with the top 8 food allergens, so I don’t have to be ‘that girl’ with a million questions. Oat milk latte was delicious, and the donuts and pastries were very tempting (including vegan and gluten free options!). Properly fueled, I stopped back at the hotel to check-in, then headed back out for more walking.

Right across the street from The Fitzwilliam Hotel is St. Stephen’s Green, a beautiful park with water, lush greens, and flowers in bloom.

Everything is SO green!

Onward! I walked over the river and found more shopping here, including Penney’s/Primark. It is like H&M, but even cheaper!

Ha’Penny Bridge: This pedestrian bridge goes over River Liffey and the name comes from the original toll to cross the bridge, a halfpenny.

After a good 10,000 or so steps, it was time to refuel and rest.

Brother Hubbard: This was the perfect stop for a warm tonic and a smoothie bowl. I did not regret getting the gluten free/vegan tahini bar to-go. I need to recreate that at home! To note: pay at the register by the coffee bar. Don’t you hate that awkward song and dance, not knowing if the server is really slow, or if you should just walk up to pay?

National Museum of Ireland: Free! There are apparently 4 locations, but I only stumbled upon one.

I wish I could remember the name of this church, but the grounds were beautiful!

Dublin Castle:While I didn’t go inside the castle itself, the surrounding grounds were stunning. The castle was built in the early 13th century and is now used for the government.

After a full day of exploring, I gave in to jet lag and went to bed. Early to bed, early to rise for a big day! What would Ireland be without Irish whiskey? That’s the reason I’m in Ireland, after all! I met a group of colleagues from around the world for a week full of fun, adventure, and education. We started our week with a trip to Tullamore to see the old Tullamore D.E.W. warehouse and the new facility, opened in 2014.

When we arrived, we were greeted by someone I had met way back when I started with the brands in 2013. He was part of a university program where they sent recent grads from Ireland to the U.S. for a year working on Tullamore D.E.W. Now he’s leading us around the distillery. Small world!

After visiting the old warehouse and new distillery, we headed back to Dublin and had a Sailor Jerry outing at a dive bar, followed by dinner at The Exchequer and then we went to a tattoo parlor/barber. Totally normal Monday night, right?