"Harry Potter and the Emerald Isle".

Last weekend, Alisa and I took a weekend trip to Dublin. The Emerald Isle was gorgeous, and I can’t wait to go back over Christmas with my family.

We left from Liverpool because RyanAir plane tickets were cheap – and it was only a thirty-minute trip! When we arrived in Dublin, it was about 9:30PM, so we headed straight to our hostel. The hostel was interesting. Overall, it was pretty decent. However, the room was an interesting experience. We went for the 18-bed room because it was cheaper in the long run. Needless to say, I think if we ever book an 18-bed room again, we should be with a larger group of people that we know. It was awkward, and every time I wanted to say something, I felt like I had to whisper. Honestly, I’m glad that we tried it out because now we know what exactly to feel.

On Sunday (11/2), we had booked a day trip to the Wicklow Mountains. This was a lovely way to get to see the countryside of Dublin. The shuttle stopped at Powerscourt Gardens, which we decided to take a walk around. The Gardens were beautiful, and there was so much green around. During the trip, we stopped for lunch in Enniskerry at a restaurant called Poppies. After lunch, we continued the day tour into the Wicklow Mountains – which were beautiful – and then into a little town called Glendalough. When we arrived back in Dublin, Alisa and I found a nice little restaurant called Crackbird for dinner. It was pretty good, but the exciting part was that we found a cute little café that had a huge selection of various hot chocolates. We couldn’t not go in and get some hot chocolate.

 On Monday (11/3), we had booked tickets to tour the Guinness Storehouse. The Guinness Storehouse was really amazing. It was interesting to see how the beer is made, and we even attended the Guinness Academy – where we learned how to properly pour a Guinness. It was pretty neat stuff. I admit, when I tasted Guinness in the United States, I hated it. But when I had a pint in Ireland, I loved it! Touring the Guinness Storehouse took most of the afternoon, but it was worth it!

On Tuesday (11/4), before we left and headed back to London, we walked around the campus of Trinity College – the oldest universities around. It was super pretty to look at, and the architecture was beautifully created. We had lunch, and then headed off to catch a bus to the Dublin Airport, where we were on our way back to London.

It was a lovely little vacation.

One Friday (11/7), Emily, Alisa, Tess, Tyler, and I all took a little trip outside of zones one and two to visit the Warner Brothers’ Studio and see The Making of Harry Potter. As a fellow Harry Potter nerd, I was ecstatic about this trip. It was so worth it. We were walking on the same ground that the cast and crew of Harry Potter walked on! It was amazing to see the real props, set pieces, costumes, wigs, and everything that was actually used in the films. I had a butterbeer too – which was just cream soda with a little whipped cream on top. (They had to keep it kid-friendly). I bought myself two little souvenirs from the gift shop – a time-turner keychain, and a journal with the Hogwarts crest on it. It might have been a journey to get to, but I loved every second.

Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry

Six weeks left in the semester. Time is winding down, folks. Keep checking in for more blog posts.