I booked two nights at the Lombard Pub and Townhouse on Pearse St.
When I booked, the reviews on Trip Advisor seemed promising. After checking again a few days before our stay, the reviews had taken a turn for the worse. The rooms are actually housed in a building next to the pub, but you have to check in at the pub. When we entered, we were greeted by a very nice woman who said she could check us in, but was also waiting tables. We waited a few minutes to let her run orders, which gave us some time to take a look around the pub. One of the things I love about Ireland and England is the pub culture. A number of people were enjoying lunch, and the staff at the pub seemed to be familiar with almost everyone in there. We checked in, and got the key and the entry code to the building next door. We made our way up to our room, and were surprised at how large it was. The room was equipped with a king sized bed, table and chairs, and a bathroom that looked like it had been recently renovated. The reviews on Trip Advisor mentioned dirty sheets and filthy bathrooms, but I'm happy to say that our room and sheets were extremely clean. We noticed a sign that said that the remote for the TV and a hairdryer were available for a €10 deposit, which later gave me a chuckle since the dryer I was given sounded like it was on its last legs years ago and was about as effective as someone gently blowing on my hair. The room was more like a private hostel, but it suited our needs... except for the bed. The bed was TERRIBLE. Sleeping on the bar in the pub would have probably been better. Plus, I would have been close to alcohol when I couldn't sleep due to jet lag.
After about an hour of situating ourselves and cleaning up as best we could, we went back down to the pub to grab some lunch. We let the staff know that our bags were enjoying a leisurely journey from Paris, and to see if someone would be able to sign for them if they were delivered. They assured us that they would be able to help, and would take the bags to the room for us when they arrived. We ordered burgers for lunch, which were great, and they even had an allergen list for me to be able to make sure what I was ordering was gluten free. I actually found that nearly everywhere in Ireland, even back alley pubs, had allergen information listed on their menu for each item, or had celiac specific menus. The US seriously needs to catch up on labeling.
After lunch, we decided to head to Trinity College, which was only a few blocks away. Being a huge Oscar Wilde fan, Trinity always gives me goosebumps. Just thinking that Oscar could have walked on the same stones I was standing on, or looked at the same building I was makes the hair on my arms stand on end. We wandered through campus, when, of course, it started to rain, so we took cover near the entrance on Grafton St. I took the opportunity to try to call the airport to see if there was an update on our luggage, since the flight that it was supposed to be on had landed about two hours earlier, but couldn't get ahold of anyone. I left a message, and we decided to head out into the mist.
When we hit Grafton Street, we saw a sight that brought a slight tear to my eye; The Irish Whiskey Museum. If I couldn't have my luggage, at least I could have whiskey! We made our way into the museum, and decided to take the tour, which would start in about 30 minutes. This gave us plenty of time to grab an amazing Irish Coffee from the bar.
The tour was great, our guide Kate, was hilarious, and got a kick out of the fact that Rico had on his "Bourbon" t-shirt. We tried 3 great whiskeys, but I couldn't get my mind off of my missing belongings. We left the museum and made our way to the nearest Marks & Spencer, since my lack of undergarments was really getting on my nerves, and figured that buying toothbrushes, etc would also maybe be a good idea.
Items were procured, and it was getting to be about 8pm, so we figured that dinner should be next on the agenda. We found a nice pub with an upstairs dining room, and dug into some really tasty seafood. Dinner wrapped up around 10, and we headed back to the hotel.
When we arrived at the hotel, we pondered stopping into the pub to grab a drink before bed. I really wanted to check to see if our luggage had found its way to our room, or if we were going to be wearing our same super awesome smelling clothes the next day. I crossed my fingers, and headed up the stairs to our room. I slowly opened the door, because clearly opening doors slowly makes the outcome what you want it to be, and nearly jumped out of my shoes when I saw our luggage by the bed.
I have a weird thing about jinxing, so I informed Rico that our luggage came because we had bought replacement toiletries. As he silently contemplated why he, a reasonable, intelligent human, married such a nonsensical weirdo, we walked back down to the pub to end our night.
Up next: Whiskey, singing on a bus, and Newsflash: People do not give a damn about your Taco Bell order.
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