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Espresso and Ambition

A not-so-serious gal with some serious dreams.

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7 Things to Do in Dublin, Ireland

March 11, 2017 by Taylor 2 Comments

7 Things to Do in Dublin, Ireland - Espresso and Ambition

Studying abroad has definitely brought out my spontaneous side – I’m normally a meticulous planner who does everything far in advance. However, there have been multiple trips that I’ve taken that have been spur-of-the-moment ideas, and when I say “spur-of-the-moment,” I mean I book them approximately 24 hours before going. My Edinburgh trip was like that, and this trip to Dublin was as well.

I was randomly clicking through the Ryanair website on a Friday night, and found out that I could fly to Dublin on Sunday and back on Tuesday for 20 pounds each way. I couldn’t resist, and almost immediately booked both the flights and a hostel. Since the trip was so spontaneous, I didn’t exactly do a ton or research about what there was to see in Dublin – I just showed up and went for it. While I’m all for incredibly-well-planned trips, unplanned and unscheduled ones are fantastic as well – you see so many random parts of the city that you might not have seen otherwise and spend so much time wandering and soaking in the culture of the city. Here are some of the highlights.

Trinity College

7 Things to Do in Dublin, Ireland - Espresso and Ambition

This is one of the first places I visited. It’s a bit ironic, leaving Oxford and almost immediately ending up at another college. It’s a gorgeous campus, with a lot of old buildings and pretty architecture. There’s also a really cool library here, but for some reason I didn’t know about that until after I left Dublin. Alas, the drawbacks of not researching a place before you go. This was also literally the only place I visited on my first day there, because after essentially pulling an all-nighter to get there I was too exhausted to do any real sight-seeing (my flight was at 6:00 a.m. and required a 3-hour bus from London to get to Stansted Airport… there’s a good reason I paid only 20 pounds).

Cliffs of Moher

7 Things to Do in Dublin, Ireland - Espresso and Ambition
The picture I posted…

This isn’t in Dublin, but there are so many tour companies that do day trips from Dublin to see the cliffs. If you have a day to spare, I’d definitely recommend this – it’s fun to get out of the city and see more of the Irish countryside. Fun fact: there are more sheep in Ireland than there are people. Also, this day trip is proof that sometimes things don’t always go as planned. I was thrilled to see these awesome cliffs, and when we got there, it was so foggy you couldn’t even see 5 feet ahead of you. Luckily, I got a cool picture at some smaller cliffs earlier in the day, so you wouldn’t even know about that snafu based on my Instagram. However, the insane amount of fog was hilarious and there was insane wind that had everyone laughing at how much of a mess they were – so, proof that things can still be fun even when they don’t go according to plan. And maybe someday I’ll make it back to see them in their full glory.

7 Things to Do in Dublin, Ireland - Espresso and Ambition
Versus what I actually saw

Temple BarWhile there is an actual Temple Bar, the name also refers to the entire area surrounding that bar. It’s a collection of bars, pubs, and clubs, and they all have that classic Irish vibe. I don’t have too much more to say about these, but anything in this area is a pretty solid choice for pub food and drinks.

Irish Whiskey Museum

7 Things to Do in Dublin, Ireland - Espresso and Ambition

I don’t even like whiskey that much, but I was so excited for this tour. There’s the ever-so-educational part that explains the history and process of making Irish whiskey, but the real reason to take the tour is the tasting session at the end. They walk you through the flavor notes and sensations associated with each whiskey, which is good because it makes you feel fancy and refined even if your only previous experience with whiskey is choking down the cheap stuff.

Guinness Storehouse

I’m sensing an alcohol theme thus far – I promise I did more in Dublin than just drink. But the Guinness Storehouse is another really cool tour (that also comes with a free drink). I’m not a Guinness fan (or a beer fan at all for that matter… I order cider at pubs, haha), but for some reason the Guinness here tastes a little better than anywhere else.

Berlin Castle

7 Things to Do in Dublin, Ireland - Espresso and Ambition

7 Things to Do in Dublin, Ireland - Espresso and Ambition

I stumbled on this place by accident, and it’s actually so cool. Part ancient-looking castle, part multi-colored Lego house, this castle is probably the most unique one I’ve ever seen. Being the cheap tourists that we were, we didn’t pay to go inside because we wanted to see St. Patrick’s Cathedral with that money, but the outside and garden area was still lovely.

St. Patrick’s Cathedral

7 Things to Do in Dublin, Ireland - Espresso and Ambition

As it always is with cathedrals, St. Patrick’s was beautiful. In looking at all of the contributions he made to the Christian faith, it’s weird to think about the fact that his holiday is essentially a glorified drinking-fest. Poor guy brought a new religion to Ireland and gets rewarded with a holiday based on wearing green and getting smashed. But I digress. The inside of the cathedral was lovely, and is also the burial site of Jonathan Swift.

I know that I definitely didn’t see everything that Dublin has to offer, but these were definitely some great highlights. Stay tuned for more travel posts, as I have quite a few trips still in the cards before I go home.

xo, Taylor

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Filed Under: Etc., Travel

Comments

  1. Kelsey says

    March 14, 2017 at 9:57 am

    Your trip looks amazing I will have to add Dublin to my bucket list!
    Xo, Kelsey | petiteinherpearls.blogspot.com

    Reply
  2. Corinne says

    March 18, 2017 at 4:33 am

    I loved Dublin when I visited 11 years ago and I’ve been wishing to return ever since. I was so young when I went that I had no real idea how to experience it properly, and I totally missed several of the attractions you mentioned! Hopefully I’ll get back there soon.

    Reply

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Meet Taylor

A real-life combination of Elle Woods and Hermione Granger. Recent graduate of the University of Georgia, currently living and working in DC. New blog posts every Monday, new YouTube videos every Thursday. Subscribe by clicking the link below for post updates and exclusive content!

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tayy_kay

📍 dc
🔥 nasm certified personal trainer
✨ self-love + balance
🎥 2 new workouts per week!

tayy_kay
without heavy weights, it’s sometimes a little c without heavy weights, it’s sometimes a little challenging to really feel like i’m working at my full potential on leg days 😶 enter: single-leg movements. since all the weight is in one leg, you’re putting way more emphasis on it than you do during two-leg movements - and you’ll definitely feel that 🔥 you also get some added bonuses in the form of ensuring you’re working each side of your body equally AND a balance challenge!!
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you can add in weights or bands to up the challenge level, or do it all bodyweight like i am here!
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1️⃣ 15 single-leg box squats per leg (use other leg as a kickstand for an easier modification!)
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2️⃣ 15 bulgarian split squats per leg
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3️⃣ 15 single-leg hip thrusts per leg
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4️⃣ 15 single-leg deadlifts per leg
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throw on at the end of a longer leg day workout or do it 3-4 times as a workout all on its own!!
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👚 @girlfriend 🎧 numb - neffex
🖤 go easy on yourself 🖤 this is a weird time 🖤 go easy on yourself 🖤 this is a weird time to be alive, and it’s more important now than ever to listen to your body and stop being so hard on yourself. motivation is a fickle thing and working out when you don’t have all the equipment you love is weird. give yourself permission to take a break when you need it. don’t beat yourself up for missing workouts - exercise should be something you do because it makes you happy, not because you feel like you have to punish yourself. if it doesn’t make you happy that day, that’s okay. give yourself a break, come back and try again tomorrow. 💪🏼
circuit-style upper body workout 🖤 honestly not circuit-style upper body workout 🖤 honestly not kidding about how much i love this long resistance band, it’s so versatile! definitely worth getting your hands on one for home workouts 😊 (although almost all of these can be completely with dumbbells or heavy objects if that’s what you’ve got in hand)
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also please watch to the very end of the fourth video for quality footage of greg 😂
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1️⃣ 12 long band shoulder presses to standing chest presses
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2️⃣ 12 upright rows to bicep curls
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3️⃣ 12 overhead triceps extensions per arm (the one leg stance is some bonus balance work!)
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4️⃣ 12 rear flies, featuring greg trying to fight my shadow
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5️⃣ 12 commandos
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6️⃣ 12 side-to-side pushups
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repeat 4x total!!
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👚 @underarmourwomen
🎧 best of me - neffex
giveaway 🔥 we’re all handling this weird, cra giveaway 🔥 we’re all handling this weird, crazy time in the world a little differently, and for me, it’s looked like a lot of establishing to and sticking to routines (seriously, sometimes it feels like my skincare routine and workout split are the only thing still giving meaning to days of the week, lol). my morning smoothies have been another important one - there’s a recipe in my story highlights and surprise surprise it uses this protein powder 😛
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anyways, onto the real reason you’re here! i’m giving away 25 $20 giftcards for @310nutrition with NO STRINGS ATTACHED 🤯 you hear that? you ain’t gotta do a thing to win - the first 25 people to use the code KAYGC20 on their order automatically win. get your hands on some fire plant-based protein powder, courtesy of me and 310 😋 (p.s. if you’re still seeing this caption, there are still giftcards available!!)
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#310gc20 #310shake
sometimes you just gotta get hella dressed up and sometimes you just gotta get hella dressed up and hold a fake photo shoot just to prove to yourself that you’re still a real human
posted a new youtube video. this picture is tangen posted a new youtube video. this picture is tangentially topical. link in bio.
upper body circuit ‼️ i’ve been gravitating upper body circuit ‼️ i’ve been gravitating towards circuit-style workouts lately, because they really work up a sweat and home workouts just don’t feel as legit to me unless i’m hardcore sweating 🤷🏼‍♀️ i don’t mind not breaking much of a sweat at the gym, but it feels weird not to when i’m working out at home - anyone else feel this or am i just weird?? 😅
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do all exercises back to back with no rest in between!
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1️⃣ 10 push-ups to renegade rows
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2️⃣ 12 alternating bicep curls
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3️⃣ 12 diamond front raises
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4️⃣ 8 sets of 3 tricep pulses to this lil cross-body weight move that doesn’t have a name {keep your core tight to feel it on your obliques!}
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5️⃣ 15 bent-over rear delt rows
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6️⃣ finisher!! 🥵 10 burpees with 2 shoulder taps and 2 toe taps in the middle of each rep
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repeat 🔁 for a total of 3 rounds!!
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👚 top from @gymsharkwomen, shorts from @nike 🎧 dangerous - neffex
would be nice if both sides of my head could agree would be nice if both sides of my head could agree on whether my hair is wavy or straight, but apparently that’s a little too much to ask of it 😂
got a circuit-style leg workout for you today! 🥳 there are 3 sets of 3 exercises that you’ll complete back-to-back - once you’ve done those three moves, rest for 30 seconds before repeating them all over again 2 more times! rest for 1-2 minutes in between each circuit - keeping your heart rate up is the goal here, i was driiiiiiipping sweat by the end of this one 🥵
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circuit 1️⃣: 10 step-ups to reverse lunges per leg
10 reverse lunges to curtsy lunges per leg
20 lateral lunges
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circuit 2️⃣:
10 squats to surrenders (stop in a squat position before standing up at the end to really feel this one)
10 stagger-stance rdls
20 criss-cross squat jumps
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circuit 3️⃣:
15 leg lifts per side
10 single-leg glute bridges per side
15 frog pumps
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👚 top from @fabletics, joggers from @gymsharkwomen
🎧 watch me - neffex
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