09/25/2026
Confession: I don’t like b**r. So naturally, day one in Ireland included a Guinness tasting. 🍺
In my defense, I binge watched House of Guinness, so I showed up feeling like a family insider. I learned the proper technique for tasting a stout, and can officially confirm it still tastes like b**r. The Irish stew and brown bread at lunch, however? Converted on the spot.
The rest of day one was jam packed:
• St. Patrick’s Cathedral first thing in the morning. The west window tells the life of Saint Patrick in 39 stained glass scenes, and you could spend an hour just reading the glass.
• Christ Church Cathedral, a last minute bonus because it was right on our way. Some of the best stops are the ones you didn’t plan. Those medieval doors and floor tiles stopped me in my tracks.
• The Guinness Storehouse at St. James’s Gate, where I held my tasting glass with confidence I did not feel.
• Trinity College to close out the day, mesmerized by the Book of Kells and walking the Long Room with a giant glowing Earth hanging over centuries of books. Borges said paradise would be a kind of library. After today, I get it.
This is why I travel. Not for the checklist, but for the stories, the history, and the people you meet along the way. Every place has a way of expanding how you see the world, and I came home from day one full of all of it.
Day two, you have big shoes to fill. ☘️
