Travel | Berlin, Germany

Hello!


Berlin was my second destination in my interrailing experience. To read my post on my first destination, Amsterdam, click here.

Getting There

After having to get a day train rather than a night train (read our messed up train journey catastrophe on my Amsterdam post), we arrived in Berlin at half 1 in the afternoon. This meant that we were missing out on half of our first day in Berlin. Berlin HBF train station is very modern looking and really big. When we arrived it was very stuffy, muggy and the sun was rather bright! We got a taxi to our hotel which wasn't too far of a journey so the price was rather cheap. However, our taxi driver was a bit odd and kept saying "What the shit!" over and over. When we got near to our hotel the driver realised that the road to our hotel was shut off and guarded by police (we're not sure why) so he had to pull over and let us walk the rest of the distance. Thankfully it was short!

Hotel

When we booked this hotel we didn't realise it was a 5* until we actually got there! The hotel we stayed in was Hotel Palace Berlin which must have been a very cheap price for a 5* hotel because somehow us 2 travellers with a limited budget could afford it! The place looked so posh that we felt very out of place and were worried we somehow had got the wrong hotel. There was even a bellboy to carry our heavy backpacks to our room and open the door for us every time we left or came in! Our hotel room was also amazing with a big double bed that was a lot comfier than the beds we had in our previous hotel in Amsterdam. Furthermore there was mood lighting that changed colours in the bed frame which we had a giggle at! But our favourite thing about this hotel was probably the spa...there was a swimming pool and hot tub which was open until 10pm each night! We used this each night between 9-10pm and it was so nice to relax and have it to ourselves. The staff were very friendly and overall we just could not stop laughing at how we managed to end up at a posh 5* hotel without even realising. We didn't pay to eat any meals there, we ate out the whole time, so I can't speak for that. Location wise it was right next to a large shopping area as well as very close to bus stops, including the bus stop for our sight seeing bus. I recommend it and would love to go back there. 

Transport

Konzerthaus Berlin

Likewise to Amsterdam, we travelled around on a City sightseeing bus. We got a 48 hour ticket and started this on our second day. These are good as a tourist because they take you to all the main landmarks and sights whilst giving you a map and an audio tour. You get to learn a lot about the history and can get picked up near your hotel.


We didn't use any public transport but bikes seem to be popular. Not quite as popular as Amsterdam but it still seems like something you can rent to do.

Things To Do

On our first day we were a bit flustered. Because of our train mishap from Amsterdam to Berlin we had missed half of our first day which we had originally planned to do sightseeing with. We tried to go out after we had gotten to our hotel but it started thundering and raining! So our first day was a bit of a wash out. 

However, our second day we took full advantage of. We hopped on to our Sightseeing Bus and made our way to Brandenburger Tor (also known as Brandenburg Gate) which is a magnificent monument from the 18th century which has played various roles in German history. Afterwards we made our way to the Reichstag building which opened in 1894 and had acted as Parliament. If you studied History Modern World in Britain like I did you will probably remember this building from learning about Nazi Germany! When we were done there we stopped off at the Berlin Wall East Side Gallery. The Berlin Wall closed the border to West Berlin many years ago but now the East Side is covered in beautiful artwork made by artists all over the world; representing freedom. It's definitely one to check out!

On our last day we did some more tourist sightseeing. We travelled to Checkpoint Charlie which was the best known checkpoint for crossing the Berlin Wall between East Berlin and West Berlin during the Cold War. It is a good opportunity for a photo although the fast food logos behind it kind of take away the atmosphere of seeing something famous in German history. To further our knowledge we then went to the Checkpoint Charlie Museum which is next to it where you can learn all about the Cold War and how people attempted to cross the border. If you weren't allowed to cross you could get arrested or even shot so people came up with many creative and imaginative ways to get across! After that we took a little walk and found a large fragment of the Berlin Wall with a large timeline around it explaining the history surrounding it.

Shopping also seems good in Berlin as there was plenty of shops nearby our hotel. They have a H&M and I bought a long t-shirt dress with skeletons on. We didn't go there but KaDeWe wasn't far away which is the largest department store in Europe and has 8 floors. They've got designer brands aplenty as well as 2 floors dedicated to food. If you're a big fan of retail therapy this is certainly one to see.

Food & Drink

On our first evening we went to an Italian restaurant called L'Osteria which was literally just across the road from our hotel. They do HUGE pizzas! Originally we both asked for a pizza each but the waitress warned us how big they are so we decided to go for half a pizza each. I went for the vegetable one and the lady was right, the half size was just enough for us! For pudding we had the amazing ice cream and strawberries above with strawberry sauce. The ice cream was delicious as it was chocolate with white chocolate inside. We liked the restaurant so much we came back here on our last day and had the same meal! It was a fairly cheap price but decent quality food so was excellent for our budgets. 

On our second day for dinner we went to Vapiano which was an interesting new experience for us! Vapiano is again, Italian, and you actually get a card that tracks how much you have to pay. You go upstairs and line up with a tray where you then go up to a chef and tell them what you want and they make it. You get to choose the type of pasta you want, what you want on it and then they cook it right there in front of you. When it's done you place the card on a scanner and it adds the meal to your card. It was pretty cool seeing the chef cook your food and they like to have a friendly chat which was nice! Again, this was a budget friendly meal.

For breakfast and lunch we only went to cafes and bought shop food as we were budgeting. Nearby our hotel was a Dunkin' Donuts where you could buy pastries, and of course, doughnuts, and by the Brandenburger Tor we were able to get a drink and a sandwich from Starbucks.

From a vegetarian point of view there wasn't a time where we struggled to find vegetarian food. However, although we didn't struggle for food we also didn't see a lot of variety and instead had to stick to the safe option of Italian. If I were to go to Berlin again I'd definitely make sure I researched any vegetarian restaurants first!

First Sleeper Train Experience

Blurry photo but I wanted to show you what inside a double sleeper looks like

After Berlin we were then travelling to Paris. As part of this journey we had to catch an overnight train to Mannheim which was a sleeper train. We chose a double sleeper which was a room for just the two of us with a bunk bed, a sink and a mirror. I slept on the top bed and there is a net on the side to stop you from falling out! Sleeping in a bed on a train was a weird experience. I found I could fall asleep but kept waking up at multiple times in the night. Inside the train is very quiet as everyone else is sleeping so all you can hear is the train running on the track. Before the journey begins a member of staff comes to your room and asks you what time you want to get up so they can set off an alarm in your room which is helpful as you don't have to worry about missing your stop! We arrived at Mannheim at 04:40 and sat in the station until 06:40 so we could catch our next train to Paris. It was tiring but an overnight train meant that we didn't have to miss a day in one of our countries and also helps us save money on accommodation. It also meant that we didn't have to sit down for hours bored out of our minds as we could sleep through the majority of the time instead.

Final Thoughts

Deutscher Dom

Despite losing half a day in Berlin due to unforeseen circumstances we still managed to get lots of sightseeing done. I enjoyed Berlin and although on the first day it was raining the rest of the days were sunny and hot. If you're interested in history and particularly German history there is so much to see and learn! You really get a sense of how different things were years ago when it can be difficult to imagine how a city could be so divided. It seemed like 3 days was enough for us and we didn't miss anything that we wanted to see.

Have you been to Berlin? Also, look out for my upcoming travel posts: the next one will be Paris.

My Top 6 Travelling Make Up Favourites

Hey all!


This year has been full of a fair amount of travelling opportunities for me and so I have repeatedly been bringing certain make up products away with me. Because of this I thought I would share with you my top 6 travelling make up favourites and why I think they're perfect for travelling. In addition all the products are hand luggage friendly on the plane and all liquids are 100ml or less.


My first item is the Urban Decay De-Slick Make Up Setting Spray in the travel size. When I'm on holiday somewhere hot, I need my make up to have great staying power more than ever! Me getting hot equals me getting sweaty and this may mean melting and moving make up. But no fear- the Urban Decay setting spray is here! It does a great job in making my make up last and with the temperature control technology it has it is not going to budge on a hot day.

Urban Decay does it for me again with the Urban Decay Naked Basics eyeshadow palette which Emily bought me. This is the perfect compact size for travelling and the packaging isn't breakable. It means that it can survive my hand luggage or suitcase and not break! In addition the colours are perfect neutrals meaning I can make any sort of eye make up with it. Rather than taking lots of eyeshadows with me I instead can take this one eyeshadow which can take me from day to night. I don't think I will ever trust anything else to take travelling with me!


Continuing on from eye make up products, I would like to mention the Seventeen Black Kohl Eye Pencil. I am usually allergic to eyeliner pencils and they make my eyes water like nothing else but for some reason this eye pencil doesn't bother me! But that's not why I like it for travelling. I like it for travelling because it barely takes up any room and can be used in different ways. I like to use it for tight lining as it slides easy without hurting and makes my sparse eyelashes look fuller. This means that if I don't have any mascara on when I am away, at least I can look like I have more eyelashes that I actually have! It is also great for different looks. I can use it across my waterline, on my eyelid, make it strong or smudge it out. Used in conjunction with my Naked Basics palette I can do any sort of look and again take it from day to night.

Let's talk about lipstick. Now I am usually a bold lip kind of girl but when I am on holiday I just want to do my make up as quickly as possible so I can get out and enjoy my holiday. When I was interrailing I had days where I only had an hour to get ready before checking out of our hotel for the next journey so I had no time to fuss around with a bold lip! This is the bareMinerals Marvelous Moxie lipstick in 'Break Away'. It is a nude lipstick and is glides on with ease with a lovely creamy texture. Nude lips aren't difficult to do and how easy it is to apply this lipstick means I don't have to mess around with the lip shape for ages. Furthermore it lasts quite well through drinking and eating and because it is nude it won't look patchy if it fades either! I don't have to pay much attention to this throughout the day and overall is generally just the easiest lipstick I own. You can tell I use it a lot because there's not much of the bullet left!


For primer I have been bringing along Emite Make Up Diamond Heart Primer which I got from GlossyBox one time. I like bringing this because it is very small so does not take up much space in my transparent liquids bag on the plane, which means more room for more make up! The primer also does not take much time to blend in to the skin and settle so I can get on with the rest of my make fairly quickly which I want when I am away. Not only that but the consistency is light and smooth so doesn't feel like a thick silicone primer on a hot day. The last thing I like about it for travelling is that it the peach tone of it means it helps tone down the redness on my skin. Because of this I can still use this even if I am not wearing make up and tackle evening out my skin tone. 

My last travel favourite is the Collection Lasting Perfection Powder. I have been using this powder for years and there are 2 reasons why I like it for travelling. My first reason is that because it is matte it will get rid of shine. When I am on holiday I find my upper lip, chin, middle of forehead and around my nose get shiny. If that happens I can just pull out this matte powder, put it on and the shine is gone! My second reason is the packaging. When you open the lid you get the powder but if you lift up the powder you then have a mirror and flat sponge applicator. This is my favourite mirror to use if I don't have a big mirror (making it good for on the go) and I can do my make up in it. My Urban Decay Naked Basics palette has a mirror but because it is pressed against the eyeshadows when shut it gets covered in pigment. However, in this case the mirror is separate so it is always clean and clear from product. As a little extra tip, the sponge applicator is handy if you get grains of sand on your face! I don't use it for make up application but one time I was on the beach on a windy day and I had sand grains stuck all in my foundation. As you can imagine it was not a good look but I managed to remove it all with this sponge applicator without ruining my make up. Just a little bonus there!

What are some travel friendly make up products that you like?

Travel | Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Hey!

1st-15th of June I went interrailing where I travelled to 5 different countries by train. I will write a post about each place I visited in the order that I did them. 

Flight & Getting to the Hotel

To reach Amsterdam, our first destination, we flew from Bristol. Amsterdam seems to be very cheap to fly to so would be a great idea for a weekend away! Our flight was late afternoon and only took an hour and a half. When we got there we took a taxi to our hotel which was rather expensive. It was the fanciest car I had ever been in! It was an automatic and had a huge screen in the front for things like SatNav, the internet and reversing. Despite the price the driver was very kind and made sure we got to the front door of our hotel safely.

Hotel

Because we were travelling we wanted a budget hotel. We stayed at a hotel called Hotel Amsterdam City Centre Inn. As the name suggests, it is situated in the centre which we wanted as we needed it to be walking distance. On the downside it meant that it was noisy all through the night so bare this in mind if you can't sleep with noise! The hotel has no lift and the dreaded Dutch stairs were the only way up. Dutch stairs are very steep and narrow so be careful! The room was fairly small and basic with a tiny bathroom; the room was clean and the mattresses were rather soft. The window overlooked a part of the canal which was nice. If you're looking for luxury then you won't want this hotel but if like us you need budget and won't be spending much time in your room, then I'd recommend it.

Transport

There are various ways to get round Amsterdam. Our main mode of transport was a Sight Seeing Bus which we booked beforehand. Sightseeing buses are ideal if you want to be a proper tourist as they will take you to all the noted sights and landmarks which you can hop on and hop off all day. It's easy enough to find the stop nearest you and then work things out from there. It's also nice to just sit on the bus for the whole tour and see all of the sights. Additionally they give you a map of Amsterdam, the routes and an audio or live guide of the city. It was very handy!

As for public transport, there are trams everywhere in Amsterdam. We used the tram multiple times and you can buy a ticket on board then get to your destination with ease. Bicycles are also EXTREMELY popular and you have to make sure you don't get ran over by them because they won't stop for you! We didn't personally travel by bicycle but you can rent them in plenty of places. The other way to travel is by boat through the famous canals. We didn't go on any as I have a fear of boats but there is a boat ride as part of the City Sight Seeing Bus. On our final day in Amsterdam it was very sunny so the canals were full of both tourists and locals on all kinds of boats. It was fun to sit on the edge of the canal watching them go by and pointing out all the interesting looking boats.

Things To Do

On our first evening/night there we decided to look round the centre. There are lots of shops to look at, some we recognised and some we didn't, so it nice to just wander around. Whether you have expensive designer taste or like shops such as Lush and H&M, there are plenty to look at. On our last day we found ourselves going in to a couple of these shops including an American and British sweets/food shop. There are of course also all of the canals to look at wherever you go and you can watch the boats go by. 

Arguably the most famous thing to do in Amsterdam is to visit the Anne Frank House. You have to book a ticket beforehand which we did on Expedia and you have a set time to go to it. It was a very meaningful experience and the part that got me the most was seeing her magazine cuttings stuck to the wall like posters, really emphasising the fact that she was just a young teenager just like you or me have been going through a terrible time. They also have her actual, genuine diary there which was incredible to see. I do think you should take a visit if you go to Amsterdam as it does leave you feeling all kinds of emotions. Word of warning though: the steps through the house are steep and narrow Dutch stairs again so be prepared for those. 

My favourite thing that I done in Amsterdam has to be visiting Kopjes which is...wait for it...a CAT cafe! It was actually on my bucket list to go to a cat cafe and I knew there was one in Amsterdam so we booked a table before we went. The cafe is completely cat themed with cat themed games, books and cushions to name a few! The walls are covered in things for the cats to play in, climb on and hide in which were constantly used by the 8 felines who live there. You get to play with them and stroke them which I loved and we ended up spending 2 hours there. To get there we caught a tram to Marco Polostraat which is the name of the road that it is on. The staff are also super friendly so I do think it is worth checking out if you are a cat lover like me!

Whenever I see photos of people going to Amsterdam I always see them standing beside a large 'I Am Amsterdam' sign. We found this in a beautiful area where there is a large water feature and a well-kept area of grass where people seem to go to chill out and lay out with their friends. This can be found at the back of the Rijksmuseum (a Dutch history museum). We didn't go inside the museum but we did have a walk around the courtyard. It is such a beautiful area and nice to hang out on on a warm summer's day.

The funniest thing we done was visit the Sex museum. It was my idea as I had seen pictures of people visiting and it was, quite frankly, hilarious. Explore the history of the Red Light District and just the history of sex in general, from sculptures made up of stone penises to how porn has been displayed through time. They also have an area about Marilyn Monroe which seemed popular and many other life size models they've built that move around doing acts or wearing certain 18+ costumes. This certainly isn't for prudes! Also, be wary of the room at the back: the photographs are NOT for the faint hearted!

And of course, we had to take a walk down the Red Light District. How can you go to Amsterdam without even taking a peek? We walked down it during the day time which I recommend if you don't want to see too much and don't want to be surrounded by pervy men. It was actually rather intriguing to see all the doors that are like booths where women stand in to lure the men and pick them. We didn't really see any women standing in the door ways, only a couple, and they just stand in corsets and underwear pulling seductive poses. There are also clubs where you can pay ridiculously cheap prices to see shows and dances. Not my cup of tea but maybe for some of the people who visit Amsterdam!

Food & Drink

As a vegetarian I found Amsterdam had the best range of vegetarian food I've ever found whilst going abroad. I really recommend using Trip Advisor to find places to eat as it will tell you places nearby and cater for what you fancy or your budget.

• Breakfast- The first breakfast I had in Amsterdam we were actually in a rush so we made a quick stop at a bakery. There are lots and lots of bakeries dotted around in Amsterdam which I was thankful for. I had a croissant filled with Nutella and it was stuff made of dreams. The next two mornings we went to the same place called Cafe George which seems to be cafe/restaurant by day, bar at night. We had brioche french toast with fruit and maple syrup which was incredible! I loved it so much I have tried to recreate it at home which isn't nearly as sublime.

• Lunch- For lunch we didn't really go out for meals as part of our way of saving money. A lot of the time we bought snacks from the supermarket to keep us going during the day. On the first day I ate my own bought food whilst my friend had food that she enjoyed at Cafe Illy. It was a smart looking cafe and it had a cool fixture with teacups all over it! On the next day we visited the cat cafe that I mentioned in my 'Things to do' Segment where I had a brownie and hot chocolate. On the last day I went to a crepe and gelato parlour where I ordered a large pancake with Nutella ice cream to take out. That was amazing!

• Dinner- On our first night we found a little fast food place nearby called Maoz Vegetarian which did pitta bread with falafels in or salad with falafel in. You then get to choose what toppings you want in it and sauce as well as having the option of sweet potato fries. I thought this was a great idea and I wish we had them near where I live! Other nights I found delicious vegetable pizza at New York Pizza and nachos at a restaurant that I can't remember the name of. Another amazing meal I had was at another fast food place called Wok to Walk. Similarly to Maoz Vegetarian you get to design your own meal, but this time it was noodles! I chose egg noodles with vegetables, pineapple and sweet and sour sauce. We loved it and it tasted delicious.

• Alcohol- As someone who hates beer but loves cider, I was happy to see that I could find cider in Amsterdam. It was really expensive to drink alcohol in Amsterdam but I did have a Magners cider one night at a bar and Strongbow cider in the day at a pub where we sat and played cards. I really recommend that if you're planning to come to Amsterdam for drinking that you bring a lot of spending money! If you're more of a beer fan you will find Heineken EVERYWHERE so you need not worry!

Our Train Catastrophe!

To leave Amsterdam we needed to catch a train to Duisburg (Germany) to then catch another train to our destination, Berlin. However, whilst we were on the platform waiting for the train to arrive, someone who worked at the station came and collected us and some other people waiting to board the train. Apparently the train we were all going to get on left an hour early! We were all so annoyed and immediately my friend and I were worried: how were we going to get to Berlin? Our train from Duisburg to Berlin was a sleeper train that had been booked, how were we going to make that? The people working at the train station were very rude and unhelpful so we had to try and fix this ourselves. I looked up the trains and the next train to go to Berlin was at 7:01 AM the next day. It was about 9pm at this point. Whilst I emailed the train companies involved demanding our money back my friend tried to look up hotels that we could stay in for the night. Unfortunately it was a Saturday night so all the hotels in the centre of Amsterdam were full. After walking around numerous hotels and getting turned down, one hotel did kindly help us by telling us there was a hotel out of the centre that had rooms free. We then had to get a tram out of the centre and try and find this hotel. Eventually we found it and it was a posh 4/5* hotel so we had to pay £200 just to sleep for about 5 hours. Then we had to get up early to get a tram back to the train station at 05.53 for our train. It was such a nightmare and thank god for our emergency funds! This also meant that we missed out on half of our first day in Berlin. As of now the train company has agreed to refund us our money which will thankfully make up for the money we had to spend on the expensive hotel.

Final Thoughts

Overall I really enjoyed Amsterdam. I had wanted to visit Amsterdam so much so it was great to finally achieve that. It lived up to my expectations and I can see myself going back there for a long weekend whether it be with a friend, my mum or my boyfriend. However, I will not miss all of the cyclists! As for the elephant in the room: yes there is weed there. I had been told by other people that you can smell weed everywhere but I didn't find this to be the case. Yes, I could smell weed but it was only when I walked past certain groups of people or stood close to a cafe that sold it. The cafes that sell food with weed in will normally have a weed symbol outside so you know if they do it or not. The smell of weed was certainly was not everywhere, which was a relief for me! If you go to Amsterdam you will have to make a decision about whether you want to try it or not.

Have you been to Amsterdam? Also, look out for upcoming travel posts: the next one will be Berlin.

My Travel Itinerary

Hello!


As if I haven't mentioned it enough already, at the moment I am on a gap year. So far this year I have visited Alicante, Spain and Dublin, Ireland, but the main goal for the year was to go interrailing. For anyone who doesn't know, this is travelling around Europe on the trains. Now that my trip is finally booked and another holiday on the side, I thought I would share with you guys my travel itinerary for June/July. 

June

>Amsterdam, the Netherlands

>Berlin, Germany,

>Paris, France,

>Bern, Switzerland,

>Rome, Italy.

My friend and I were planning to go to Amsterdam right from the beginning as well as Rome because we were really eager to. The other cities we had just planned around the route and thought would be nice. I have been to Paris before and that is it out of those places. Bern was the totally random option we chose and we have no idea what to expect from it. But that is what makes it exciting! We will fly to Amsterdam and then fly back from Rome. We will be travelling over the course of 2 weeks.

July

In July I will also be going to Tenerife, Spain for a week with my boyfriend. Tenerife is one of the Canary islands and is supposed to be quite good for young couples. This will be our first holiday together, bar a weekend in Brighton, so I am quite excited! My interrailing trip is more about exploring the cities whereas this holiday will be more about relaxing on the beach. Yay!


I can't wait to get going. I have worked hard to save up for these trips and I cannot believe they are finally a reality. If you have any recommendations for any of these places please let me know!

I will also have plenty of travel posts coming up about these places including posts about interrailing and how to book it. So watch this space!


Where are you going this summer?

Travel | Dublin, Ireland

If you've been reading my blog for a while then you would know that at the moment I am on a gap year with plans to travel. I have already been to Spain so far with friends and on February the 10th my friend Antonia and I went to Dublin for 3 days. Neither of us had been to Dublin or Ireland. We only booked it a month previous and just thought, why the hell not? 


To give you a bit of context, Dublin is the capital of the Republic of Ireland and is not in the UK. Down the middle the River Liffey lies with either side being the North side and South side. 

Dublin 72 Hour Freedom Pass

We found that the best way to get around Dublin was to buy the Freedom Pass on Expedia for £25.50. The Freedom Pass lasts for 3 days which is how long we were there for. With the ticket you get to ride the green hop-on hop-off open top bus tour as much as you want as well as being able to use the public buses to your hearts content. It also includes a bus to and from the airport, a free ticket to the Little Museum of Dublin, a guidebook, a city map and vouchers to other attractions and restaurants. This seemed the cheapest and easiest way to get around the city without the risk of getting lost or confused. We didn't use any public buses but we relied entirely on the tour bus as it ensured we could get directly to all of Dublin's attractions and then back to our hotel. 

As soon as you get to the airport you can collect your pass and guidebook and someone gives you the low down on how it works and what they recommend to go see in Dublin. Then, there was a bus already waiting to take us to the city centre. The pass is so easy because all you have to do is scan it on a chip-reading machine and away you go! The buses always came regularly, I believe it was every 10/15 minutes and they really helped you to get where you wanted to go with ease. The best part was that every bus driver does their own live tour where they give their own take on the city with all kinds of facts and jokes. You get to learn so much about the city and get to see it all clearly at the top of the bus where there is only a roof on the first quarter of the bus. The whole tour lasts just just over an hour. I do recommend actually sitting throughout the whole tour and not getting off so you can see how the bus driver describes the city and its history in their own unique way. You also get to see so many beautiful buildings. If you want to be a real tourist then I really recommend getting this pass so you can use the sightseeing tour bus. 

Tourist Attractions

There are plenty of things to do in Dublin. Dublin has such a rich history which you will hear about repeatedly at a lot of the attractions so if you are interested in history and the Easter Rising then you will like this. Dublin is packed full of statues in memory of various icons in their history and you'll find roads, monuments and houses all dedicated to various figures. James Joyce is a name that pops up a lot!

Before we went to Dublin we knew we wanted to visit the famous Guinness Storehouse which the bus stops directly outside of. Guinness is a beer that Ireland pride themselves on and all the locals will talk about it and drink it. The Guinness Storehouse is amazing because you get to see how it is made, the history behind it and get a complimentary pint for yourself. The building is even in the shape of a pint of Guinness! We bought our ticket in advance on Expedia for £13.91 which I do recommend as it is the cheapest way to buy it and it also means you can skip the line. There are multiple levels. You enter on -1 and then you go to the ground floor for an introduction to Guinness and the four ingredients in it. Then you go to 1 where you learn about the brewing process and how casks are made and the methods of transport used over the years to transport it around the globe. Level 2 is the taste experience where you learn how to fully appreciate a pint of Guinness. Level 3 then is where you see all the advertisements they have used throughout the years whether on TV or on paper. You can even go into a photo booth where you become apart of an advertisement! Then there is level 4 which is my favourite; the home of the Guinness Academy. Here you are taught in groups how to pour the perfect pint of Guinness in simple steps and then you get to try it yourself. After you've completed the lesson you get a certificate and even get to drink the pint you poured. I've never poured a pint before so this was really fun! With Guinness you have to pour it at an angle to a specific height and then leave it to sit for a while before topping it up again. The perfect pint keeps its white frothy head the whole way through. We didn't bother with the next level but the next level is a restaurant where you get to experience traditional Irish food with Guinness. But the main event is the top floor where the Gravity Bar is. Here you can drink your Guinness with a 360 degree view of Dublin and you can get giddy by sitting on comfy sits right 
against the windows. Don't look down!

We also visited Kilmainham Gaol which is an old prison in Dublin. It is a mix of a prison of very old design, to the newer form of prison where the prison cells are circled around the middle so the guards can see all. You get taken on a tour through the prison by a guide who tells you so much about the prison and the people who were in it. It is so creepy when you get to look into the old cells which are dark, cold and eery. At one point you get to stand exactly where political prisoners had been executed by firing squad and stand in the room where the executioner measures the prisoner up ready to be hanged. Additionally there's a museum attached where you get to read old artefacts and even read a letter a prisoner had written to his mother before he was executed which is a pretty heartbreaking read. I strongly recommend visiting and you will leave feeling emotional.

Our freedom pass allowed us into the Little Museum of Dublin so we took a trip there. On the outside it looks like a normal old Georgian house in a street of other houses, but on the inside it looks so grand. On the bottom floor you can see/view the Easter Rising in comic strip form along the walls which helps if you find reading texts boring and we also got to see about the people who were executed at Kilmainham Gaol which we were at previously. Upstairs you then get to see all kinds of history in relation to Dublin, whether its to do with the war, women's rights, newspapers, fashion or the famous band, U2. It is all, or mostly, donated by those who live in Dublin so it feels very homely and community driven. This is a nice short little visit if you've got some time to spare!

Another attraction worth visiting is the National Wax Museum Dublin which, as the name suggests, is a museum of wax figures. There are various rooms and levels which teach you about figures of Dublin's past, Irish athletes and other notable Irish public figures. There are also plenty of singers, film stars and animated figures such as LaLa from the TellyTubbies and The Simpsons! One of the funniest parts is that there is a recording studio which drums and a keyboard. You can select a song and you are filmed in the music video singing and playing along. We did have people walk in on us screaming the words to a High School Musical song! Additionally there is a horror area with a few jump scares. You can take a photo with Freddy Krueger, watch Hannibal Lecter try to escape his prison and see casual human skins hanging from the ceiling. Not real of course!

Our last stop on our trip was to Dublin Castle. A wander around the grounds and going inside the castle is lovely, taking in all the beautiful furniture and décor. There is so much gold and luxury! It was nice to look around and see how royalty lived. They have lots many mirrors, even mirrors that you aren't even tall enough to see in! There is plenty of art and in one of the rooms there is art all over the ceiling. They have long benches in that room so I suggest lying down on them and taking a look at the ceiling. It doesn't take long to wander round overall so this could be a good one to do on your last day. 

These were the only attractions we managed to visit in our time there, but because the sightseeing bus takes you all around Dublin you get to see everything from the bus even if you can't be there. There are plenty more attractions we didn't physically go to such as Temple Bar, Phoenix Park (one of the largest city parks in Europe) and the famous Dublin Zoo, but we got to see them from the bus. You're spoilt for choice on what to do really.

Shopping

Dublin seems lovely for shopping. We were really close to the shopping centre where they have plenty of fashion stores. I was particularly excited about the fact that Primark is called Penney's in Ireland so went there purely just to say I've been to Penney's! They also have the likes of Forever 21, MAC, Zara, H&M and New Look. I didn't buy any clothes but did go to the Inglot stand in the mall to buy some eyeshadow. There are stores that you will find in England and stores you will not so its a nice mix of both. Had I brought a suitcase with me on the trip I might have done a bit of shopping!

Eating Out and Pubs

Dublin is expensive, there's no denying that. You will need to make sure you have spending money if you plan on eating out and going out at night. There are pubs a plenty in Dublin so you won't be short on alcohol but you will be paying high prices. I paid 6 euros for a cider! As for eating out, we tried to go for cheaper places but there aren't many. Also, as vegetarians my friend and I didn't feel we had much choice in restaurants. We had to stick to Italian during our trip. Our favourite restaurant was The Italian Connection on Talbot Street. For breakfast, we found that it was cheaper to just go to Tesco and get pastries. We also stuck to Tesco for lunch and just got ourselves a meal deal. The breakfast at the hotel was 9 euro per day per person and had we eaten out for all our meals it would have been one expensive trip. My advice if you're on a budget is to buy what you can from the supermarket and only eat out on the night. TripAdvisor is your friend for finding what you need from a restaurant. Also, I weirdly noticed that in all the restaurants we visited they didn't offer much alcohol wise. They had wine and Guinness, maybe a beer on draught, and that was literally it. I usually go for a cider on a meal out but had to reluctantly stick to lemonade. 

Our Hotel

We stayed at the Beresford Hotel, situated on Store Street, which is close to O'Connell street, where we could catch the sightseeing bus. It was really hard to find and took us an hour and asking 2 people but we finally got there. It is a budget hotel which fit our needs. The staff were friendly and the rooms were basic. They seemed fairly clean but the walls are thin so you will hear the people above you/next to you in their rooms. The room was also annoyingly hot and we had to have the window open at night. It wasn't a luxury stay but if you're just going to be in and out of the hotel and only need somewhere to sleep, that's cheap and in walking distance of restaurants and bus stops then I would say this is right for you.


Overall we had a lovely (yet tiring!) trip to Dublin. It was a quick 3 day trip in the week but we fit a lot in and I was home in time for work the next morning. Admittedly I had my doubts because I read a lot of views online that Dublin was a rough area. I was originally planning to go alone but everyone I told had doubts due to hearing that it was rough. Despite this I experienced zero problems in Dublin and never felt unsafe. To be fair Dublin is a capital city and whenever you're in a big city you should always take care of your belongings and making sure you don't walk in rougher areas anyway. And anyway, contrary to this we met many lovely Dubliners who were very friendly and helpful! If you're wanting a budget friendly, last minute city break then I think you should really consider Dublin. I'm glad I visited and it was a great experience. The flight out there with RyanAir was only £9.99 too!


I'm sorry this was so long- I had so much to say! Nevertheless I hope this was interesting to read and that you would enjoy seeing more posts like this when I visit more places this year. There is so much more I could say and so much I have missed out but I'd be writing a long essay otherwise!