Dublin, Dec 06
We have friends who moved to Dublin last year and we decided to pay them a weekend visit, flying fro
m Stansted on a Friday night and returning on Sunday evening. Due to the fact that we booked at least a month in advance, the flight cost about £60 for both of us, quite a good deal! Therefore, it stands to reason, that the longer you wait to book your flight, whether due to indecisiveness or apathy, the more expensive they become. If you want to save some money, book early!
We landed quite late on Friday night and caught a bus from the airport to our friend's apartment in Harold's Cross, a suburb in the southside of Dublin. After a good night's sleep and a hearty breakfast of oats, we were prepared for a day of sightseeing. Luckily it was a clear, sunny day - quite an accomplishment, seeing as Ireland is well-known for its rainy weather. Due to the compact size of Dublin, it is possible to see many of its sights on foot. We walked toward the town centre, part of the way alongside a canal, before reaching St Stephen's Green, a beautiful park in which to escape the bustle of city life. It is situated at the top of Grafton
Street, Dublin's most popular shopping hub, and this is where we went to next. Seeing as Christmas was just around the corner, Grafton Street was thriving with crowds of people, and had quite a festive atmosphere. After pushing our way through the masses, we felt we deserved some liquid replenishment. We therefore went to the Porterhouse pub and duly had some stout, accompanied by burgers.
Feeling energised, we walked through the busy streets once more, toward Trinity College, the oldest university in Ireland and also houses the Book of Kells. The university has many historic and interesting buildings, and is definitely worth a visit. We then continued along O'Connell Street, Dublin's main thoroughfare, adorned with statues and monuments. It is also home to the General Post Office, a building that is historically important to the city, as it was the headquarters for the Republican army in the uprising that took place in 1916. Another sight that you can't miss in O'Connell Street is the Spire of Dublin, a 120 metre high monument, also known as Dublin's "Monument of Light".
The next area to gain our attention was Temple Bar, recognised as Dublin's cultural quarter, and has
narrow, cobbled streets. Our destination, however, was The Temple Bar pub, a traditional Irish pub popular with tourists. It was busy and cheerful, but we still managed to find a table at which we could sit, relax and enjoy our Guinness. The pub also has a large whisky collection and serves fresh oysters! The rest of the afternoon was spent wandering along some more of Dublin's city streets.
Some places we would still like to see, on our next visit to the city, include Phoenix Park, the Guinness Storehouse and a day trip to the Wicklow mountain range.
m Stansted on a Friday night and returning on Sunday evening. Due to the fact that we booked at least a month in advance, the flight cost about £60 for both of us, quite a good deal! Therefore, it stands to reason, that the longer you wait to book your flight, whether due to indecisiveness or apathy, the more expensive they become. If you want to save some money, book early!We landed quite late on Friday night and caught a bus from the airport to our friend's apartment in Harold's Cross, a suburb in the southside of Dublin. After a good night's sleep and a hearty breakfast of oats, we were prepared for a day of sightseeing. Luckily it was a clear, sunny day - quite an accomplishment, seeing as Ireland is well-known for its rainy weather. Due to the compact size of Dublin, it is possible to see many of its sights on foot. We walked toward the town centre, part of the way alongside a canal, before reaching St Stephen's Green, a beautiful park in which to escape the bustle of city life. It is situated at the top of Grafton
Street, Dublin's most popular shopping hub, and this is where we went to next. Seeing as Christmas was just around the corner, Grafton Street was thriving with crowds of people, and had quite a festive atmosphere. After pushing our way through the masses, we felt we deserved some liquid replenishment. We therefore went to the Porterhouse pub and duly had some stout, accompanied by burgers.Feeling energised, we walked through the busy streets once more, toward Trinity College, the oldest university in Ireland and also houses the Book of Kells. The university has many historic and interesting buildings, and is definitely worth a visit. We then continued along O'Connell Street, Dublin's main thoroughfare, adorned with statues and monuments. It is also home to the General Post Office, a building that is historically important to the city, as it was the headquarters for the Republican army in the uprising that took place in 1916. Another sight that you can't miss in O'Connell Street is the Spire of Dublin, a 120 metre high monument, also known as Dublin's "Monument of Light".
The next area to gain our attention was Temple Bar, recognised as Dublin's cultural quarter, and has
narrow, cobbled streets. Our destination, however, was The Temple Bar pub, a traditional Irish pub popular with tourists. It was busy and cheerful, but we still managed to find a table at which we could sit, relax and enjoy our Guinness. The pub also has a large whisky collection and serves fresh oysters! The rest of the afternoon was spent wandering along some more of Dublin's city streets.Some places we would still like to see, on our next visit to the city, include Phoenix Park, the Guinness Storehouse and a day trip to the Wicklow mountain range.
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