Dublin, the capital of the Republic of Ireland, is cute. Not cute like every other town we visited, because it is their largest city and capital. But it has a down-home feel that is very walkable. Except at night when every person in the city, and probably 1/2 the country, go to drink in the pubs in the Temple Bar area! Crowded is not the word I would use, because it doesn't do justice to the hordes:-).
There are tons of things to see in Dublin- I recommend a ghost tour- of course:-). I went on the Gravedigger tour- it was fantastic! Rich and Diana chose to stay and listen to music- which is everywhere! We loved the music! Every pub has music almost every night. It was all good! We expecially loved the traditional Irish music, and a couple times were able to see Irish dancing.
The city is bisected by the river Leffe, so there are lots of bridges. Ireland also had the potatoe famine, and until you are in Ireland, you do not realise the devastation it caused. There are memorials to this horrible event all over the country- and they are stark reminders of that devastation.
The people themselves are very friendly! Even when I was driving, I only got honked at twice- both times in a roundabout:-).
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| Their buildings are vividly decorated, adding tons of color and character |
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| The Ha'Penny bridge- totally cute! |
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| Toasting Ireland with wine:-) (Spanish Crianza) |
The potato famine memorial is starkly realistic. Set along the river in a well planted grove of trees, are statues of starving people. The starving people would roam the cities, begging for food and a few coins to survive.
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| This particular statue is of a father carrying his child- probably the most stark statue of all |
Molly Malone- a historical character with her own statue! Forluck, you must touch her breasts. as you can tell, everyone does it:-)
THE Temple bar in the Temple Bar area. Filled with pubs, music, and people- every night!
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| Sheep are everywhere! And little cute stuffed sheep toys are ubiquitous! |
The bridges are all beautiful- at night they are lit up and reflect on the river
Tributes to Irish writers are everywhere. Here is a tribute to Oscar Wilde
The Guiness factory has a fantastic tour! You walkthrough the plan, see historical brewing machinery, learn to pour Guiness, and get to drink it!
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| Our certificates to pouring Guiness, with the glass of beer we poured! |
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| Bridges are lit up and reflect on the river, really adding to the beauty. |
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| Dublin castle- once the seat of English power, it is now an Irish government building |
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| Christ Church |
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| Library for the Book of Kells. No photos were allowed of the Book of Kells, |
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| St. Patricks Cathedral |
The food in Ireland was hearty! Fish and Chips, Irish stew, bangers and mash- it was all delicious!
I loved the Gravedigger tour! It was manned by a ghoul and a grave robber- each telling scary, yet funny ghost stories!
And buskers! Who doesn't love buskers!
Epilogue: On Wednesday, Sept 21, driving to see a movie, I kept wanting to shift with my left hand, and kept veering the car to the left:-). Funny how we adapt so quickly. Now to re-adapt to driving on the "wrong" side of the road:-)
