First day in Ireland

Our plane arrived at Dublin Airport dead on 7.30 am and as it was not even a quarter full we were off and through customs in no time at all. I think the customs officer was a bit bemused with the fact that we were not able to give him a good idea of what Irish attractions we were here to see!

The Skylink 757 was waiting for us when we walked out to the bus section and in no time we were on our way into town, through the very long Dublin Tunnel. Finding The Alex, our hotel for the next three nights, was easy: we nearly fell into it. Unfortunately it was too early to have a room ready for us so we left our luggage there and headed off to the Tourist Office. We were given maps and general info, and the young lady seemed to know what she was talking about, although this was later to be found incorrect.

We headed down Grafton Street, a fairly upmarket section of town, and stopped off at Burey’s Oriental Cafe for a coffee and something to eat. Then we took a long stroll around St Stephen’s Green, a most delightful park. The grass is just so green, and the vegetation lovely, all within a few minutes stroll of the town centre.

It was time to see a few museums, most of which are in one huge block, just across from Trinity College. We found the Natural History Museum extremely interesting. The early tribes in Ireland were master craftsmen, with wonderful exhibits of gold jewellery, pottery, etc and a couple of “Bog Men”, people who had been killed and buried and then preserved in bogs. Very interesting. The Heraldic Museum is no more but in its place we saw a museum devoted to Ireland’s involvement in WW1.

By then we were flagging so went back to the hotel to unpack and unwind. Dinner was at the Ginger Man Hotel, just across the street, where we had a delightful meal in a friendly environment.Read more