Ireland
The Spire

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    • Day 4

      City Views

      May 5, 2023 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 63 °F

      Between the long days of sightseeing, enjoying the locals in the pubs, and fighting some internet issues, I am behind in my posts. Thinking this will be a common theme. 😄 We are on the south coast of Ireland now having left the city behind. BUT, before I tell you about here, I need to tell you about the past two days!
      __________________________ ☘️☘️ _____________________

      Friday, we spent in Dublin on the south side of the river. This area is where you find the Dublin Castle, the old city walls and Trinity College - Ireland's equilivant to Oxford, Yale or Harvard. Dublin Castle was the seat of English rule in Ireland from 1204 to 1922. Yep, 1200's! Some of these 800+ years old walls still exist. It is just mind-boggling to look at them and think of those who stood there before you.

      The pubs of the city number in the 700s with many having been there for a hundred, two hundred years or more. The history in these places is vast. Many were the haunts of famous Irish authors (think James Joyce or Oscar Wilde) or political rebels fighting for Irish freedom (won in 1922). The first pub we went to was The Brazen Head, the oldest pub in Dublin dating to 1653, with the building currently standing dating to 1754. To our happy surprise, the bowl of Irish stew with brown bread and butter we had for lunch was really, really, really good.

      The campus of Trinity feels like the center of the city. The large quad is surrounded by beautiful architecture. When we were here in 2017, we saw the Long Hall and the Book of Kells, so we skipped that this time. Instead, we ventured into the building housing the geology department. The photos below help explain that choice.

      We strolled down Grafton Street, where we heard buskers, saw street vendors selling beautiful flowers, people watched and found our next pub stop. Ready for pint, we popped into O'Neil's and stayed for 2 hours before heading toward our dinner location. We chose to have "boxty" for dinner. Boxty is an Irish term for a mix of potato and flour made into a thin "pancake" (see photo). They then used these pancakes in a manner similar to a taco shell. Richard had his filed with shredded lamb. Our server, David, recommended the corned beef and cabbage, so that is what I had...wow, these were some yummy food!

      Our day wrapped up with a trip over Ha'penny Bridge, then back to our rooms in time for sunset.
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    • Day 3

      Dublin #2

      July 9, 2023 in Ireland ⋅ ☁️ 70 °F

      Dublin
      Fun facts:
      Smoking is still happening here. So much so, that ashtrays are on every outdoor table.
      The green mushy stuff they serve is called "mushy peas." Just say no.
      Driving here is crazier than Jamaica or Belize.
      Taxis are everywhere. We used the Free Now app, which is similar to Uber.
      The ranch tastes weird. Get the Garlic Mayo instead.
      The portions are huge! I don't know how the Irish are so skinny.
      The Irish have the best sense of humor.
      Most Irish do not work at the touristy places here.
      We walked 20,237 steps with mom.
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    • Day 75

      It might be time to come home now

      August 3, 2023 in Ireland ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

      Today we woke up and had fancy free breakfast at the castle. I was surprised at the selection and kept waiting for them to charge us but it seems even the economy room gets royal brekky. We went for a walk along the coast road. We found the entrance to another castle, there was a funny young horse running up and down the fields, chewing the fences and he came and said hello to us. We walked down to the castle and the ruins were intact and beautiful. It overlooked the river and the ocean surrounded by green fields. We tried to get out another way but got absolutely covered in mud, risking trench foot once again.
      We then headed back to our accommodation castle and checked out. Walking back into town, we stopped for an Irish coffee which was absolutely delicious. We then jumped on the bus to head to Dublin.
      The bus was pretty quiet until we were about 40 mins from Galway when all the youth got on the bus to head to ladies day at the races. All very fancy looking and such classic race banter. We got to Galway and then had to change buses. We finally got into Dublin and walked to our accommodation. As a special last day treat, our accommodation was a day out and actually booked for Friday night so the hostel people got us into a room of 4 with only one other person. We carried our bags up a narrow staircase and opened the door to an older Irish man who was in between houses... Look he seemed nice enough, telling us his story, how he's a regular at the hostel and asking us about our trip however a part of me was very nervous about staying in the room with him. He gave us recommendations about pubs and was really up for a char. Erin and I unpacked stuff but after we left the room we both decided that we'd prefer to stay else where. Luckily we were able to book somewhere semi cheap and very close, so we had to head back with the excuse that they'd found us a private room where we wouldn't disturb him in the morning.
      We walked to the new hotel and I immediately felt better. We grabbed a Guinness and then decided to head to Wetherspoons for one last meal. On our way, we saw a lot of people with Irish flags and soccer gear. Erin predicted correctly, it was to do with the world cup. It was a welcome home parade for the team. It was very cool to see the amount of people who had come out.
      At Wetherspoons, we got stopped by security and he laughed at my license when I handed it to him. Erin's mobile license was even more comical. We thought for sure he wouldn't let us in, however he did and said he'd visited Parramatta? A weird interaction. After dinner we found dessert and listened to some Irish music before heading back to get some sleep before starting the journey home tomorrow. I am very exhausted, I think the past few weeks have all caught up with me!
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    • Day 49

      Cobh

      October 1, 2023 in Ireland ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

      Started the day at the Titanic Museum in Cobh(Cove). What a wonderful museum of memories and individual stories. Got a real sense of the different classes and who survived.
      So wet we just drove straight to Dublin
      That night we went to the Stags Head Inn in Temple Bar for dinner and listened to a traditional group playing Irish music
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    • Day 6

      Slàinte to Dublin!

      September 8, 2016 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

      Hi guys, it's Rupal! This is my first blog post so let's see how this goes...

      Right now we're on a bus to Galway which is in the west of Ireland to see the more scenic side of the country where we'll spend two days. We woke up at 5:30am this morning to pack our bags and walk to meet the bus which was a bit difficult after a beer and whiskey tour last night! So I guess we say so long to Dublin or Slàinte to Dublin which means cheers in Irish Gaelic.

      OK I need to take a second to get off track because right now our bus driver is singing a song and cracking jokes in the thickest Irish accent while everyone is mostly asleep. I guess he likes to hear himself speak which I'm ok with because the Irish accent is awesome!

      Speaking of accents, yesterday we spent the afternoon in a local pub after a walking tour of the city to rest our legs and hydrate with a pint where we people watched the locals and tried to make sense of what they were saying; which is more difficult than you think!

      It's fun to remove yourself from the situation and think if we weren't in that pub or in Ireland or on this trip the locals we see everyday would be doing the same thing; we just get to witness them in their natural setting and see what their lives are like!
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    • Pubcrawl in Dublin

      October 21, 2019 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 5 °C

      Wie lange war ich nicht mehr auf der Grünen Insel. Eigentlich wollte ich ja den Ulysses lesend durch die Stadt schlendern, aber dann war es doch vor allem Arbeit. Zumindest lag das Hotel, in dem die Konferenz war, im Herzen der Stadt. Den Großteil des Tages haben wir intensiv dienstlich diskutiert, sind dann aber wenigstens am Abend ebenso intensiv durch die Pubs gezogen. Direkt vor unserem Hotel steht der Spire, eine hohe Säule aus Metall, in der oben ein Licht in den Nachthimmel leuchtet. Dort stand einst eine Säule, wie in London, die an Admiral Nelson erinnerte, dann aber von revolutionären Iren gesprengt wurde. Die hatten dann auch das sehr repräsentative Postoffice der Krone besetzt - allerdings nur so lange bis ein königliches Kanonenboot den Fluss hinauffuhr und das Postgebäude gründlich unter Feuer nahm. Die überlebenden Revolutionäre von damals wurden ins Gefängnis gesteckt und hingerichtet.
      Mein Rebellentum beschränkt sich darauf, mich im Pub mit dem lokalen Red Rebel Ale anzufreunden.
      Meine amerikanischen Kundinnen haben sich indessen so intensiv mit dem lokalen Bartender angefreundet, bis der sein privates Proviantpaket mit ihnen teilte. Die Küche hatte schon geschlossen und Erdnüsse waren auf Dauer zu wenig. Ist das noch Arbeit, oder sollte ich lieber ins Bett?
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    • Day 2

      Dublin The Spire

      January 15, 2023 in Ireland ⋅ ☁️ 4 °C

      At a whopping 120 meters (400 feet) high, The Spire of Dublin is without a doubt the tallest building in Dublin city centre, with a 3 meter wide base acting as the foundation of the spire. Pointing to the sky like a needle, the Spire of Dublin is a landmark that has truly pierced the hearts and minds of the city and the people of the country, and is the first thing you notice when you enter Dublin city centre. The beauty of the Spire is that it commemorates nothing but toasting Dublin's bustling present and pointing forward to a boundless, better and prosperous future.

      statue: https://allesoverdublin.nl/spire-of-dublin
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    • Day 1

      Dublin

      January 14, 2023 in Ireland ⋅ 🌬 3 °C

      What to see in Dublin?

      1👍. The Spire
      2👍. Ha'penny Bridge
      3👍. Christ Church
      4👍. The Castle
      5👍. Trinity College
      6👍. Custom House
      7👍. Samuel Beckett Bridge
      8👍. Smithfield Square
      9👍. Temple Bar
      10👍. Guiness Storehouse
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    • Day 2

      Dublin Central Bus Station

      January 15, 2023 in Ireland ⋅ ☁️ 5 °C

      Also visited the bus station in Dublin and then the battery of my handy was empty. In a shop near the bus station I bought 2 day tickets (2x10€), the so-called Leap card, for unlimited travel on public transport in Dublin. The card is valid for 1 day, but can then be topped up again with cash credit.

      Busáras from bus + áras "building") is the central bus station in Dublin, Ireland for Intercity and regional bus services operated by Bus Éireann. Designed in the International Modern style, Busáras is also a stop on the Red Line of the Luas system, in Store Street just before the terminus at Dublin Connolly railway station. Áras Mhic Dhiarmada ("Mac Diarmada House") is the official name of the building, which also includes the headquarters of the Department of Social Protection. CIÉ, parent of Bus Éireann, leases the lower floors from the department. Áras Mhic Dhiarmada is named after Seán Mac Diarmada, a leader of the Easter Rising in 1916.
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    • Day 2

      Dublin

      January 15, 2023 in Ireland ⋅ ☁️ 4 °C

      Walking from one interesting spot to another one. Bank of Ireland (Houses of Parliament), Saint Andrew's Church.

      We bought tickets in advance (2x 8 €) at the tourist office in Dublin for the Dublin Express to the airport, but later we would find out that it wasn't a good idea.

      dublinairport.com/to-from-the-airport/by-bus/du…

      statue: visitdublin.com/thomas-davis-statue-and-memoria…
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