Dublin City, Ireland
What a day!
It sure was hectic hopping on and off the buses, trains, and taxis all day! Rebecca threw up for some reason, Alex didn't like the tours, and Jarod had a meltdown because of the crowds! And everything was soooooo expensive! Really expensive! I have no idea how anyone can afford to live there expensive!
But we still had a blast and got to see a lot of the city! It was beautiful and old and full of character. Lovely buildings and shops, just marvelous. And the boys did love the train, it was really comfortable and they thought the snack trolley was pure fun.
A day trip to Dublin is just not enough, all you really have time for is a quick look at the sites. If you want to go more in depth you'd have to say a week....or two!
I'll try to walk you through what we were able to see though.
*O'Connell Street:
"Ireland's widest and premier street is lined in the middle with statues commemorating many Irish Heroes, not least of all the monument to Daniel O'Connell - 'The Liberator', after whom the street is named, Parnell - the great patriot and Big Jim Larkin - the labour leader and the most recent addition - the Spire of Dublin. O'Connell Street is the hub of a bustling city centre shopping precinct."
*General Post Office
"The General Post Office - always referred to as the G.P.O. - was the headquarters of 'The Rising' in 1916. The interior was destroyed when the British shelled the building. The G.P.O. is easily distinguished by its impressive Graeco-Roman style portico supported by six Ionic columns."
*Trinity College
"Founded by Elizabeth I in 1592 on the site of an Augustinian monastery, Trinity College is one of Ireland's foremost seats of learning. Swift, Wilde and Beckett all attended Trinity, as did Mary Robinson, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. The grounds are fully open to the public and a focal point is the Campanile built in 1852. The College is guardian to one of Ireland's most treasured possessions, namely the 9th century 'Book of Kells."
We passed by The National Library of Ireland, The National Museum of Ireland, The National Museum of History, The Museum of Modern Art, and The National Gallery on Merrion Square West but did not have time to go in, would be fun to take a whole day just going to all the museums!
*Dublin Castle
"Built in 1204 by King John, the castle has a bloody and ignoble past in our city's history, from the impaling of Irish Chieftains on its walls to the more recent housing of the British Administration up to 1922."
We had fun walking around the grounds as there were sand sculptures! (Though I was so afraid that Alex would run and jump on one!)
*St. Patrick's Cathedral
"The National Cathedral for the Church of Ireland Community in Ireland, St. Patrick's Cathedral was built by the first Bishop, John Comyn in 1192, on the site of a little wooden Church dedicated to St. Patrick. The famous Jonathan Swift, author of Gulliver's Travels, is buried in the cathedral. It is the largest church in Ireland."
This building was massive! Filled with beautiful stained glass and statues and sculptures and artifacts and art.
The church is still in service so there were a lot of non-tourist there doing churchy stuff while we stared at them and took photos. lol There were these little hallways shooting off all over that had candles at the end and signs explaining that you could light a candle for whatever saint's hallway you were in. The homeless, the lost, the sick etc. There were also signs all over mentioning that these hallways were for prayer and meditation so please BE QUIET. I saw a hallway for the "Beloved Departed" and decided to sneak down and light a candle for my grandmother,whose family was Irish. She made a trip to Ireland herself years ago and probably came to the church also. Of course Alex decided to follow me down there so it was not the peaceful, reflect on all the good memories experience it could have been what with Alex rolling around on the floor, almost kicking over the candle stand, and yelling "I'm hungry mommy!" "Shhh Alex! We're lighting a candle for Great-Grandma and we have to be quiet!" "BUT MOMMY MY TUMMY IS EMPTY!" lol
We found a deli for lunch where I got a board of cheese, cured meats, and breads for the price of a new car.
We looked at the Kilmainham Goal, City Hall, the Guinness Storehouse, the zoo, O'Connell Bridge, and the river. And a bunch of other buildings and parks that I can't remember. heh
We just had a little bit of time left before our train, not enough to go inside any more buildings so we decided to just walk around the city and eat ice cream cones. (Dublin has tons of statues! Another whole day could be spent just looking for them!)
Random pics.
O'Connell Bridge
Oscar Wilde
Wellington Monument
Molly Malone "Tart with a cart"
Signs are in Irish(Gaelic) and English
Time to catch the train home! (Trains are the best way to travel as you can walk around, have a table, and so much room! We need more trains in the states.)
Dublin was great but it sure was nice to come home to "our city", Belfast!