Day in Dublin

Yes, you read that right - I went on a day trip to Dublin :) Low-cost airline Ryanair held a mad sale a couple of weeks ago where you could travel anywhere in their network for £4 as long as it was on a Wednesday or Thursday but you had to book that day. My friend / work colleague gave me a call and asked if I fancied going as we both had the day off - so, why not!? I'd never been to Dublin before so it would be an adventure. Our flight from Newcastle was at 1120 so we arrived at the airport not too early but very excited...

The flight went very smoothly - and it wasn't long before we left the snow of Yorkshire for the sunshine on the Emerald Isle...

We had booked the "aircoach" along with the flights and as soon as we came out of the airport, the coach stand was right in front of us. It was a bit of a hairy drive I must say with a grumpy driver but we were on O'Connell street within half an hour. If I did it again I'd probably use the "airlink" bus which you just pay as you get on and it goes straight to the city centre rather than going to the other terminal at the airport, but hey it didn't matter this time: voyage of discovery and all that :) We were very blessed with the weather, the sun shone all day and it was beautiful (certainly warmer than Newcastle) which meant it was great for sightseeing / walking. We made our way down O'Connell Street, past the GPO (General Post Office) a very grand Greek-looking building...

We walked along the river Liffey to the famous Liffey Bridge - aka the Ha'penny Bridge. So-called because the toll to cross was, yes you guessed: a ha'penny. It was the only pedestrian bridge over the river until as recently as 1999. When it first opened, around 450 pairs of feet crossed it daily, now it's an average of 30,000 and I would have been very happy to pay my ha'penny!

We crossed over to Merchants Arch and up into Temple Bar. A grid work of narrow streets full of pubs, bars and eateries. Even just after lunchtime, it was bustling with people. Some say it's named after the Temple family who once lived here and others say it's named after the Temple district of London (which was older and more famous). Doesn't matter, it's an interesting place to grab a drink and watch life pass by. We came out of Temple Bar on to Dame Street which felt more like being in a city centre with lots of traffic and very busy pavements, and we walked along to Dublin Castle. I'll definitely do a guided tour next time I come over (see, I've not been here long and already I'm planning on returning!) but we had a lot to see in a short time so carried on along Dame Street until we came to Lord Edward Street and Christchurch Cathedral with it's beautiful arch over the roadway. We were going to go further along to Saint Patrick's Cathedral but decided to head back into the centre and it was here we stumbled upon Molly Malone...

I say stumbled upon because she's actually in a temporary home at the moment while the tram lines are laid throughout the city so she's not on Grafton Street as expected but tucked up a side street (long and narrow - ahem!) beside St Andrew's Church until next year. Look closely and you'll see that poor Molly's been a bit manhandled over the years and the bronze on her bosom is a different colour to the rest of the statue, she's in need of a thermal vest and woolly scarf if you ask me! From Suffolk Street, we made our way to Trinity College to see the stunning buildings on "the squares". Founded in 1592, it wasn't until 1904 that women were permitted to study here! Despite being right in the middle of the city, you enter the large wooden door and a tranquility hits you - everyone speaks quietly and marvels at the beautiful buildings. I wanted to visit the Old Library to see the Book of Kells - a manuscript of all 4 Gospels chronicling the life of Jesus - but it was closed, so after a little wander up to St Stephen's Green we headed back towards Temple Bar as by this time we were hungry and in need of some Guinness! Of all the places in all the world... of course we had to stop at The Norseman pub in Temple Bar, named after an old wooden statue of a viking (long since gone) it seemed the most appropriate place to eat...

The self-cook steaks are an absolute dream with the Jameson whisky sauce and of course a Guinness or two (maybe 3, oh and a whisky!) Before we knew it, it was time to head back on to Westmoreland Street for the bus back to the airport. Of course, being very prepared travel agents, we left enough time for a mooch around the shops and a sneaky Guinness! Thanks for a great day Dublin, I hope it's not too long before we meet again...