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Day
1
(March 21, 2008) Flight to Dublin
Before
Plane should land over Dublin airport at 13:00. Once there,
we will go to hotel by taxi.
We will spend the afternoon walking around Dublin
downtown and will check if it’s true what we’ve read about all bars
closed on Good Friday
.
The spots marked at
map are:
0- Clarion Hotel Liffey Valley
1- Airport
2- Dubiln downtown
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After
As we knew lunch time would come in route, when
landing we’ve all already finished the sandwiches we taken from home.
So, when we go out from airport we go directly to split ourselves on
three taxis which will follow the same way to Clarion Hotel Liffey
Valley by around 20€ each. We did our math homework so we already knew
taxi was a better option for our group than Flybus, which is cheaper
for a couple or travelling alone.
We do check in and go to our rooms. We like them:
they’re spacious and beautiful and sited in both sides of long
hallways. But we’re crazy about taking a look to the city and we got
the advantage it is less cold than we thought for such a northern
winter, therefore, we go to the bus stop.
It’s 17h and isn’t going to be more than two hours
before getting dark. After waiting for 10 minutes we take 25A bus route
by 1,40€ each. Almost all buses are yellow and doubled decker ones and, as it is new
for us, we go upstairs in order of enjoying our first views of Dublin.
In a half of an hour we decide to go down, after getting our first
views of river Liffey – which gives name to our hotel – and the bridges
over it. We could see some great buildings too as The Four Courts, in
the picture. We’ve passed by Heuston train station as well, where we
must be early tomorrow.
 
Ha’Penny Bridge has been our reference for leaving
the bus. We’ve been provided by maps at hotel and know it is close to
the Temple Bar area. The first thing we want to check is if all the
pubs are really closed, as we’ve read, or the rule is kind of relaxed,
as use to be.
We can see the bars in this part of the city are
showing themselves blinds closed so we keep walking until reaching Dame
St. and can see the City Hall and the entrance to Dublin’s Castle,
which we will visit on Sunday.
 
Keeping this street, which is changing its name
some times
in our way, we reach Christchurch Cathedral. It is spectacular, big and
with a difference architectonic style of the ones we use to see. The
grey stone it is built with is a different touch on its look as well.
We love this first visit and spend the time discovering all its corners.
 
When we’re coming back through the same way we
know two
things: we’re going to like this city and we are not going to be able
of taking a beer today definitively. Well… there is still one option,
as I’ve read hotels use to serve alcohol to their customers. So, we are
taking our way back to the bus stop at the same time the sun is leaving
this land as night has nothing to offer today in the city. It is the
only day of the year like this!
So we wait for the bus at stop on the opposite riverside we were
delivered two hours ago for our return trip. We take route 25X, which
is a bit more expensive than the one when coming: 2.10€. We are very
aware of reckoning the roundabout where we took the bus and don’t miss
our stop.
Somehow, when dinning at hotel, we’re
denied to be served with beer. I would understand this as a day alcohol
is not served to anyone, but for two men with lager paints on their
table. Although we ask about that, we cannot get any other answer
except for the “Alcohol is not served on Good Friday” one. So we go to
sleep as must wake up early tomorrow.
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