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Day
3
(March 23, 2008) Dublin
Before
Our last hours in Ireland. The return flight takes off at
5:50
PM, so we can finish our list of places to visit during the morning.
After lunching early, we would start our way back, first to hotel and
then to home.
The spots marked at map are:
1- Guinness Storehouse
2- Temple Bar
3- Christ Church Cathedral
4- Trinity College
5- Molly Malone and Grafton Street
6- Dublin's Castle
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After
It’s not a surprise we are going out from the
hotel after 11:30 AM due to our going to sleep in the early hours of
the morning. We enjoyed a lot last night and the time is not a problem
today. Line 25A take us to down town, we want to explore O’Connell
Street now. It’s the first time we’re going to go somewhere in the
North riverside and we use O’Connell bridge to do that, where can be
get a fabulous views of Liffey river from.
In case we haven’t got the hints pointing this is
a part of the city devoted to this O’Connell person, just after the
bridge we meet the O’Connell Monument. Once in O’Connell Street, we
walk along by the middle part of the avenue getting closer every time
of what they call The Spire, which is basically a huge needle set here
which tip losses higher in the sky.
 
The walk is relaxed and pleasant, watching on some
of the stores in the street. We turn round once we get The Spire
because we want to explore the only missing spot of our list: Grafton
Street.
We go back to the South riverside and follow the
way we already walked yesterday until passing by Trinity College
entrance, because this time we go on until the end of this street, as
there is where Grafton Street, the red pedestrian mall, starts.
This street is famous by being lively and so it
looks. Here are several street artists and a lot of people walking
along it. We can see a lot of fashion stores and some less fancy ones,
with souvenirs, for example.
We go into one of them and purchase our gifts to
bring to home as there are a lot of things by one euro.
There are some pubs too and we can see a
Leprechaun guarding one of them. It seems people at party, but it’s
quite unusual at 12:30 PM. On a street at left we can see a beautiful
church our map marks as St. Ann’s 1720
.
 
Grafton Street is ending at the doors of one of
the most visited parks in the city: St. Stephen’s Green. The “door” is
represented by a stone arch known as Fusiliers Arch.
 
We go into the park, which is showing its wild
nature since the very first moment.. Just at entrance there is an
elongated lake which is shaped as the curve of a river at this point.
We can see a lot of birds which seem they’ve lost the usual distrust on
human beings.
 
Once back again on Grafton Street, we agree on
lunching at the same place than yesterday, which is at the end of the
street. I’m grateful of being got the time to walk along this street as
it is the one showing the Irish character: wild and funny.
I’ve chosen these two samples of street artists
here: the musician playing Celtic songs in the typical Irish Harp, and
one of the living statues. This specific one is playing the most
emblematic writer of Dublin: James Joyce
.
 
It’s 1:35 PM when, in our way to the lunch place,
we pass by Molly Malone Statue I missed yesterday. There is no pedestal
as it is set like if she was still working in the streets selling her
fish. A little more “giant”, though.
 I’m so touched by
this last visit that I purchase, in Carrolls, in this same street, a
model of this statue for displaying it at home.
At 1:30 PM we’re lunching our good tasting
sandwiches. There is a reason why we’re repeating place.
Once finish our food we get conscious we’re
finishing our time in this country too. There is only one more thing to
do here: return home, and that starts by taking the bus to the hotel.
It’s line 67A this time the one which, by the same
1.70€ we always paid, do the trip in this last time. Just because of
that, it seems we’re paying more attention to the windows landscape.
I’m getting pictures around of, for example, St. Paul’s Church. A few
minutes before, at the beginning of this bus trip, I could get the
image of Dublin’s most famous bridge: Ha’Penny Bridge, which reminds
the times where people should pay half of a penny for crossing it.
 
I’m saying good bye to the Phoenix Park too, the
biggest park in Ireland and, I think, in Europe too. I had liked
spending one day on it. I’ve read there is even a herd of deer on it,
but it is so far from everywhere that we’re lucky enough of being able
of seeing its door everyday because of this bus trip. I get a picture
of its obelisk, which is a Wellington monument really.
And that’s the last photo in this country as we
just follow the know steps of all travel returns: baggage – taxi –
airport – plane, which takes off on time, by the way
.
I must say I didn’t know so much about Ireland before coming here,
but we’ve loved this country. It indeed deserves a longer travel to be
able of visiting other cities as Galway or Cork and reaching North
Ireland to be able of watch the other highlight of this island (after
Cliffs of Moher): the Giant’s Causeway. The character of the cities and
people is the best highlight after all. I’ve been at ease here.
I’m already missing this island, as I’m trying to take one more
picture: the sunset from the highest point this time
.
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