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.

Dublin map

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



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.

Liffey river views

   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 O'Connell MonumentO'Connell Street
















   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 .

Leprechaun in Grafton StreetSt. Ann's
















   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.

Grafton StreetFusiliers 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.

St. Stephen's Green ParkLake on St. Stephen's Green Park
















   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 .

arpist in Grafton StreetJames Joyce in Grafton Street




























   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.

Molly Malone Statue   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.

St. Paul's ChurchHa Penny Bridge
















   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,Obelisk of Phoenix Park 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 .

Returning from Ireland