April 2004 at last I had to fly. Till than I always did
visit The British Isles and Ireland by ferry. An airplane is the best way
to travel if you want to visit Dublin for a few nights. Travelling times
are very short especially with the time different of one hour. The costs
for a ticket are ridiculous low, Aer Lingus did ask less than 23,00 euros
for a return ticket. We did leave Schiphol at half past eight and I paid
for the first coffee round at ten o’clock in “Café Kylemore”,
O’Connell Street, Dublin.
The
plane waiting for us
We
did book the “Dergvale” hotel; this hotel is at walking distance of
the Dublin city centre. Dublin’s atmosphere is a little bit as a big
village, nice and cosy. The first day we did spend looking around the
city. There are always enough pubs or other places to take a rest.
Shopping
around
The
“Dublin City Tour” was marvellous. The bus driver was a real
entertainer and in between the songs he told a lot about the history of
Dublin. Most of the time the Irish mix fairy tails with the real world, so
maybe it isn’t always just true, but it’s nice to listen to. It’s a
hop on, hop off tour, so there is always time to take an extra look. We
did visit the Guinness Brewery.
Tasting a Guinness
This
was a real experience and at the top of the “Storehouse” it was nice
tasting too. Our go in the evening was the “Temple Bar” district. Nice
smoke free pubs and very busy at a Friday night. One pub did find a way to
soften the smoking ban. There was a bar in a sort of open space in the
middle of the pub. Sitting outside, inside the pub.
The Temple Bar District
We
did spend the Saturday morning to take a walk around the harbour area.
This area is now converted into a modern living area. History is not
forgotten either. A group of statues is a example therefore.
People leaving Ireland at the start of the last century partly through
exploitation and patato blight
The
weather was nice this Saturday so it was nice to straw through the city
centre and it’s surroundings. We did a little shopping, did see some
football in a pub, had a nice meal and saw Molly Malone. The evening was
pleasant too.
Molly Malone a fish
monger with her own statue
Sunday’s
a lot of Dubliners go to Howth’s beach. So did we. The first part of the
journey we did go by train and than by bus. It was a nice outing; we did
eat a little at the “Café Caira” and did take a look by the sea and
back again to Dublin.
Howth
After
collecting the luggage at the hotel, we went to the airport. The journey
home was without any problems. Dublin is really a nice city to spend a
long weekend.
Goodbye Ireland
