Even the passport stamp is green at this emerald Isle, I thought to myself after immigration. After a quick shower and breakfast at the hotel we were ready to explore. Dublin is fairly compact so there is lots of walking but not too far between places we wanted to see and I feel it is always better to explore any city walking! I loved the city with all its brightly coloured, lacquered doors standing out along a wall of dull brick, the architecture, vibrancy, everything.
For the book lovers
Our first stop was the Trinity College which is home to the oldest known book in the world “The Book of Kells” from 800A.D. This is the centerpiece of an exhibit that attracts over half a million visitors to Dublin each year. The book is beautifully illustrated and is actually four large volumes, two of which are normally on display at any point in time. I was quite impressed by the “Long Room” which contains around 200,000 volumes almost all of which are hand-written books. The books are stored by size i.e. bigger to small. Interestingly, this room was also the inspiration for the great hall in Harry Potter movie!
Dublina and the viking world
On entering Dublina, a historical building connected to the Christ church, I purchased a double ticket to visit both. The exhibit focusses on the medieval history of Dublin. It is a great place, more so for the kids as the exhibits are quite show and tell types. I particularly loved the market area, it sure was fun! After a tour we stopped by at a nearby café for fish and chips and some Irish coffee — sure was an energy booster after all that alcohol, sugar, caffeine and fat.
Cheers everybody
We took a self-guided tour at the Guinness Brewery (but obviously!) which explained and demonstrated how Guinness is made and all about the family. I learnt that they pumped out 40 million pints a day, and have the ability to pump out 80. At the end of the tour my friend and I had a pint of Guiness at the Gravity Bar (with a 360 degree view of the city) that we thoroughly enjoyed. It was creamy and smooth here, and not nearly as bitter as other samples that we had tried. Rumour has it that Guinness is better the less it travels.
Cheers everybody
We took a self-guided tour at the Guinness Brewery (but obviously!) which explained and demonstrated how Guinness is made and all about the family. I learnt that they pumped out 40 million pints a day, and have the ability to pump out 80. At the end of the tour my friend and I had a pint of Guiness at the Gravity Bar (with a 360 degree view of the city) that we thoroughly enjoyed. It was creamy and smooth here, and not nearly as bitter as other samples that we had tried. Rumour has it that Guinness is better the less it travels.
After the Guinness experience we headed to the Temple Street, a famous area of town that once saw artists flourish and culture glow but now has pubs...Pubs and more pubs! We had Irish stew and Guinness at the Temple Bar itself and later did some pub-hopping. Music and laughter spills forth from every door way, as the brightly lit rooms bulge at their accommodated maximums. I’d say that the emphasis on music and their traditional sessions in the pubs plays a lovely soundtrack to a nation of people, intensely proud of who they are, and where they come from. A tour to Dublin is incomplete without this experience. Slancha! (“Cheers” in Gaelic)
By the way... Naomi Campbell
And if you are lucky like me, you may spot Naomi Campbell modeling for a car on the streets of The Temple Bar area. She is really hot and gave me a smile and a hug and even posed for me…Cheers on that too everybody!