StephCar

While spending a month in Cambridge England, we decided to leave the kids with my mum and spend a weekend in Dublin. We had a blast…(from what I remember anyway, my gosh there are a lot of pubs in Dublin!) Alone and without kids, we kept thinking of the famous words of MLK…“free at last, free at last!” Of course we adore our darling boys (age 2 and 4) but for just 48 hours it was nice to travel lightly and misbehave!

We also spent a free weekend in Berlin which was amazing as well. I will post that report in a separate post, along with my very long post on how much I love Cambridge, England! (This was our third summer in Cambridge—DH hosts a study abroad program through one of the colleges there in 17th century philosophy.)

Here is the skinny on Dublin (from August 5-7, 2006)…………….

We flew Ryan Air and paid 29 GBP per ticket. What a deal! I have to say that Ryan Air surprised me with its efficiency and ease of travel. I love the system they have, it is basically first come and first serve. When you check in you get a number. For example, if you are the 25th person to check in your number is 25. Then, those that have numbers of 1-99 or whatever get to board first. Brilliant! Those that arrive early are rewarded and those that come late have to pay the piper. I thought it was great, even when I was number 125. Oh and by the way, no assigned seats—you just jump on and pick a seat. Because you are allowed to board in the front and back of the airplane (your choice) getting on and off is fast and easy. One thing to note, the check in for most Ryan Air flights closes 45 minutes before the flight. If you are late, you are screwed. None of our flights were late by even a second (including to Berlin). This was of course one week before the terror plot was uncovered though—I think things changed a little after that.

So we arrived in Dublin via London Stansted at 9am. We took one of those buses downtown (only 7 Euro) and just hopped off. No maps. No clue. And we didn’t care! The most important part is we were not carrying diapers, strollers or kids. We were FREE! We didn’t really have much in terms of bags so we just walked around, knowing we would eventually run into Trinity College and hence our hotel. My first impression was WOW, Dublin is so clean!!! Well, it is, but what I later learned is that the street cleaners work really hard each morning cleaning debris left over from the all night partying there. And I know this because we saw them when we had to leave early Monday morning for our 7am flight. People were still partying in the streets at 6am.

Sidebar question: Why do so many have HEN parties (bachelorette) in Dublin? And why do they all get matching t-shirts to announce they are on a hen party? I must have seen 25 hen parties with matching t-shirts. I even saw one group with matching tiara’s and sashes, as if they just won a beauty contest. Sorry, but that is not cool or funny, IMHO. I will however acknowledge that it probably IS cool and I am just experiencing a cultural gap.

We stayed at O’Neill’s Victorian Pub and Townhouse near Trinity. http://www.oneillsdublin.com

It was recommended by several Fodorites (thanks GreenDragon!) It was…what is the word…authentic! We loved it, a true B&B experience. The hotel was over the pub (naturally) and it was a pretty basic accommodation with loads of charm. The funniest part of the stay was the owner, who one of the O’Neill’s brothers. He greeted us, let us drop off our bags and told us to come back later because our rooms were being cleaned. (We think he was cleaning them.) Then he checked us in and took our credit card. Later that night he served us beers behind the bar at the pub. When we asked what time the pub closed he said simply: “Half-past.” “Half-past what?” we thought but dared not to ask. His Irish accent was so strong I only caught every other word. Anyway, the next morning at breakfast I nearly choked on my eggs when Mr. O’Neill came out in a chef outfit from the kitchen--he was cooking our breakfast!!!! Within the hour he also served as tour guide and porter. It was really hilarious and just part of a wonderful B&B experience. I highly recommend this B&B!

Anyway, after we dropped off our bags we decided to take a quick tour of Trinity College. I have to say I was really disappointed in Trinity. I know I will get in trouble for saying it, but Trinity College in Cambridge is far superior. Elizabeth I commissioned the Trinity Dublin but I am not sure she ever went there—and her dad Henry VIII did a much better job finishing Kings College in Cambridge, IMO. Nonetheless, I was glad we paid to have the student tour and seeing the Book of Kells was really impressive. I am not even into that kind of thing but I could not help but be in awe. The Book of Kells was produced early in the 9th century and was acquired by Trinity College (in a fabulous story that included it being stolen and lost) in 1653. Being in the presence of something that old and precious made me feel very insignificant.

After Trinity we walked around a little bit. By this time it was lunchtime, or so I thought….! It was 11:30 am and I tried to order lunch but they told me it was too early for lunch. (?) Because of the late night partying Dublin doesn’t really wake up until mid-day. That is why touring in the morning was so great, few crowds, clean streets and easy to navigate. Anyway, we ended up grabbing a sandwich from one of the grocery stores and ate it overlooking the River Liffey. It was sunny and hot (80 F) and we loved it! We actually ate a lot of sandwiches because quite frankly—Dublin is expensive! After being in England we thought things would be the same or maybe less…boy were we wrong. Cambridge actually seemed cheap in comparison.

But..it is never too early for a pint of Guinness though—so off we went for the St. James's Gate Brewery Tour. It was really cool!!!! My DH brews his own beer so he is really into that kind of stuff. I am not into it that much but I must say I loved it. It was a really neat tour—informational and interesting. Just walking around the brewery was pretty spectacular. And of course you work your way up to the tasting room where everyone gets a pint of Guinness. It tasted delicious. There is something about a fresh pint of Guinness. I do not, repeat DO NOT like dark beers but for some reason the fresh Guinness won me over. It tasted so yummy. (And FYI, when I got home I bought some and it just wasn’t the same.) Anyway, at the top of the Guinness Brewery you are treated to a delightful view of the city as you sip your pint. It was a great way to get the lay of the land so to speak! The brewery has little kiosks where you can e-mail a picture of you at the brewery which was pretty fun as well.
We could have stayed there much longer but we had things to see and do (besides getting drunk!)

We walked back from St. James Gate and took in the sights. We stopped in the many churches of Dublin and looked around. (Question, is it a sin to be slightly drunk in a church?) I really enjoyed just walking around Dublin—it is one of those places where you actually want to get lost because you find so many little hidden treasures that way.

Later that evening we hit the pubs, naturally. We started in the Temple Bar area—wow, that place is nuts. We enjoyed it for a little while but then the crowds started to get to us. (That and almost 5 Euros for one pint.) The outdoor music was fantastic too and the people watching was some of the best I have seen! However, since we aren’t a huge fan of crowds we decided to do some pub hopping closer to our B&B. And oh yeah, we also had to try our own pub, since we stayed there!!! That is when we met Mr. O’Neill serving the beer. We asked him if he knew about the weather the next day and he said it would be “wet in the morning and dry in the afternoon.” I thought that was interesting---I guess being either wet or dry in Dublin is the norm.

The next morning we were up early and ready to tour Dublin Castle, the National Gallery and the National Museum of Ireland (Archaeology & History). As we were walking, however, we were distracted by a huge gathering in St. Stephen’s Green. It was the world’s best street performer competition and the top 10 finalists were performing. I mean, it was a BIG DEAL!! And these guys were great. They were from all over (Sweden, Australia, US, etc.) and we stayed and watched three performers. It took some of our touring time, but hey, it was the finals. And where else can you watch a woman stand on a mans head with only one foot???

Off to the National Gallery, which was better than I expected. They had a nice collection and variety of art. I particularly liked the portraits collection in the mezzanine. My DH nearly died when he saw one of the original paintings of “The Bermuda Group” that depicts George Berkeley (famous philosopher) and his family in Bermuda trying to convince royalty to donate to a new college. (A big philosopher high—the things that he enjoys are rather shall we say…different!)

We then went to the National Museum of Ireland. It was so incredibly crowded which sort of distracted me from enjoying it. It was still pretty neat though and had there not been so many crowds we may have stayed longer. I was skeptical about going since Rick Steves highly recommended it—usually I disagree with everything he suggests.

Our next stop was Dublin Castle. Wow, was I surprised at this gem. I was told by many others not to go and that it was not that impressive. I guess this is one of those times where advice from others should be taken with a grain of salt because we loved it. The best part was at the end when you went to the excavation site of one of the original towers and the moat. It was fantastic! To think something that old (the Vikings built it in 10th century) still stands just boggles my mind. And of course, one of the original towers exists outside, so when you go underground you get a complete picture of what it looked like so many centuries ago. And our tour guide was so impressive—the only way to see the castle is via guided tour and boy was I glad for that!

I also liked Dublin Castle for its current historical relevance. I did not know the Irish President is sworn in there (and that the official color of Ireland is blue—who knew!). They have also hosted some important EU meetings in the castle over the past few years. Oh yeah, and these are in rooms where Queen Victoria and other important kings and queens once sat as well. The furnishings (several chandeliers with thousands of Waterford crystals) are amazing. Although they don’t date back that far (1700s for most of them) the tapestries and paintings are very beautiful. We were allowed to take pictures in all of these rooms—that was a nice bonus as well.

We wanted to go out to dinner after our castle tour but alas---we were broke! I am half kidding, but seriously, this city drained our wallets very quickly. After pricing out some dinners (we missed the early bird dinners, darn it!) we decided to go to a pub and have some pub grub instead. It was cheaper, easier, and quite frankly, lots of fun. We talked to some super nice locals (again I barely understood a word) and had some nice food as well.

I have to say we saw a lot of rugby (football) shirts as I had envisioned. I don’t know if there was a big game or what, but there were many, many people with football jerseys everywhere we went. Including woman and children. It was really cute—seems like soccer is a big deal over there! More so than England it seemed….

One other comment—I found almost every person we encountered extremely friendly and accommodating. (They might have been laughing at us since we were a few pints under most of the time.) I found Dublin to be a happy and fun city.

We found some great souvenirs there as well. My DH got a shirt that said “And then I said feck it…I’m in Ireland!” and a shirt that simply said EEJIT (I will let the readers figure out that one). Hilarious.

I feel like we barely scratched the surface of Dublin, but hey, we only had 48 hours. We made the most of it and had a blast. It was hot and sunny the first day and rainy and cold the second day and we did not care either way. I will definitely be back to Ireland. I would love to drive around the country and explore some of the smaller towns as well—from the airplane the rolling countryside’s and mountains (which were bigger than I expected) just seemed so welcoming and beautiful. Thanks Ireland for a great weekend!

StephCar

Not sure if anyone is reading this, but if you are interested in a trip report to Berlin (which could not be more different than Dublin) here is the link to my trip report on that weekend.

http://tinyurl.com/zbkke

tod

Congrats StephCar on escaping from the little darlin's!
Parents should do this as often as possible - it makes them want you back!
And that hint of dear ol' Father Ted.........

julia_t

Hi Steph...

Great trip report! Isn't it wonderful when you manage to escape your children temporarily? Thanks for posting.

My visit to Dublin was for 4 days but a bit different to yours because I was with my 14yo daughter! I would have liked mine to have been a bit MORE like yours though...

Also bookmarking so I can find your Berlin report to read when I have time another day!

GreenDragon

Stephcar, glad you had fun in Dublin, and at O'Neill's -- it does make you feel as if there are triplets working there, no?

StephCar

julia_t and tod....

Yes...escaping the kids is a very good thing now and then-I agree! Although we missed them horribly (and spent a lot of time finding little gifts for them) it was great to spend time alone with my husband.

And GreenDragon-I think O'Neill's is just a riot. We keep laughing about him doing everything and wearing all these different hats--literally. Good stuff.

amer_can

We don't even have grandchildren as your young as your little ones but a tip from a granny.. Little trips without the wee ones will make them and you dearer!! Dublin was fun for my husband and I on our 50th anniv. and an earlier trip and we did the same things ( well maybe not all!!!)..Not one disappointment except 3 days was not enough time..Once you go to Ireland you have to return..I think you get a drug or something in the Guinnes/water/whatever!!!

stokebailey

Fun report, StephCar.
Re: Guiness:
Once in Ireland with my mother, in a small town pub with her Irish first cousins, I couldn't believe how she slurped dark stout down by the pint. (In the US she might drink a glass of wine with dinner.) Something about ancestral memory perhaps. Then, good sports that our cousins are, we all ended up in full-throated song outside after closing time.

noe847

Thanks for posting the report about your fun weekend. Lots of good info about Dublin that I will save for a future visit.

ForeignFool

Very funny. Just read your other post on Berlin. Planning on visiting both places in summer 2007. If you had to choose between one or the other which would it be?

cailin

Great report. Glad you enjoyed!

I would imagine that the jerseys you saw were actually gaelic jerseys and not football ones - although I could be wrong! It's the right time of year for GAA and you could have been in Dublin the weekend of one of the semi finals. The football & rugby seasons start around now and go on until April / May, then GAA (hurling and football) take over for the summer months.

SiobhanP

It would have been definately GAA shirts as there is no rugby going on in the summer.

Its a shame you felt that way about Trinity? Did you do one of the touyrs of the college? You can't compare it really to Cambridge...the link is in how Trinity was set up in a similar structure but its a different university and country to compare against eachother. There is some interesting history and graduates from Trinity.

Sounds like you had a blast...Come back again!

StephCar

SiobhanP--you are so right, I shouldn't compare the Dublin Trinty and the Cambridge Trinity College. They are very different. I especially thought the history of the chapel there (and how it is open to all religions now) was fascinating. Plus I loved the story about how women were finally admitted.

We did take a guided tour and I think the only reason I made a comparison is because our guide did so at every opportunity. He made a jest about how the library (both designed by Wren) was a full foot or so larger than the library in Cambridge and they "relished every inch." Things like that. Otherwise I am not sure I would have compared the two at all, because since you mentioned it, they are so very different.

And my DH just HAD to have a pic taken outside of the Berkeley Library...he is a big fan. We couldn't find a statue of him, that was his first choice. So indeed Trinity has produced some very well respected and well-known scholars, I agree!

GAA shirts then...interesting. Lots of red/white and green/white. So what sport is that? Hurling?

cailin

Could the shirts have been green & yellow rather than green & white? I think it was probably the weekend of the gaelic football quarter finals between Kerry (green) and Armagh (red).

SiobhanP

The "guides" for the college is a separate business from the college but I am sure they take a cut or allow them to rent the space etc toset up. the guides are these overacting annoying little twits than on occasion my other half does a immitation of to a T but changes the script. We walk through here a lot and the camp/ham it up. I think a lot are drama students doing it for a summer job.

maureencol

StephCar,
I loved your report. You have a great sense of humor! A lot of people don't really like Dublin saying it is just another big city. But even though I am a country girl, I enjoy Dublin. It has a character of its own. I can remember the first time I left our kids for the weekend. Crying as we drove away, but then it was so relaxing to just be on our own!! You need that every once in a while.

Go Mayo!!!

Curt

You said "I was skeptical about going since Rick Steves highly recommended it—usually I disagree with everything he suggests. "

Was this needed in your report?

StephCar

ForeignFool...sorry, I just noticed your question on Berlin vs. Dublin. I can't choose which I liked better. They are both just so different. Berlin is more modern and bigger. And I just loved Dublin's charm. Go to both!

SiobhanP--I didn't want to say this, but since you called the tour guides "twits" I will admit I was not crazy about our tour guide at Trinity. He was a bit dramatic, and not only that, was wrong about a few things. But nonetheless I am glad we took the tour.

cailin--yes, the shirts were probably green and yellow. So is the GAA football too, but just another league? I am curious.

maureencol--I agree, Dublin is a big city but I can't imagine walking away and not liking it. Too much fun to be had, and since I was away from the kids I was in a very "have fun" mode, lol.

cailin

GAA is a form of football - not played in any other country but Ireland. It's highly skilled and very fast. To be quite honest I don't follow it, so I don't know any of the rules - but I know that the players can handle and bounce the ball as well as kicking it.

flanneruk

Your husband probably knows most of the Bishop Berkeley jokes.

But I was - and if he doesn't know this one, which is true, he will be too - fascinated to stumble over the Blue Plaque to him in Oxford yesterday while trying to get back to my car before a Gestapo wannabe traffic warden.

Blue Plaques normally say "Joe Bloggs lived here". The one on the house where Berkeley died says "Bishop Berkeley is perceived to have lived here".

StephCar sounds like she might not quite appreciate the joke. Her husband assuredly will.

And I bet they don't have jokes like that round the TCD quads. Which, with all due respect to the Irish, is why TCD is absolutely not in the same league as Trinity, Cambridge.