4 Great Days in Dublin
One of the best things about having friends from all over the world is being able to visit them. My classmate and good friend, Julia, has been working in Dublin this summer with Google. I had never been to Ireland plus I love a good summer sleepover, so I jumped at the opportunity to visit her in mid-July.
Day 1
I made it to Dublin from Copenhagen at about 4 in the afternoon. If you are traveling to Dublin in the future you should note that the only way to get into the city from the airport is by bus. Buy a round trip ticket upfront and you'll save a euro. I easily met Julia and made our way to freshen up at her apartment before going out to get a bite to eat. We decided to try a well-recommended burger place called Bunsen located right by the famous Temple Bar. We headed to bed pretty early because we had active plans for the next day.
Day 2
For my first full day in Dublin, we decided to get some fresh air and hike at the Wicklow Mountains. We took a bus to the park which took about an hour from St Stephen's Green and costs 20 euros round trip. The hike in total took about four hours. I am somewhat of a self-conscious hiker. I hike very slowly and tend to breathe like I'm dying even though I'm quite alive. There was one portion of the hike where we climbed up 600 stairs. 600 STAIRS! I only know it was 600 because I looked it up later. Nevertheless - It was so beautiful! Ireland has experienced a drought this summer so the Wicklow Mountains were not as lush and green as they usually are. But still, nature is amazing and wonderful that you're free to enjoy it. Thanks, God! After returning to the city, we decided to get some dinner. We were tired and didn't feel like searching a long time for a restaurant. Lucky for us we walked by Gotham Cafe, a fun Batman/New York-themed restaurant. We both got pizza and cider. You need to have some balance. Hike four hours and earn a personal pizza.
Day 3
We had planned to get up and have brunch around 11am, but when the alarms went off we just turned them off and slept until noon. It was the first time in a long time that it had rained in Dublin making it perfect sleep weather. So we didn't really get up and moving until 2pm. We had brunch at a fun health cafe, Pog. I had an acai bowl, americano, and a chai latte. Lazy Sundays call for extra cozy drinks. After brunch, we strolled around the city and remembered that the FIFA World Cup final was that afternoon. We found one of the many bars in Dublin, ordered drinks and watched France win. It was a lot of fun to watch the game in such an environment. There were a few Frenchies or at least France supporters present making the experience even better.
Day 4
Julia had to be at work by 8:30, so I got a pretty early start to the day that I designated as my super-duper touristy day. I found a place to leave my luggage for the day since I would need to be at the airport by the time Julia got home. I decided to go straight to Trinity College and attempt to beat some crowds. I bought a cup of coffee at one of the school's cafeterias before heading over to see the Book of Kells. This was at about 9:30 and there was already a line, I can't imagine how long the line would be any later in the day. *So note to those traveling to Dublin during high season, get to Trinity College early!* I only stood in line for about 15 minutes. Entrance to see the Book of Kells and the Old Library was 11 euros with a student ID. A little steep but well worth it. The Book of Kells is stunning and they have preserved it very well. The long hall library makes you think of Harry Potter. While I was in the library, some people were cleaning one of the shelves in outfits that looked like they belonged in Monster's Inc.
After strolling around Trinity College a little longer, I walked over to some of the stores Julia had pointed out to me in the previous days. Dublin is a pretty compact city so it was easy to locate all of them. Once I was once with my shopping, I was starving. I bought a sandwich at M&S Food Hall on Grafton Street and sat in St. Stephen's Green for a picnic lunch. I had to give some pigeons an ugly look in order to eat in peace. I strolled around the park and eventually ended up at the Irish National Gallery. Entrance to the National Gallery is free so I walked around for about 2 hours. The National Portrait Gallery was very cool and worth a visit. Some portraits were modern while others were the traditional portraits one thinks of. I went back to one of the stores I had been in earlier to try on a sweater I couldn't stop thinking about... Even though it's warm in Sweden now I'll probably need to start bundling up soon. I strolled around the Temple Bar area before picking up my bag and heading to the airport. My flight home ended up to be almost 3 hours delayed due to technical problems, but I can't blame this frustration on Dublin.
Day 1
I made it to Dublin from Copenhagen at about 4 in the afternoon. If you are traveling to Dublin in the future you should note that the only way to get into the city from the airport is by bus. Buy a round trip ticket upfront and you'll save a euro. I easily met Julia and made our way to freshen up at her apartment before going out to get a bite to eat. We decided to try a well-recommended burger place called Bunsen located right by the famous Temple Bar. We headed to bed pretty early because we had active plans for the next day.
Day 2
For my first full day in Dublin, we decided to get some fresh air and hike at the Wicklow Mountains. We took a bus to the park which took about an hour from St Stephen's Green and costs 20 euros round trip. The hike in total took about four hours. I am somewhat of a self-conscious hiker. I hike very slowly and tend to breathe like I'm dying even though I'm quite alive. There was one portion of the hike where we climbed up 600 stairs. 600 STAIRS! I only know it was 600 because I looked it up later. Nevertheless - It was so beautiful! Ireland has experienced a drought this summer so the Wicklow Mountains were not as lush and green as they usually are. But still, nature is amazing and wonderful that you're free to enjoy it. Thanks, God! After returning to the city, we decided to get some dinner. We were tired and didn't feel like searching a long time for a restaurant. Lucky for us we walked by Gotham Cafe, a fun Batman/New York-themed restaurant. We both got pizza and cider. You need to have some balance. Hike four hours and earn a personal pizza.
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| Gorgeous. |
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| A very good boy |
Day 3
We had planned to get up and have brunch around 11am, but when the alarms went off we just turned them off and slept until noon. It was the first time in a long time that it had rained in Dublin making it perfect sleep weather. So we didn't really get up and moving until 2pm. We had brunch at a fun health cafe, Pog. I had an acai bowl, americano, and a chai latte. Lazy Sundays call for extra cozy drinks. After brunch, we strolled around the city and remembered that the FIFA World Cup final was that afternoon. We found one of the many bars in Dublin, ordered drinks and watched France win. It was a lot of fun to watch the game in such an environment. There were a few Frenchies or at least France supporters present making the experience even better.
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| Sunday brunch? Yum! |
Day 4
Julia had to be at work by 8:30, so I got a pretty early start to the day that I designated as my super-duper touristy day. I found a place to leave my luggage for the day since I would need to be at the airport by the time Julia got home. I decided to go straight to Trinity College and attempt to beat some crowds. I bought a cup of coffee at one of the school's cafeterias before heading over to see the Book of Kells. This was at about 9:30 and there was already a line, I can't imagine how long the line would be any later in the day. *So note to those traveling to Dublin during high season, get to Trinity College early!* I only stood in line for about 15 minutes. Entrance to see the Book of Kells and the Old Library was 11 euros with a student ID. A little steep but well worth it. The Book of Kells is stunning and they have preserved it very well. The long hall library makes you think of Harry Potter. While I was in the library, some people were cleaning one of the shelves in outfits that looked like they belonged in Monster's Inc.
After strolling around Trinity College a little longer, I walked over to some of the stores Julia had pointed out to me in the previous days. Dublin is a pretty compact city so it was easy to locate all of them. Once I was once with my shopping, I was starving. I bought a sandwich at M&S Food Hall on Grafton Street and sat in St. Stephen's Green for a picnic lunch. I had to give some pigeons an ugly look in order to eat in peace. I strolled around the park and eventually ended up at the Irish National Gallery. Entrance to the National Gallery is free so I walked around for about 2 hours. The National Portrait Gallery was very cool and worth a visit. Some portraits were modern while others were the traditional portraits one thinks of. I went back to one of the stores I had been in earlier to try on a sweater I couldn't stop thinking about... Even though it's warm in Sweden now I'll probably need to start bundling up soon. I strolled around the Temple Bar area before picking up my bag and heading to the airport. My flight home ended up to be almost 3 hours delayed due to technical problems, but I can't blame this frustration on Dublin.
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| St. Stephen's Green stroll & picnic |
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| You've all heard about the doors of Dublin... it's true. They're mesmerizing in cuteness! |
Big thanks to Julia! I had such an awesome time exploring Dublin and catching up with you!
See you very soon!
your little mouse
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