Hopefully everyone's having a great week so far. I can't believe it's already March. It just seems like the year is flying by. I promised I would let you know how I liked Dublin the second time around. I was quite nervous to go back considering that it didn't impress me much the first time around. A lot of that had to do with the accommodation and the location of said accommodation. I believe now, after traveling so much, that where you stay in the place you're visiting really does make a huge difference in the outcome.
To say the least, I didn't give the city of Dublin a proper chance because of the situation of the "palace" of a hostel we were staying in, but I believe it deserves a second chance. After all, it is the capitol city of one of the most beautiful countries I've been to.
The week in the Dublin started with a painful "so long for now" to my favorite city, London. No worries, however, because I'm going back in just a few short months! The only thing that made the goodbye a bit less painful was the exciting fact that we were flying British Airways to Dublin. Maybe I'm bias, but British Airways has to be my favorite airline. I don't know why, but I wasn't expecting the flight to be so quick. Maybe it's because the last time I went to Dublin it was a full overnight trip on the ferry. We flew over Liverpool, my second favorite city in the world, which made me super excited. I wanted the plane to land there as we flew over it.
We were met at the Dublin airport by a great guide named John. He took our class on a mini bus tour f the city, and then we stopped for a free lunch at the oldest pub in Dublin, The Brazen Head. As we were leaving the pub, there was a police officer standing outside, who informed our tour guide that Prince Albert of Monaco was eating in the pub. That was very cool!
After eating, we headed over to St. Patrick's Cathedral. Part of me never gets tired of looking at churches in Europe, and this one didn't disappoint.
Later that night, I went to Grafton Street, which I had never ventured over to the first time I was in Dublin, but I loved the lights and shops lining the streets.
The next day, we were scheduled to go to the Epic Ireland museum. We walked there from our hotel, which wasn't far. The morning was a bit foggy and cloudy, and walking by the river Liffey reminded me so much of walking by the Mersey in Liverpool. It was nice to get that feeling of familiarity.
Epic Ireland was one of THE best museums I have ever been too. Our guide was informative, and the museum was interactive and organized. It really opened my eyes to all that Ireland has contributed to many things around the world.
Leaving the museum, we accidentally joined a protest march through the city against the homeless epidemic. It was so interesting to be a part of that, and it led us right to our next destination. Seeing the Book of Kells at Trinity College was an experience. I thought the Book of Kells was great being so old and all, but I enjoyed going into the library more. The library was gorgeous and gave me all the Harry Potter feels.
That night I returned to a spot that I had actually been before, Henry Street. I went into the first Lush I had ever been in and bought some things for sentimental reasons as well as general obsession with Lush.
My third day in Dublin really wasn't a day in Dublin at all. We were taken out to the Glendalough to see an old settlement. It just blows my mind still to this day, that Europe has kept up with all of theses things from centuries and centuries ago. We went on a short hike out to the lake, and was almost late getting back to the bus, which gave me flashbacks from narrowly escaping being left behind at the Cliffs of Moher.
After Glendalough, we ventured to Powerscourt for an unimpressive lunch. Powerscourt is a manor house with gorgeous gardens. It was honestly worth it just because of the fact that I got to walk around the gardens and talk and laugh with new friends. It was great for pictures too! Glendalough and Powerscourt were a great day trip from Dublin that I'll recommend to anyone wanting to get out of the city and see some of Ireland for the day. That night, I had to eat dinner at Nando's, which I didn't know was in Dublin and got really excited when I found out.
The day after started with a trip to Newgrange, which is apparently older than Stonehenge and the Great Pyramids. It was an interesting and claustrophobic experience to say the least, but the views were breathtaking.
That afternoon, being the beer connoisseur I am (sarcasm, I really don't like beer!), we went to the Guinness Storehouse. It was a good museum, and I got to pour my own pint, which is exciting. I drank my pint to the top of the word Guinness, and I just couldn't drink anymore. The view of Dublin from the top was quite impressive though.
The second to last morning in Dublin, we went to a hospital in Dublin to learn about Irish healthcare. I won't bore you with the class aspect of my trip, so I'll just fast forward to that night. Our program had arranged for us to go to an Irish music concert at one of the local pubs. We got to learn some Irish dancing, which made the three-year old me, who was obsessed with River Dance, very happy. We walked back together, stopped in another pub, then walked to get some pizza for the night.
The last day in Dublin was more of a relaxing kind of day. I slept in, then met two friends downstairs for lunch in the hotel restaurant. We then went to see Big! The musical, which we luckily scored free tickets for at the box office when the man there said that there were three tickets that another group wasn't using. The musical was based off the 80's Tom Hanks movie, and it was really good. That evening, everyone headed to the hotel to pack up for the flight the next day. We ate one last meal across the street, and then said goodnight and goodbye to Dublin!
All in all, Dublin did deserve a second chance. I'm so glad that it redeemed itself. I had such a good time rediscovering the city and finding new places as well. Ireland continued to be one of the most gorgeous countries, and the Irish people are the friendliest, most welcoming people of all the countries I've been to.
So, my question for you this week is, have you given something or somewhere a second chance after being dissapointed by it the first time? Did you like it?
It's safe to say that I really enjoy Dublin. My favorite part of the week was listening and dancing to the Irish music. My favorite place in Dublin is probably walking along the river Liffey. What's your favorite part of Dublin if you've been?
All the love,
Alexandria
xx
To read about my first time in Dublin and all the other Irish adventures of that weekend, click here.
No comments:
Post a Comment