Dublin, Ireland!

Hi everyone!  Got back yesterday from our weekend in Dublin, but didn't have the chance to look through my pics (to decide which ones to post) until late yesterday, and then it was taking forever to upload pictures.  Dublin was such a nice town, and we had a really fun trip!  Even "sleeping" in the airport wasn't so bad (I don't know if I mentioned this but I slept on Friday so I wouldn't have to sleep in the airport). 

We got to Dublin a little before 8, but sadly couldn't make it in time for the 8 am shuttle that would have taken us directly to our hotel.  Turned out fairly okay, we took a regular bus and had to do a bit of walking to get there, but we saw lots of pretty things that I don't think most tourists get to see.  Our hotel was in the Financial district, so its mostly a place for people who are travelling on business.  But the hotel was still really nice, and it actually wasn't THAT far.  I've learned that Dublin is actually a fairly compact city, and you can generally walk from one side to the other (of the main area that you'd want to see) in about 10 minutes... depending on how tired you are!

Quick summary of what we saw on which days:

Day 1: Trinity College/Book of Kells, Grafton St, St Stephen's Green, Christchurch, Temple Bar, Ha'Penny Bridge

Day 2: Wheel of Dublin, Trip to Howth, O'Connell St, Henry St, Dublin Castle, Guinness Storehouse, St Patrick's Cathedral, The Brazen Head

Anyway, I'm going to get started with the pictures, because there are so many!

Here we are at Prestwick Airport, after being there all night

Our plane!  I was surprised to see that we had to climb up the stairs to get to it - I've only seen that in movies!

Dublin Airport!  (and a hand with severed fingers? No stealing!)

And Irish Bus (sadly, not ours)

O'Connell St (the widest urban street in Europe.)  Shopping was a little disappointing though, have to admit.  Mostly stuff locals would want.

General Post Office. 

This particular road is random but I wanted to show how everything is in both English and Irish Gaelic

Our hotel, The Clarion!  (Thanks Dad, it was super nice!)

A funky looking bridge near our hotel.  Thats the River Liffey, by the way.

A ship - which I think is a museum.

Famine Memorial...

Some impressive looking building

A view of the river from above and beneath two bridges :)

Entrance to Trinity College!  Look at the funky lookin' door!

Trinity College

Inside the courtyard area of Trinity College

We went to see the Book of Kells (which is the oldest book, anywhere, I think).  It was interesting but kind of expensive for 8 Euros (about 11 dollars), particularly because I don't think they organized the exhibit very well and you basically had to wander around.

Molly Malone!

"In Dublin's fair city,

Where the girls are so pretty,

I first set my eyes on sweet Molly Malone,

As she wheeled her wheel-barrow,

Through streets broad and narrow,

Crying, 'Cockles and Mussels, alive, alive, oh!'"

(Thanks Wikipedia!)

Side street off Grafton St (you can just make out on the left, with the green flag, a store.  Its called Carroll's, and its the main type of touristy souvenir shopping for Dublin... and they are EVERYWHERE!  Literally.  And there aren't too many other types of souvenir stores either.  Luckily Carroll's seemed pretty good, but still)

Beginning of Grafton Street (one of the main shopping areas.  A little too expensive for my tastes but still fun to walk down)

A dude carving a dog out of sand!

More Grafton Street

St Stephen's Green Shopping Centre.

Lunch at the Clarendon!  Happened to stumble upon this place when we were all starving and had a yummy chicken caesar salad (despite the fact that they put bacon in it)

Beginning of St Stephen's Green (a big park)

Cemetery by St Patrick's Cathedral.

Helpful signs that are all over the city.  Also both in English and Irish Gaelic.

Christchurch

Ruins of something that I can't remember right now.

Heading into Temple Bar.  I just thought this was a fun looking building

Gallagher's Boxty House.  Kind of wanted to eat here but it was fairly expensive.  A Boxty is a potato pancake  :)

Elephant & Castle!  Totally wanted to eat here! But alas, they have a limited menu.

Temple Bar

Ha'Penny Bridge (it used to cost half a penny to cross it, in the 1800s, but now its free :)  )

Day 2!

Wheel of Dublin - we didn't get a chance to go on it as their hours and location worked against us.  It was closed when we came by here.

Funky statues

Train station!  We're taking a trip up to Howth

Howth is a little like, suburb but not quite of Dublin.  Its on the sea and it was really pretty.

GREEN telephone booth

Sooo pretty

Look at those funky rocks!

More of Howth, from out on the dock/harbor area.

Lola-seal!  (Seals that look like Lola)  This one posed for us for awhile.  I think he was expecting food.

While we were there, I learned that we had come just in time to see the seals, as apparently, they stop showing up right around this time.

(I think this one was the Murphy-seal... - a bigger seal than the Lola-seal)

More of Howth

Back in Dublin!  Cute details on a bridge

Courtyard of Dublin Castle

Pretty doorhandle, inside Dublin Castle

Ceiling

Looking outside from Dublin Castle at the remaining parts of the actual castle.  The green area there is supposed to represent where a pond had been once.  The water was very dark, and it was known as the black pool.  The Irish Gaelic for this is Dubh Linn, and thats what the surrounding city became known as... and it was eventually anglicized into Dublin!

More walls/ceilings

Detail of the arches

Dublin Castle (the tower part, from inside the building)  Its called Dublin Castle because there was a castle built here in 1204 by King John of England, but then it mostly burnt down in the 17th century, and this was put in its place. 

Throne Room

Crown shaped mirrors inside the Throne Room

Paintings from the ceiling

Another ceiling painting

Last one

Where the remaining part of the castle (from 1204) meets up with the new part of the building.  Super cool!

Guinness Storehouse!

I didn't take any pictures from inside because 1) It would have been a little weird, I think 2) I was exhausted and 3) I care even less about Guinness and how its made than I thought I did...

St Patrick's Cathedral (we made it just in time to see it before it closed for the day)

St Patrick's Park

Outside of St Patrick's Cathedral (from the park)

The Brazen Head - the oldest pub in Dublin! 

Yes, it says it was established in the 1100s!  We had dinner here on our last night and it was pretty good!  Not very good in terms of their gluten free friendlyness terms.  Mainly because I ordered a chicken caesar salad and half of the things in it weren't on the menu (including croutons).  But still very yummy, and the atmosphere was nice too!

Yay Dublin!