442: Green, Greener, Ireland

Ireland is truly a beer nation, but also try their Whiskey and Gin!

The best husband ever was talking about visiting Ireland for a long time and finally this July we went. Staying one week in Dublin. While the best husband was working the boys and I got to explore the city. And the week after driving around the island. But first things first, let's start with Dublin.

When I think back, the first image which comes to my mind is the wonderful St. Stephen's Green lush green lawns, wonderful flowers and amazingly relaxed people. I love the many small pubs, cafés and restaurants around Dublin. Even though Dublin has a fantastic public transport system we mainly walked, since everything seemed only 20 min walking distance away anyway.

Family in Dublin.

St. Stephen's Green 1.

St. Stephen's Green 2.

St. Stephen's Green 3.

The town is full of history and it is worth visiting the many museums, churches, the castle etc.. Obviously there is not enough time for all of it, so we did a little of everything. The boys and I visited the temporary Famine Museum, which was a true eye opener and lead to some serious discussions. We also visited the National Museum of Ireland - Archaeology, the exhibition is amazing and they have a huge collection of axes and spears, ceramics and artifacts - my boys are really into this and had an amazing time comparing the different types and designs. Also the Dublinia with it's interactive displays is worth a visit.

Coin maker at the Dublinia.

We also visited the Guinness Storehouse, but it was really crowded and we did not enjoy it that much. At least the Guinness in the bar on top was good. We were told that the guided tour is much more informative, so if you are around maybe stick with that instead self-guiding.

At the Guinness Storehouse.

In the Guinness Storehouse 1.

In the Guinness Storehouse 2.

Guinness at the Guinness Storehouse.

Two of the obvious tourist attractions are the Dublin castle and Trinity College. Trinity College is home of the "Book of Kells" and an old library that is nice to visit. But with all of the obvious attractions be aware that it is very crowded and I found that it actually takes away the awe you could feel when entering such history laden places.

The old library, with Dumbeldor's staircase.

The old library.

At the Trinity College 1.

At Trinity College 2.

The best way to experience Dublin is just to walk the streets. Take in the street musicians, have a beer and just relax and enjoy. So here are some random pics from our many tours through the city.

The Liffy.

Restaurant.

At the canal.

At the Hairy Lemon Pub. Best Bangers and Mash in town!

At St. Stephen's Green.

Street music in Dublin - just wonderful!

St. Patricks Cathedral.

Wandering through Dublin you also see plenty of street art, big and small!

Love at the Canal banks.

Love is in the air - painted street.

Wall art.

And of course the Temple Bar.

While in Dublin, we did 2 touristy tours. One being the Viking Splash tour, taking us through the town, pointing out buildings, history and telling funny stories in a heavy Irish accent. Second being the Gravedigger Tour, the ghost tour telling about the grueling past of Dublin, the famine and black death. We had fun on both tours :)

Viking Splash.

Gravedigger tour 1.

Cheers at the graveyard - Gravedigger tour.

At the gaol - Gravedigger tour.

How to make money from a corpse - grueling times at the Gravedigger tour.

Alley, during Gravedigger tour.

If you only have a short time in Dublin and want to learn about the history of Ireland and walk though a cool old place take a tour at the Kilmainham Gaol. The tours at the old prison sell out quickly, so be sure to buy tickets online some days in advance to your planned visit.

In the Gaol.

Cell wall art.

In the yard of the gaol.

After so many days walking the streets of Dublin the boys and I needed a change of scenery and thanks to a local recommendation we took the DART to Bray and walked the Cliff walk all the way to Greystone. It was really warm on that day and we had a fantastic views onto the ocean and the wildlife.