It would have been really beneficial if I followed some of my own travel tips! Such as taking into account the fact that a 10:40am flight out of Gatwick coincides with London’s peak hour and that every man and his dog seems to be crammed into the Jubilee line. Or an extra long queue at security due to a conveyor belt malfunction and overly grumpy security staff who probably hadn’t had their fix of caffeine yet. Made it to the gate just in time!
Dublin is a 55 minute flight from London and is situated in the South of Ireland where the official religion is Catholic. The city centre is approximately a 30 minute bus ride from the airport and can be reached via buses 16, 41,11 or 31 at a cost of EUR 2.70 and EUR 3.10 buys you unlimited bus travel for 90 minutes. Our hotel, the Skylon Hotel Dublin, is about a 15 minute bus ride from the city centre and is very comfortable and pleasant-with a nice hot shower, comfortable bed and friendly and helpful staff.
Given the escapades of our morning, we were starving and lunch was the first thing on the cards. Situated in Temple Bar in the heart of Dublin are many traditional Irish taverns, many of which feature live music in the evenings. We chose Quays Irish Restaurant which serves traditional Irish and English dishes, including Irish Stew, fish & chips, burgers and bangers and mash. Being cold and hungry, Irish stew really hit the spot! Dublin’s city centre was notably smaller calmer and quieter than Larger-than-life-London!
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Our next stop was Dublin Castle, followed by St Patricks Park. Unfortunately, by the time we reached St Patricks Park, Dublin’s famous St Patricks Cathedral was already closed. Dublin Castle was the seat of the United Kingdom’s government’s administration until 1922 and is now the Irish administrative hub. Throughout its history, Dublin castle has served many roles, including a defensive fort for the Norman City of Dublin, followed by royal residency by the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, and then as a place of parliament and law courts.
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We finished off the day with a very enjoyable evening at Temple Bar, a traditional Irish pub, featuring live music and Cider! We were joined by a group of very attractive Spanish guys and spent the evening singing along with the live band and drinking cider!
All in a days work! Stay tuned for more tomorrow…