Dublin again, Day 1
While Paula has visited Dublin in the last few years (courtesy of the Sisters of Charity), I haven’t been back since 2006. My memories were of a rather grey and gritty town, and I couldn’t for the life of me see the attraction. But that was in December and the weather was shite; so even though it is still a little grey, May seems a much more reasonable time to enjoy Dublin.
It also seems much easier to get around, although it’s far busier than I expected. We were last here as the Celtic Tiger was just fading out, and the next decade was a bit grim; but the redevelopment of the docks and the riverside is excellent and the light rail is excellent.
Our flight had been interesting: we agreed to be bumped from Premium Economy for the Singapore leg in return for lounge access and Business on the London flight. We slept (!) on the economy flight, had a restaurant class meal on the Business flight, but had to contend with a screaming child (in Business class?) all the way to Heathrow. We arrived significantly less rested than we otherwise might have been, and I now wonder why the A380 wasn’t designed with soundproof overhead lockers.
We weren’t in our apartment (overlooking Dame Street) until late, so we avoided the pleasures of Temple Bar until the morrow. Thursday was mostly about Trinity College and the Old Library, and we finally got to see the Book of Kells.
In the afternoon, we walked around the north side and ended up at the GPO’s museum, which turned out to be an excellent introduction to the Uprising.
As was our plan, we grabbed something simple from Tesco for dinner, but not before downing a couple at the Norse Inn. Just one thought for the day: this photograph is a reminder that sweet Molly Malone was popular just for her cockles and mussels…
And with that, I’ll sign off!
