The 1st leg of my Ireland tour - Dublin

me with my guinness before noon!
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July 5th, 2007 Alright, so I arrived in Dublin around 9am on July 5th, 2007 via Edinburgh on RyanAir.  This airline is as everyone I spoke to describes it, the bare minimum.  They supply you with absolutely nothing!  But if you wanted to gamble, you have the ability on this airline, who would have thought!  Maybe Air Canada should consider this alternative so bankruptcy can be avoided!

Once I arrived at the airport, I had to go through customs, they were very pleasant, much nicer than those at Glasgow airport.

"I got to this location at 11am and I believe for the first time had a drink before noon."

my guinness!
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Once I was out of the airport and caught a direct bus to my hostel, it stopped a few blocks away, which was to my surprise because the hostels directions said it was right beside.  I was a bit lost, but thank goodness it is an english speaking country.  Anyways, got that figured out and arrived.  I have more information regarding my hostel in its own review.

My first initial thought of Dublin was that there are more foreign languages spoken on the streets than Irish (gaelic) and English.  It seems I have come at a time when many other European countries have holidays, this is especially true of the French and Spanish speaking countries.  I have also found there to be a lot of Americans.

model of guinness factory in 1987.
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I guess my 2nd thought of Ireland was, I now realize why it is so green!  It rained for most of the day yesterday, which is why I was on my bus tour.  The 2nd day was decent, with periods of rain (most of the time it started and stopped in 20 minutes).  This I did love because people would literally stand undercover until the rain stopped then go about their day afterwards.  Where as I, who had a raincoat, just kept walking.  It never rained so hard that I got drenched, just hard enough for a wet jacket.

Kilmainham Goal (jail)
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July 5th, 2007 I then went out to explore the city, I finally found main tourist office which was in an old cathedral, but unlike Vancouver's tourist office where there is an agent to help you plan, it is all up to you.  Or maybe I just missed that agent.  I was a but disappointed because I came to Dublin with a general idea of what I wanted to see but would have loved some direction as to what I should have seen, especially from this office.  I did, however, receive it from the amazing tour guide I had on Dublin Tours (the yellow bus, live tour guide), again more information in their review.  The only site I did see on this day was Kilmainham Goal (jail).  It is an old jail  that "is the biggest unoccupied jail in these islands and was one of the most forbidding bastions of punishments and correction between 1796 and 1924 when it closed."  This jail was worth the money, 8 €.  It was with a tour guide, who was great at projecting her voice through the many settings.  The only downside was there really is no limit on the number of people for each tour, so it was packed.  It is suggested that you take this tour in the morning to avoid the crowds.

Collins Barracks
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July 6th, 2007

Guinness Factory I woke up and got ready for the day, it was going to be jammed packed.  I had a lot to fit in.  So the first stop I made was the most visited site in all of Ireland, or so I am told, the Guinness Factory.  This was a nice setting but self-guided tour.  For the price of 12.50€, I was upset that we didn't have a real tour guide.  However, I got a paper weight type souvenir to remember what I paid.  I guess it wasn't all that bad because I got a pint of Guinness after the tour, in an enclosure on top of the factory that has a 360 degree view of all of Dublin.  I got to this location at 11am and I believe for the first time, ever, I had a drink before noon.  I was also a bit light because of the drink and lack of breakfast, only toast and cereal.  So after then I descended down the elevator to the store to purchase some mementos, and again realized I came at the right time for the tour because by noon there was a line up of people.  Yet another tour you have to enter early to avoid the crowds.  So after this I was on to the next stop, Collins Barracks, aka Royal Barracks way back when.

Inside the Jail
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Collins Barracks I went here because they had an exhibit about the Irish contribution to the various wars (all around the world) from 500 to current times.  It was quite interesting and there were a lot of interesting facts, many historical items.  It was to the point that one person become overwhelmed by all the artifacts.  However, the admission was free so to complain is not fair.  I did want to buy some interesting book marks or something from the museum shop regarding this exhibition for a friend (Colin) but unfortunately there wasn't anything that was easy to carry or worth buying, sorry Colin!  On to the next stop...

Where O'Connelly was executed, he was too sick to stand, they shot him in the head sitting down
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Christ Church Cathedral This was a beautiful church, it dates back to construction around 1080.  There are some ruins just outside the church, from one of the time periods, it isn't stated on the plaque.  The admission is 5€, which for the self-guided tour and pamphlet to help, is a good deal.  The stained glass windows are beautiful and of course tell a picture.  There architecture is amazing, stuff you don't see in Canada.  But the best part is the crypts in the basement, which are accessible to the general public with admission.  This site was worth the price.  My poor feet were getting tired, so I needed a lunch break, please read the review "Queen of Tarts."

Me and the Guinness Hops!
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The final stop, Trinity College/Book of Kells This was my final stop on my city wide walking tour, my poor feet!  I went into Trinity College to go see the "must see" Book of Kells.  The setting of the college is beautiful, with some monument at the centre.  Never caught the name of it.  But I decided to continue on to the Book of Kells.  You enter this location through the campus store (good location to buy Trinity gear and remember to get a tax receipt, it can save you big money).  The admission fee was 8€, which doesn't seem bad, but once I went in, I found it over priced.  Again, a self-guided tour, and you have to read all the enormous boards that are spread throughout the location.  Most comment on the way and time in which this book and a few others were written.  Maybe because it was at the end of a long day, but I found this very boring and really couldn't have been bothered to have read something that is probably found on the internet.  If you really want to visit this site, I strongly suggest you do some homework on the Book of Kells before you visit it.  After leaving the "special" room that houses this book and 2 others, you go up a staircase to a library setting from movies, it was amazing to see stacks upon stacks of books, some dating from the 1700s.  After which you are lead right back down to the store.

Christ Church Cathedral
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So there we go that has been my visit of Dublin, I am leaving tomorrow for Killarney for 2 days.  I will be coming back to Dublin at the end of my whirlwind tour of Ireland, so this will be the day in which I catch up on anything I missed.  I like Dublin, not love, but like.  I think that it is steeped in history and can be a bit overwhelming at times, the people and cars, but I am happy I came.