Dublin Ireland

[Highlander]

I had the pleasure of being able to visit Dublin Ireland a couple weeks but have hesistated writing a trip report as, being a European city, has little in common with KC and their probably isn't much interest...but here goes anyway. Living in the UK, it was a simple hop on the ferry to Belfast and a relatively short drive to Dublin.

The Irish economy is going great guns (the "Irish Tiger") and Dublin is at the center of the action. Devin would salivate at the sheer number of cranes present on the skyline and in the surrounding suburbs. Like most European cities, Dublin is dense with excellent parks, transportation system (bus and trams inner city and a network of trains serving the suburban area and outlying towns) and a number of trendy shopping and entertainment areas (It's generally considered one of the premier party towns in Europe at the moment). Museums and cultural activities are relatively limited although the ones they have are pretty well done (all of which are free), particularly the Irish National Museum (the Natural History Museum, on the other hand, reminded me of a Victorian Cabellas). Grafton street is a popular pedestrian way with great shopping, as was O'Connell and Henry streets and one heard more Italian/German in the Temple Bar District than English (or Irish for that matter....actually not widely spoken in Dublin). Ate at the new HRC.....thanks to Que for the heads up on that one.

One of the better attractions in the city was the Guiness Brewery. After a pseudo-brewery tour (you actually never enter the brewery) you can go up to the top for your "free" pint. Guiness never tasted so good before. What makes it special, is that it is the possibly the tallest point in the city (the skyline is low even by European standards) and affords some incredible views. Boulevard could learn a lesson or two on marketing from these guys! The excellent churches, particularly St. Patricks, are tourist destination in their own right.

On the downside, due to the rise in the Irish economy and participation in the Euro zone, the place is a bit pricey and I was actually warned off about taking the kids into the central city on Saturday night due to the rowdy nature of the crowds by the hotel owner. Nonetheless, great place to go if you ever have the opportunity to get over here.

[bahua]

I was very disappointed with the Guinness Brewery. I have been on several brewery tours, and that one was definitely the worst I have seen. We paid 14 euro to get in, we never saw any production equipment, or any actual beer being made.

The highlight was the Gravity Bar, a 7th floor lounge with the most spectacular view in Dublin. It was salt on the wound to learn that you don't have to pay the 14 euro to just go straight to the Gravity Bar.

I was there in March 2000, and in February 2003, and man, that is when to go. The prices are lower, the streets aren't nearly as clogged with tourists, and the weather is basically the same.

[KCK]

Wow, someone from the UK is a member of the KC site. I knew we were important, but I never imagined that hearing about development in a medium sized city in the middle of a country that someone doesn't live in would be interesting.

[bahua]

He's been around for a little while. Remember he posted a thread about visiting KC with his family, a couple months ago?

[Highlander]

Wow, someone from the UK is a member of the KC site. I knew we were important, but I never imagined that hearing about development in a medium sized city in the middle of a country that someone doesn't live in would be interesting.

I'm not English.....actually from KC but haven't lived there in 20 years. Still have a passion for KC though; the Chiefs, Royals (maybe not this year), BBQ, Plaza, MU-KU sports and all that. This forum is a great way to stay in touch with what is going on. Since all the cities in this forum were in the US, thought it would be fun to throw in one from Europe.

Actually, the part about the Guiness Brewery I liked best was the bar on the top. Great views of the city (the only place I could find to get a decent panorama) and the beer tasted considerably better fresh than out of the can. Even my wife who generally hates the stuff enjoyed it.

I am partial to Boulevard Pale Ale though.

[chrizow]

great report!

and i certainly welcome trip reports from other countries.

in fact, maybe you can give us the rundown on the UK too.

i've only been out of the Midwest 3 times in my life, so it's always awesome to hear views of distant lands.

[QueSi2Opie]

Oh how I'd love to go back to Ireland! Went there to see family when I was 17-years-old. I was only in Dublin for a day and a half (mostly sightseeing, shopping, airport) because a big chunk of my time was spent in Donegal County. We went to see the Glenveagh National Park, taunted some British troops near the border between Lifford and Strabane, took a ferry from Burtonport to Arranmore Island, watched a soccer match in Sligo and a rugby match in Donegal Town.

Hey Chrizow, wanna plan a vacation to Reykjavik, Iceland and Dublin, Ireland?

[ComandanteCero]

where are the pics highlander??

[bahua]

http://bahua.com/htpics/?set=ireland

^there are mine.

[Highlander]

where are the pics highlander??

I hate to admit it but I haven't figured out how to post pics yet. I have tons.

[Highlander]

http://bahua.com/htpics/ireland/

^there are mine.

Great Pics bahua. The southern coast and the Dingle Peninsula was our original goal but we just ran out of time and never made it there. The Irish road network is a wee bit slow. Ended up in Sligo, Galway and Dublin (as well as a fair amount of time between Derry and Belfast on the north coast). I was surprised by the palm trees too....not just in Dublin but all across the northern coast of Northern Ireland as well....never thought they could grow that far north.

[Tosspot]

How I could just kick myself in the ass for hardly taking any Dublin pictures when I was in Ireland!

I graduated from CMSU in December and went on a Study Abroad program to Spain through KU from January through May. While in Spain, I went on trips to Amsterdam (twice), Belgium, London/UK, Ireland, and Morocco.

About my Ireland trip...I landed in Dublin on some day in early April of this year and hung out there for a couple days, walking around the city. I then met up with some relatives of a former co-worker of my aunt and mom's, who both used to work at Sprint. This co-worker is an Irish immigrant now living in Overland Park.

I rekindled my old habit of smoking when I got to Spain in January, and they had just banned smoking in public places in Ireland, including pubs, right before I arrived. I met up with those people on Good Friday, one of only two days in Ireland when the pubs are closed. But since the husband of the lady whose sister knows my aunt happens to know everyone in this little town in Ireland they lived, we got to get into the pub up the road and drink and smoke anyway. We broke two Irish laws that night. What fun that was.

I'll post some pics from my four month trip abroad in the future.

[Highlander]

where are the pics highlander??  :D

Better late than never!!

Dublin Ireland

Along the Liffey River


Liffey River looking towards the Irish Sea...note the amount of construction


Grafton Street


Around the corner from Grafton Street


Shopping area North of the Liffey River


Streetscapes and buildings






View from bar at top of Guiness Brewery.....typical weather in Ireland



and the bottom

St. Patricks

Not urban but a nice spot along the Boyne River north of Dublin


Hope these turn out OK.  My first attempt at posting pictures....thanks Nota for the Photobucket suggestion. 

[Tosspot]

Dublin is a very underrated city, as far as European cities go-- visited in April of 04.

[nota]

Nice pix. Almost as nice as my cat pic

Actually I learned about photobucket here a while back. I googled it and sure enough, it worked for me.

I'm not real savvy on whether or not it saves this site any bandwidth, but that was my aim.