Dublin Part 1

There’s something to be said for spontaneity.  And sometimes being spontaneous just bites you in the ass.

On to Dublin, Ireland, a city and country I’ve wanted to visit for years.  Like with Greece, I’d bought the calendars featuring the rolling green countryside and dreamed of roaming the land myself.  I’d tried to plan trips in the past, but something would always happen to ruin things.  The first trip I planned got derailed because of a car issue.  The second time, my HVAC system blew up right in front of my eyes (that was a pricey one).  Well, now I got no car and no house.  Time to do this thing.

It’s a 4 ½ hour trip from Athens to Dublin, yet somehow it was still too long.  I think I was just ready to be done with Greece and move on.  The beauty part is that the plane ride only cost 140 euros and I got to listen to the pretty (if sometimes incomprehensible) Irish accents of Aer Lingus.

Beckett Locke, my home for the week, is a strange hotel/dorm hybrid located near the river Laffey.  It’s seven floors of rooms, each equipped with a nice sized bathroom and a small, kitchen stocked with utensils, a washer/dryer combo and dishwasher.  I chose this place 1) because as outrageously expensive as it was, it was still less expensive than some of the other places I’d seen and 2) because Expedia had it located close to 3Arena, a concert venue.  And they weren’t kidding.  The hotel is right next door.  I was shocked.  More on that later.

What I didn’t realize until I arrived is that it’s also a co-working center with lots of amenities.  There’s a full gym, a coffee bar and restaurant in the building (closed during my stay).  My room had a yoga mat in it and the giant swiveling TV touted all the activities the hotel offered.  It would make for a kickass dorm room or a way too small apartment, but for me, it was a pretty sweet hotel room. The only thing I found out-of-place were the grubby looking ceilings.  They were covered with exposed pipes and lighting that made me think the building had been an industrial space that was converted into apartments.

There is a tram just to the right of the building.  I only noticed the tracks on my first day as I searched for a 3-prong adapter for my computer.  The one I’d been using was only for the EU and the UK just has to be special.  There were no trams in sight as I crossed over them to get to the little convenience store.  The desk clerk told me they’d have the adapter but, alas, they didn’t.  The only other places in immediate walking distance were a few restaurants and a hotel.  So, my mission for my first full day was clear.

I looked up the closest electronics store that carried the adapter (Currys in the Jervis Shopping Centre) and promptly got on the good foot as soon as I woke up. Dublin is full of gorgeous architecture and lots of construction.   It feels clean, progressive, and full of life.  I don’t know if it’s because I was located near a college campus or what, but there are a lot of young people here.   They’re zipping around on scooters or the electric bikes that are available all over town to rent.   

It was only later did I realize that the tram that terminates right outside my hotel could have dropped me off at the Jervis Shopping Centre in less than ten minutes, saving me twenty minutes and some wear and tear on my feet.  At least I got my bearings on where everything was located.

Like coffee shops in Portugal, you can’t throw a stick without hitting a pub in Dublin.  There are hawkers out front giving out menus, musicians everywhere, both in the streets and in the pubs, and plenty of choices for real Irish fare.  So, of course, my first meal in the historic pub district was at the Hard Rock Café.  What can I say?  I’m obsessed with proving where I’ve been with my t-shirt choices.  The waiter gave me suggestions on where to visit, such as this little museum or a trip to the shore as it was a lovely day.  I stuck to wandering around aimlessly.  Still really good at that.

I hit the Dublinia museum which houses very immersive history of the Vikings settling Ireland.  There was so much to see in there that I’m sure I missed at least half of it.  The museum is surrounded by historical buildings, churches, and a really nice park. 

I finally figured out the tram system after a day or so.  At least, I thought I had.  I'd bought a ticket and was standing by the scanner next to the tram trying to figure out how it worked.  Sensing my clueless tourist vibe, a lovely Irish man got off the tram to help me.  He explained that having the ticket on me was enough and there was no need to scan it (that was only necessary for the hard tram cards, not my 7-day paper ticket).  There would occasionally be someone on the tram to check the tickets, but otherwise I was good to go.  Thank you, kind sir.

I was surprised by how much Gaelic is spoken in the city.  I don't know why, but I thought the language was more traditional than a living language.  Even the signage is in both English and Gaelic.  Everyone speaks English, but it was interesting to hear them speaking Gaelic to each other.

Guinness rules everything here.  Not only can you go to the bottling facility to take a tour, but the marketing is everywhere.  So is the beer as it is not just a draw for tourists but a big favorite of the locals.  I stopped by a tiny café run by Asians that advertised a full Irish breakfast.  The place was insanely popular – the staff didn’t even have time to clear a table before someone else was sitting down.  They served good food for a decent price and yes, you could get your breakfast with an Irish coffee or a half-pint of Guinness.

Just a note about my breakfast at that café.  As I was eating, a group of six guys, probably in their twenties, all came in together.  The place was small, as I mentioned, so they couldn’t sit together, but it didn’t matter.  They were a bunch of mates meeting for a meal.  Then two more of their friends came in to join them.  I didn’t know how they knew each other or if this was a regular thing for them.  What struck me was their ability to gather so many people in one place.  I had a friend who lived in another state and I could never get her to come to Atlanta for a weekend (I had a friend).  How do you get eight guys to drag themselves out of bed, remember the café and the time, and stumble in for some bacon and fellowship?  Who has seven friends in this day and age?  The whole thing was fascinating to me.