A Review of Dublin (Spoiler Alert: It's a Rave)

The thing about travel is that there are some places you’ve always wanted to go, and some places you never want to go, and some places that you wouldn’t pass on going to. For me, Ireland was in the latter category. I assumed it would be very much like England, which I had been to previously and hadn’t found particularly enthralling.

I was dead wrong.

Dublin is a fantastic combination of European charm (i.e. you know the buildings and streets have been around for generations longer than you have) and modern architecture. It is large, but not too large; clean, but not too clean; loud, but not too loud. (I deliberated saying “quiet, but not too quiet,” that’s how perfect it was.) The people will generally keep to themselves, but are incredibly helpful when it is asked of them. The river is both grand and muted in its there-ness. The street signs are written in both English and Gaelic, an occasionally confusing feature but ultimately one that reminds you that you are somewhere else and how proud the people there are of their heritage. Irish people don’t call their language Gaelic, they call it Irish. The pedestrians have stoplights. The cars drive on the left. The impossibly green park is full of ducks, seagulls, little dogs, and calm people. Almost none of the clocks in public places are correct. The coffee is good, the beer is probably better. (I didn’t have much, I’m more of a coffee person, but I did learn that almost anything can be infused with Guinness).

In short, I love Dublin. I want to go back. I could totally see myself living there.

The flight over was on Ireland’s airline, Aer Lingus. The pilot was female. The flight attendants wore a bluey-green which matched the seats and the plane. The food was okay. There was an extensive coffee and tea service. The people clapped after we landed (at the time, I thought this was weird. In hindsight, I like the sentiment.)

The entire trip we lucked out with respect to the weather. We got rained on while outside for like ten minutes the whole trip and it was barely a drizzle. For Ireland in January, I think that is a fantastic success.

As far as tourist attractions go, I saw the Book of Kells, the Chester Beatty Library, Kilkenny Castle, Ailwee Cave, the Cliffs of Moher, and Bunratty Castle (in addition to lots of wandering around the city.) The Book of Kells is a Latin translation of the Bible, and while I am not religious or particularly interested in Latin, the exhibit discussed a lot of the symbolism in the artwork and whatnot. It was interesting, and followed by a room called the Long Room, housing something like 200,000 of Trinity College library’s oldest books in one of the most gorgeous and awe-inspiring rooms I’ve ever been in. The Chester Beatty Library is full of artifacts and photos of Asia, and had a particularly interesting and informative comparative religion exhibit. The castles of Kilkenny and Bunratty were basically nothing alike. Kilkenny Castle was used for greeting kings and entertaining people and the like, so it is grand and has things like Italian marble wake tables and silk wallpaper. Bunratty Castle, on the other hand, is medieval in design and has a much greater focus on defense. In the main room, the Great Hall, there are holes in the walls where men could shoot arrows at visitors who looked like they may attack the Earl. Ailwee Cave is the oldest known cave in Ireland, and in it they found remnants of black bears, which haven’t lived in Ireland for a long long time. Also, there was a stalagmite believed to be about a third of its current size when the pyramids were finished, which was between one and two feet high. My favorite attraction by far, though, was the Cliffs of Moher. The highest cliffs in Europe, they are one of the most breathtaking sights I have ever seen. While an acrophobic’s nightmare, a photographer’s paradise.

Ever have one of those moments where there is so much to say that there is nothing to say? That’s kind of how I feel about this trip. I’m sure I’ll think of more, though, and write again soon. I hope the snow week finds you well and warm.

Cheers!
Lola

PS: Irish people say “cheers” a lot, and I totally love it and might start doing it too.

PPS: Do you know how to add photos on here?