My Western Eurotrip Galore: Ireland - Dublin

Sixth Stop: Ireland


Grafton Street

Like all things in life, the eurotrip had to end. After Sweden, my friend and I flew our separate ways to return home. She went to London to visit some friends and I stayed at Dublin, Ireland for a day on my own before heading back to NYC. It was my second time in Dublin.



Glendalough

The first time I visited Dublin, I went with a few colleagues of mine. One of the guys that I worked with at the time was from Ireland and a few of us decided to join him for a trip back to his hometown for a couple of days. We received the best hospitality - he welcomed us to stay at his charming abode and his family fed us generously. We had a wonderful time so I had only fond memories of this verdurous island.

One thing I do have to agree is that Ireland is truly green! In the city, you will see gift shops adorned with everything green: Irish shamrock key chains, chocolate leprechaun cans, Celtic T-shirts, and St. Patrick jigsaw puzzles to name a few. Even Aer Lingus, its airline is green. The outskirt of Dublin is even more prevalent. My friend drove us to Glendalough in the Wicklow county. Along the way, we passed by vast sprouting lush fields of organic green adorned with charming cottages and black spotted cows! The vegetation exude raw, so fresh that I felt I landed on a healthy planet of salads. And the cows were not the brown or black ones you see in the US, but white cows with black spots! The landscape reminded me of sketches in the pages of my favorite Strawberry Shortcake coloring book when I was a kid. In that coloring book, I had to color in those fabricated cows with spots, which I somehow knew should be in the colors of white and black. But I finally saw the real deal in Ireland! If Strawberry Shortcake exists, she would probably be a local from Ireland.

Enya's Castle on the right

On that first trip, I also saw breath-taking coastal views of Ireland. And from the spot we were at, we were able to see celebrity mansions such as those of Bono and Enya. And of course, no trip to Dublin would be complete without a visit to its city center. We visited the vicinity of Grafton Street to shop for souvenirs and took a tour inside Trinity College. The beautiful library inside houses over 4.5 million printed books and manuscripts. Stunningly archaic and whiff of aged barks, the library reminded me of those from Harry Potter's. After great sightseeing, we joined what the locals do - spend time at pubs drinking the acclaimed Guinness, which we assuredly tried, but I unfortunately didn't like. The mugs are monstrous and locals can drink more than one glass! Ok, maybe I'm just a wuss. But, Irish people can really drink! We also visited local bars and had the tastiest jager-bomb shots ever! Now those shots were delicious that I engulfed more than eight!

My second trip to Dublin on my own wasn't as eventful as the first time. I wish I could tell you more but I only visited Dublin's city center and went shopping along Grafton's. Nevertheless, I had a great solo time miles away from home. I really like Dublin and Ireland in general. I love the Irish accent and people there are so kind. I can't say that I will visit some parts of Europe again, but I can definitely say I will visit Ireland again. I like it that much. And with that, I wrap up my eurotrip galore! Back to NYC I go. Boo!

TRAVEL EXPENSE: (excluding attraction fees and food):

Hotel: $69usd for 1 night at Hilton Dublin Airport

Bus: from hotel to airport: free