We’re in Dublin! We’re excited. One of our favorite getaways ever was a trip to Ireland many years ago. We fell in love with Ireland. There’s something special about it. The Irish people themselves turned out to be the main attraction, but everything about this emerald-green island just grabbed us. Quite a few years have passed by since then, but we finally made it back.
On our first trip to Ireland, we flew into Dublin airport, rented a car, and immediately hit the road, heading southwest to Kilkenny. We drove on the wrong side of the road the whole way! We had to – EVERYONE drives on the wrong side of the road over here. We lived to tell about it, (barely), but we missed Dublin altogether. This time, we’re going to stay in Dublin and get to know the place.
The Ride Into Town
The ride into town from the airport was enjoyable, (because I wasn’t driving), and informative. Our taxi driver brought us up to speed about what was going on in Dublin. You can only get so much from a travel book or the internet. I’ll take twenty minutes with a taxi driver any time. And as an added bonus, in Ireland, they speak with that great Irish accent.
He told us Dublin was in the middle of a building boom. I thought I’d read that economic times in Ireland were dismal, but apparently that was old news. The number of huge cranes visible as we approached downtown bore out the driver’s report. It looked like the whole city was one big construction project.
Our hotel was on a tree-lined street called Northumberland Road. It sounds like something out of a historical novel, eh? I wouldn’t call the neighborhood hotsy-totsy, but it was nice. Classic-looking red brick buildings lined the street on either side. Each had a brightly-painted door in a different color. What was that about? Our taxi driver would have known.
We started this morning on a boat docked on the Seine river in Paris. We disembarked, took a taxi to Charles de Gaulle airport, hung around for our flight, then made the two-hour hop to Dublin. It was 3:00 PM when we checked in to our hotel. For a travel day, it was pretty easy, so after checking in we were ready to go out and explore our new surroundings.
Let’s Go to Temple Bar
According to all the guide books, an area called “Temple Bar” is the happening part of town. So with help from the lovely lass at the hotel desk, we ordered a taxi and took it to Temple Bar.
The guidebooks were right. Temple Bar was a happening place! It’s an area a few blocks wide and a few blocks long. Its cobblestone streets are pedestrian-only, and there were a lot of ’em – pedestrians, that is. It was early, and it wasn’t even the week-end yet, but it looked like the party had already started.
We paid the driver and joined the crowd. It seemed to be a mix of locals and tourists like us. We found out later that it was an Irish holiday, so people from all over Ireland were already coming into Dublin to start their extra-long week-end.
We walked down a cobblestone street lined with great-looking vintage buildings. Planter boxes overflowing with flowers adorned second-floor windows. If a place along this street wasn’t a restaurant, then it was a pub. Even though it was only 4:00 PM on a Thursday, most of the pubs already had live entertainment. We could hear the music in the street, drawing us in.
Come on in, Lad!
Since we’d just arrived, we wanted to do some recon and check out the area, but we were thirsty, too, and the pubs were calling out to us. “Come on in, lad! There’s a cold one with yur name on it waitin’ fur ya inside!” OK, then! We could look around later!
The area is called “Temple Bar,” but there’s also a pub there called “The Temple Bar.” We went in to have a look. The place was packed. We found a spot to stand next to a ledge for setting a drink on, so we decided to hang in there for a while. The music sounded great and the drinks were good, so we could deal with standing for a while.
Pretty soon a couple sitting at the bar near us got up and left, leaving us their seats. A friendly bartender with a great Irish accent got us fresh drinks and gave us a menu. We ordered a dozen oysters. We were set!
It’s hard to adequately describe the atmosphere in that place. The music was fantastic. The bartenders were friendly and fun. Even though it was early, everyone inside was VERY happy. Is it Disneyland that calls itself “the happiest place on earth?” I’d have to disagree. I’d say people in there were way happier than anyone I’ve ever seen in Disneyland.
There were three guys in the band – a singer who played guitar, a guy who played any kind of wind instrument, and a violin player. Each of them played multiple instruments – whatever the song called for. They played traditional Irish music. Traditional Irish music might not be known for it, but it’s got soul. The crowd was loving it.
Fading Fast!
By the time the oysters showed up, we were hungry. We both thought they were the best we’d ever had. The Guinness was the best I ever had. The music was the best I’d ever heard. You get the idea. It was all good.
We had to get some real food, so we stopped at a restaurant we’d passed earlier. We ordered traditional Irish dishes. They were great. So with full stomachs, we took a taxi back to our hotel and conked out. It had been an exceptionally good first half-day in Dublin, which, under certain conditions, might possibly be the REAL happiest place on earth.
To be continued…
