Touring around Dublin/Weather

Dublin is a beautiful city and I really like the old-feel architecture of the city. Thus far, I have been able to take a free walking tour that I described in an earlier post and I also took a free bus tour as well. I looked up the prices for those combined and it would have costed around 30 euros, or about $40.

In my brief time here, I can honestly say that Dublin is not the place to come to in order to see countless attractions such as a city such as Orlando, New York, Chicago, etc. The main attractions that I have identified so far are: the ancient look of the pubs, Trinity College’s ‘Book of Kells’, Natural History Museum, Archaeology Museum, History Museum, Dublin Castle, Guiness Factory, St. Stephen’s Green, The Spire, Temple Bar area, and maybe the tours around the city.

Realistically, I think, in a weekend, you could soak in most of the attractions of the city and feel that you have seen all that you needed to see in Dublin.

However, the biggest reason why I think it would take much longer than a weekend is due to the weather. One  stereotypical view of Ireland is that it is similar to Seattle where it rains A LOT. Well.. it is  very true. If you are not a fan of many cloudy days filled with rain and wind, you will be annoyed of Dublin very quickly. I personally have grown to enjoy the pleasant feeling of walking in the rain. Most of the time, it is more similar to the rain in Indiana where the rain is a gentle mist. In contrast, rain in Florida is not generally viewed the same because the typical rain is an extreme downpour that leaves you drenched from head to toe.

I do miss the sun sometimes and wish for it to come out because there is something enriching about just laying out in the sun and feeling the warmth trickle through the skin. I have to say though that I really appreciate the days when it is sunny because, thus far, they are few and far in between haha.

As for the people here, I realized quickly to just not make eye contact nor talk to people on the streets unless it is absolutely necessary. The mentality is very similar to other cities such as New York and Chicago where people are in a hurry to get somewhere and hate to be bothered along the way.

I learned how to keep a straight, neutral face while roaming the streets in the city before and it hasn’t bugged me that much. Just like with different cultures, different environments yield different approaches and responses and, after adjusting, I too find myself just wanting to get where I need to go and not wanting to be bothered along the way. Also, with the number of beggars and soliciting people in the city, there are ample reasons to keep yourself moving but also be aware of traffic and everything around you to avoid being pickpocketed or hit by a car.

Also, Dublin is a safe city in my opinion but has its rough patches that need to be avoided at all costs at night. The typical notion is that the north part of the city is more rough the further north that you go and should be avoided, especially at night.

However, I find this misleading because this appears true in all directions from the city centre. For example, a couple of Spaniards were robbed a couple of times in a housing dwelling in Rialto, which is a bit southwest of the city centre and I know there are some areas east such as Irish town that should be avoided, too.

For the most part, I have heard of ladies walking alone at night and not having a bother around the city centre so it’s a matter of knowing where to go and how to get there.

For example, do not try to invent shortcuts without having time to spare… it does not work out too well haha. I have gotten lost a few times by trying to take a different street and not realizing that it leads in a completely different direction than I intended. Therefore, a 15-20 minute walk turns into 30,40, and, at its worst, 70 minutes. The streets are not organized by a grid but rather the main roads. Therefore, if you try to abide by navigating based on smaller streets, you will find that they tend not to be located as you imagined.

Also, I have used Google Maps a few times and had a couple of times where the GPS had me going far away from a place. Therefore, I had to turn it off, walk, and hope for the best. It sounds troubling but the adrenaline rush of trying to find a place you have never been to is incredible.

Furthermore, I think it is much easier to remember a place that you stumbled and struggled to get to rather than a place found for you by Google Maps. (Note: I am not disregarding the use of Google Maps but beware that, sometimes, it may lead you to the wrong place like other GPS programs and be prepared to enjoy the experience.)

If there is one place in the city, besides the pubs, that I can recommend to anyone, it will be St. Stephen’s Green. This park is absolutely gorgeous and is right in the middle of the city similar to Central Park in New York. The set-up is a comforting sight and has animals such as pidgeons (typical city bird), ducks, and swans. As long as it is not downpouring, I want to try to go to that park as much as I can because it is, in my opinion, the eye(park) of the storm (city).

Also, for those that feel they can’t live without American establishments, there are clothing stores such as American Apparel and Timberland as well as food stores such as McDonald’s, Burger King, Chipotle (good luck trying to figure out the name over here), and Starbucks.

The music in some of the pubs are remarkably refreshing. I heard from a couple of people here that is great talent in Dublin to be shown on the international stage and.. some of these musicians are tremendous. If you are looking for street show performances, I recommend going to Grafton Street to listen to some of them. 

Also, I heard that Galway is a great place to go to for its street performances and breath-taking scenic 
views. All I know is that the pubs with musical performances were insanely packed from 7pm – 2 am on the weekend. If you are very interested in going out in this place, DO NOT GO OUT ON SATURDAYS!! If you do not want to listen to me, then at least try to aim for a lesser-known place because the people are really obnoxious and different than any other time of the week.

As for drinking here, the stereotype about Irish drinking A LOT is very true but I feel from, an outsider’s perspective, it is drinking than in America.

Mixed drinks are OUTRAGEOUSLY expensive ($10 and higher) for small amounts in comparison to the States where a large one could be about $5 or less on special nights. In contrast, a pint of Guinness is about 5 euros and Irish cider is about 4 euros (it’s getting hard going back and forth between currency).

So, typically, you will rarely see American beer drank here and for good reason. I have tried Guinness a few times and… I honestly do not know why I ever tried American beer. On top of that, Bailey’s and Irish cider such as Bulmer’s are really good too.

The world talks so much about how much the Irish drink beer here but the quality of taste here is absolutely amazing and makes me wonder about how they do it.

In my opinion, American beer is very carbonated similar to sodas and is drank with the intention to get rid of it as soon as you can. Meanwhile, I find myself sipping on a Guinness for about an hour or so without being in too much of a hurry to get another drink. In fact, it’s really smooth and nice to drink with in a meal.

Also, it is not surprisingly to see Irish head to the pubs around 7-8 pm and not get home until about 1 am or earlier.

Ohh.. and about the food, there are some really nice Irish foods such as Irish Stew and Shepherd’s Pie but I really like just the wonderful taste of foods in general here. I do not know how to really describe it but the food just tastes less processed and more fresh.

Finally, anyone that desires to come to Dublin to see how Irish people live will be dissapointed for the most part except in the nightlife because Dublin is an international city. Therefore, you will find people from all over the world working in the city centre for various reasons and this leads into my next blog post.