Dublin, Ireland

I have mixed feelings about Dublin. Well, it's more than that. I really wish we hadn't gone into Dublin. I wish we had explored other parts of Ireland instead.

That said, Dublin is a great city. It's vibrant, has great public transport and amazing history. It's just not a great city to explore with a one-year-old. Had it just been my husband and I, I am sure we would love it the way we love London. We had two days in Dublin.

Our final B&B was located outside Dublin in Dun loaghaire (pronounced leery). Lissadell Guest House was very nice. The room was spacious, with an ensuite bath and wonderful breakfasts. The owners are not on site but are only a phone call away. We spoke with John Goldrick at length one morning as we enjoyed our breakfast; he is a warm gentleman and exudes Irish Charm.

We were close enough to a DART station to leave the car at the B&B. Public transportation in Dublin is exceptional. We had no problem hopping on and off the trains or catching a bus or cab if we needed one. Dublin is a terrific city for walking; everything was closer than we thought it would be.

Because of Brenna's age she didn't really appreciate our attempts to view the Tara Brooch; we didn't even attempt Trinity College to see the Book of Kells. And DIT (Dublin Institute of Technology) was holding their graduation at St. Patrick's Cathedral the day we planned to visit.

So we spent our time trying to find things that would keep her amused.

We visited the Dublin Zoo. Dublin has a wonderful zoo. And because we were there in November it wasn't at all busy. We were able to get up close to everything. And we timed our visit just right- the monkeys were being fed. It's great fun to see monkeys eat.

Dublin is full of parks, the most well known being St. Stephen's Green. If you're a shopper there is a mall right next to it. But we were there for the park. We wandered around for quite a long time. Brenna had great fun picking up leaves and watching the ducks in the lake.

But mostly our time was spent just wandering around the city, taking it in. And shopping on Grafton Street. Tip: go early.



Dublin is beautiful:
Ha'Penny Bridge: in the 18th century it cost half a penny to cross- now it's free. Which means that this is possibly the only thing in Dublin that has gone down in price.
Dublin's icon (whether they like it or not): Molly Malone
Old Dublin: It's a museum called Dublinia and has much about the Vikings and Normans.
The original wall of Dublin.
A bridge across the lake in St. Stephen's Green.

And I really look forward to visiting again... When the girls are much older.