Dublin, Ireland

We arrived in Dublin in the mid-afternoon after taking a pleasant two hour train ride from Belfast.  We took a taxi from the train station to the Westin Hotel, where we stayed the night.  After quickly checking in to the hotel, we decided to explore the city while we still had some light (early sunset due to the onset of winter).  The hotel we stayed at is situated south of the Liffey River, so we decided to see the sights in this area.  Fortunately everything was within walking distance, so easily accessible.  

Our first stop was a walk along the Liffey river and then some window shopping on Grafton Street.  Grafton Street is Dublin's most famous pedestrian shopping street and is a short walk from the hotel.  After a walk around Grafton Street, we made our way to some of Dublin's other sights.

City Hall

This Georgian building was built between 1769 and 1779,  and was originally built as the city's Royal Exchange.  Since then it has undergone extensive restoration and is now open to the general public.  

Occupy Wall Street

The "Occupy Wall Street" movement was alive and well in Dublin too.  In this case, protesters were camped outside the Irish Central Bank, and fortunately everything was peaceful.  

Christ Church Cathedral

In 1038, Dublin's first church made of wood was founded here.  In 1172 it was replaced by a stone version.  The cathedral that stands today, is largely as a result of a 19th century restoration project.  This is a Protestant church that remains dedicated to the Church of Ireland.  Again due to time constraints, we decided not to go in, but just admire it from the outside.  

Dublin Castle

This castle was commissioned in the 13th century by King John.  It evolved over the years from a medieval fortress into a vice-regal court and administrative centre.  The Record Tower, which has been modified over the years, is the only remains of the original structure.  We had a very pleasant time walking through the grounds and around the lush gardens.  

Trinity College

Trinity College was founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I and is Dublin's most famous educational institution.  Its alumni includes well-known names like Jonathan Swift, Bram Stoker, Oscar Wilde and Samuel Beckett.  We got to Trinity College just as the sun was setting, so David was able to take some beautiful photos, but unfortunately were not able to see too much of the actual campus as it got dark very quickly.  We did however get to see a few of the college's beautiful 18th and 19th century buildings and the Campanile - a 100 foot bell tower that is the centrepiece of the college's main quad.

Bank of Ireland

Built in 1739, this was Dublin's first Palladian-style building.  It was originally built for the Irish Parliament, but in 1803 it was bought by the Bank of Ireland.  

Temple Bar

In the evening we had dinner at a lovely restaurant called Cornucopia Wholefood and Vegetarian Restaurant, and I have to say it was right up our alley.  They had a wonderful selection of Vegetarian, Vegan and some Macrobiotic dishes, so not only did we enjoy our meal, but we also felt good afterwards.  

To end our evening and short stay in Dublin, we walked around Temple Bar.  The Temple Bar area is home to cafes, bars, pubs and theatres, and it is a very lively area both during the day and at night.  Needless to say, this area is very popular with tourists and locals alike.
We didn't stay too long, because we wanted to have a relatively early night as our flight to Copenhagen was at 10:30am the next day.  Although we had a very short stay, we had an enjoyable time in Dublin.