travel tips part 2

Disclaimer: After only one trip to the United Kingdom and Ireland, I certainly do not consider myself an expert. But we did figure out a few things along the way, that maybe you’ll find helpful. And things might change between when we wrote this and when you read it. And, we might just be flat out wrong about some of it. But at a minimum, I hope you find this entertaining…For Dublin specifically:

  1. Dublin is gloriously laid back and fun loving. Things will rarely be "on time." Enjoy it!
  2. Northern Ireland is not the northern part of Ireland although it is in the north part of the island. They are two different countries. Dublin is in Ireland. Belfast is in Northern Ireland, which is a part of the United Kingdom. We only got to go to Ireland, but would love to go to Northern Ireland as well someday!
  3. Ireland uses Euros, which have a higher value currently than the dollar. It can be relatively cheap to be in Dublin on a visit even though it’s quite expensive to live there. As our taxi driver said, “Have a cheap and cheerful visit!”
  4. Walk. Everywhere in the city, just walk. Dublin is a city for sure, but it’s only three miles long. So enjoy walking! You’ll do it a lot.
  5. The Luas. For an occasional ride late at night after a long day of walking, you may want to ride the Luas (their light tram, like a street car). The cars run back and forth on the one two track that go the length of the city area. Only one switch possible. And just back and forth. The ticket stations by stops only take Euro coins so they’re a great way to get rid of heavy change.
  6. The DART. For a gorgeous ride along the coast, take the Dart train south. It’s like California or Mediterranean coast (not that I’ve seen the later). I’m also told, that’s where Bono’s house is.
  7. We really enjoyed our stay at Jacob’s Inn, the sister hostel of Isaac’s. And if you’re musicians, you can play an hour set one evening and get a free night’s stay! Jacob’s is quieter than Isaac’s. Both are on the edge of city center. We enjoyed free breakfast, free wifi, free cold filtered or hot water, a large community kitchen, and access to laundry facilities that weren’t too expensive (an essential if you’re packing light).20140929-DSC_0159
  8. The Liffey River divides the city lengthwise and is lovely. The river is relatively narrow so bridges are easily built every couple of blocks. (In fact, of the three bridges in Europe that are wider than they are long, the widest is in Dublin.)Processed with VSCOcam with m5 preset
  9. Busking (playing music on the street for money) is a great tradition on Grafton Street and the musicians are often quite talented.
  10. Mysterious strings hang from the ceiling in Dublin as well as in the UK. See Tips for Travel Tips Part 1 for cautions.
  11. Light switches are often on the outside of rooms. Processed with VSCOcam with f2 preset
  12. A traditional Irish breakfast is apparently not the same thing as a traditional English breakfast which is apparently not the same thing as a traditional Welsh breakfast. (Don’t tell anyone, but we really could not tell much of a difference...but you are obligated to try them all.)
  13. You should continue your streak of Flat Whites in Dublin. 20140925-DSC_0104
  14. Take a day trip to Glendalough. It’s a peaceful retreat at a monastery of antiquity that will leave you refreshed. A Glendalough bus leaves at 11am and returns by 6pm and costs 20 euros. There are options for lunch once you get there. The hour or so drive is part of the experience and is lovely! Glendalough is the Shire, Narnia and the Shining Isle all in one. Literally.20140928-DSC_0156
  15. Walk through Trinity. And go in the library, even though it costs about 10 euro. It is a dream come true. The library along with Glendalough were the only things we paid to get into, but we do not regret it at all. They were brilliant!IMG_5330
  16. Third Space Cafe is a wonderful place to eat, grab coffee (and they have almond milk!) or meet a friend. Everything they do, they do well.IMG_5385
  17. The Gaelic Culture Preservation Society has an open session where musicians play traditional Irish tunes starting at 9pm in Dalkey. This was the evening when I felt I had truly experienced Ireland. I personally had no desire to experience blaring pub music, but this was true culture. Complete with a break for tea time at 11pm served to everyone on a tea cart with fine china. Seriously. This really happened and it was magical.
  18. If you’ve always wanted to go to Ireland, do it! And if you’re willing to go in January when it’s cold and rainy, you can go extremely inexpensively.
  19. Travel to be with, see and know people better. Not just take pictures at places. You will be richer for it!

Happy travels...

the roadmeleahvallie