Feel bored visiting museums and shopping in Dublin City centre? Hate waking up at 5 a.m. or 6 a.m. for a long bus ride to distanced destinations? Here are some of the recommendations during your stay in Dublin Ireland from natural landscape, historical building from the old times to the most scariest and mysterious places at your highest flexibility of trip planning.
Phoenix Park
It is the largest enclosed public park among all capital cities in Europe. There is a large herd of deer where you can feed and get a close look with them. It is also a home to the Zoological Gardens, Áras an Uachtaráin, and Victorian flower gardens. There are some walking and running trails for people to run, walk or cycle. It’s a great place to chill out with friends or families without getting too far from the city centre.
Hell Fire Club
If you are into scary stories, it is the place for you! There are various myths, legends and stories about this place. One of them was about a stranger got invited for a card game by the hell fire club members on a stormy night. When he tried to pick up the card dropped on the ground, he saw the cloven hooves of the members. Aside from the scary legends, the view of the Montpelier Hill from outside the Hell Fire Club is fantastic.
The Howth
Located on the peninsula of the Howth Head and was used to be a fishing village and small trading port in the 14th century, the Howth now turned to a busy and affluent residential suburb, with a mix of golf courses, fishing port and residential area.
The cliff walk is a must-go and was recommended by my local host. You can enjoy the panoramic view of the harbour and the sea rim. Besides, as it is near to the shore where locals can catch cod and ray easily, their fish and chips is also a must-try.
Butler’s Chocolate Factory
When I was young, I had watched the movie, ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ and had the fantasy of visiting one someday. I could not believe my childhood dream would have come true when I had learnt that the Butler’s Chocolate Factory is opened to visitors. Although there’s no Willy Wonka leading our way through the tour, you can get lots of chances (chocolates) to fulfil your desires for sweet tooth and to learn about their production process.
Kilmainham Goal
A former prison keeping many revolution leaders back in the old days under the UK government. Male, female and children prisoners were kept in the same cell without segregation and many were crowded in the same cell so the hygiene of the living environment was problematic. According to the guide, children were sometimes arrested for petty theft, the youngest was 7 years old. I did not know why but I had some creepy feelings when I was walking along the cells and walls filled with their written scratches.
14 Henrietta Street
The best way to learn about the history and humanities of a place is looking at their living in the past. 14 Henrietta Street was used to build for the wealthy families but turned to home of over 850 people by 1911. When the tour started, it was like travelling back to their old city life by listening to the stories of this house, songs sang by the children and watching video projected on walls and bed and walking through different rooms.
Trinity College
Book of Kells
There are some recognisable landmark in every place. If it was for Dublin, the Book of Kells is definitely one of them. Nearly every visitor will get themselves to this library located in Trinity College. It is common to see a lone queue lining up for a glance of this book. Book of Kells is said to be one of the oldest known surviving book in the world so there is a significant historical values and meaning to the city. Apart from the Book of Kells, there are some museums and exhibitions in the college for people to visit like the zoological museum or science exhibition.
Guinness Storehouse
No trip to Ireland would be complete without a boozy night at one of their bars. It is known that Irish people love drinking and there are lots of famous bars in town. Guinness Beer is literally one of the most iconic beer in Ireland. The 7-storey of the storehouse allows visitors to learn from the history of production, stout ingredients to brewery techniques, advertising and storage. Remember to get a free drink at their famous gravity bar where you can enjoy the panoramic view of the city while getting a drink.
Malahide Castle and Gardens
Ireland is always about legends and myths. I always found it interesting to learn about the places through the myths and stories from the past and Malahide Castle was one of them. The one I heard from the tour guide was that about the fourth ghost, Puck. He was a jester who used to entertain the family lived in the castle, fell in love with a kinswoman. One night, his body was found, close to the wall and was stabbed through his heart, wearing his jester costumes. Before he died, he swore an oath to haunt the house.
コメント