Dublin - art, culture and Guinness (Part 2)
Dublin, the capital city of Eire, is great place to visit, as much for its great artistic and cultural richness, as I described in Dublin – Part 1, but also for its shopping and interesting places to see.
From Temple Bar, that lively part of Dublin, you can cross the Liffey by walking over the famous Ha’penny Bridge - this is a pedestrian bridge which is so named because you used to have to pay a toll of one halfpenny in order to cross.
Dublin’s city center is good for shopping, particularly on Grafton Street, which runs between St Stephen’s Green and Trinity College, where you can find the very elegant department store Brown Thomas, its sister shop BT2, and many other stylish establishments. Popular items with shoppers looking for souvenirs of Ireland are Waterford Crystal and Aran sweaters.
Interesting places to see are the ancient university Trinity College, the Government Buildings, which were formerly the Royal College of Science, and the imposing-looking Dublin Castle. The National Museum of Ireland is good for getting a feel for the history of Ireland, and has some fine archaeological displays. Christ Church Cathedral dates back to the eleventh century, is the oldest building in Dublin, and has a fascinating crypt. A good way not to miss anything is to take a tour of the city by open top bus – this stops at all the major tourist spots, and you can hop on and off as you like.
With mild winters, cool summers, and plenty to see and do, Dublin is a good place to visit all year round.
Filed under: Art, Culture, Ireland - Eire, Nightlife, Religious Sights, Historic Sights
