The Metropolis of Dublin

 (Day seven part 2 recap of my late April Ireland trip.)

After visiting the fantastic monastery of Glendalough and the pretty gardens at Powerscourt, (if you missed that post you can read all about it here) it was back on the bus for an hour's drive to our final stop in the Rick Steves tour, Ireland's capital city of Dublin.

My tour group gathering outside our Dublin hotel

As our bus drew nearer to Dublin, the buildings got denser and traffic thicker.  Exiting the main freeway onto more local streets our bus slowed to a crawl in the city's gridlock.  But we eventually arrived at our lodging for the final two days of the tour, a place located in the heart of downtown.

 

Grand entrance to St. Stephen's Green

Suitcases unloaded from the bus one final time, we bid a fond farewell to our fabulous driver George before dashing across a multi-laned road (including light rail tracks!) to our hotel's front door.  After checking into our rooms, Kim and I had a lovely hour to unpack and chill before reporting for the next item on our tour's agenda.

Pascal giving us an introductory tour of Dublin

It's amazing how fast time flies by, even when you're doing nothing.  In no time Kim and I were grabbing our coats and bags and hustling downstairs to the hotel lobby to meet up with our guide, Pascal.  Pascal gathered us together and led the group onto the sidewalk.  We ambled past a huge park called St. Stephen's Green, a mere four blocks down the street from our hotel.

The streets were full of pedestrians

After strolling the length of St. Stephen's Green, Pascal had us hustle through a very large intersection.  Once across we began walking down a extremely busy pedestrian street called Grafton.  It looked to be the main shopping area of downtown Dublin.  Every retail brand you could ever imagine was here - even Starbucks, McDonald's, and the Disney Store!

Starbucks man

Grafton Street was absolutely packed with people.  After spending the better part of a week in small Irish villages, walking the crowded sidewalks of Dublin was quite the culture shock.  Kim said it felt like she was in New York City or San Francisco.

One of many flower vendors

The amount of people on the streets of Dublin surprised me, because by population, Dublin's metropolitan area is smaller than the Portland metro area, where I live, by about one million.  However, when I compared the relative sizes of the cities, Portland is much more spread out than Dublin (145 square miles as opposed to 45.5 square miles.)  So I guess Dublin is just much more denser than Portland.

There were people everywhere!

Despite dodging people (and later buses, autos, and bikes when we left Grafton Street) it was fun to see the many sights and take in the vibe of this cosmopolitan city.

Molly Malone statue

Giving us a quick tour of some of the major Dublin sights, Pascal took us by the famous Molly Malone statue.  Commemorated in a famous song set in Dublin, legend has it that Molly Malone was an attractive fishmonger.  The song Molly Malone is said to be the unofficial anthem of Dublin.  Pascal said that if one touches a certain part of the Molly Malone statue it's supposed to bring good luck.  He didn't divulge exactly where you were supposed to make contact, stating we could probably figure that out for ourselves.  (I'm sure you all can too!)

Along O'Connell Street

Grafton merged into Westmoreland Street, and we continued through the busy avenues of Dublin.  Numerous buses, cabs, autos, bicycles, even scooters, all shared the roadway, with us pedestrians dodging all these modes.  I witnessed a near collision between a pedestrian crossing against the light and a scooter going full speed.  Luckily, no one got hurt but it was close!

Lots of transportation modes

The roadway we were following passed over a bridge spanning the River Liffey, the main waterway through Dublin.  This bridge was called the O'Connell Bridge, after Daniel O'Connell, one of Ireland's heroes (more on him in a later post).  As our group stopped to gaze downriver, a bunch of kayakers paddled by.

Kayakers in the River Liffey

On the opposite side of the river our street transitioned into O'Connell Avenue.  This huge boulevard featured two lanes in each direction of travel and a wide median in the middle.  The median was home to several sculptures commemorating famous people in Irish history.  We'd get a much more in-depth tour of this street on another day, but for now Pascal merely pointed out a few significant points of interest.

Dublin's light rail

One such item was a tall, needle-like tower called simply "The Spire."  Completed in 2003 it was built to celebrate Ireland's bright future in the third millennium.  This stainless steel spire was the winning entrant in an architectural competition to replace Nelson's Pillar, which was blown up in 1966.  The tower stood a lofty 393.7 feet tall (or 120 meters.)  Pascal commented that not everyone loves the spire and it's garnered many not-so-flattering nicknames, such as "the nail in the pale," "the stiletto in the ghetto," or "the pin in the bin."  (And a couple other funny off-color monikers that I can't include in this family-friendly blog.)

Base of the Spire

Here at the Spire Pascal ended our evening's tour.  From this point on we were free to explore the city and find dinner wherever we liked.  He gave out a number of restaurant recommendations, which some of the more prepared people in our group thoughtfully wrote down on their paper maps.  (However, the unprepared people like me listened to all Pascal's suggestions and then promptly forgot most of them!)

Hot chocolate break

After our group broke up, Kim and I scanned the street around us.  Where to go first?  I spotted a Starbucks on one corner, and since I collect the Starbucks "been there" mugs, suggested we pop in and see if they had one for Ireland (they did!)  After that, Kim spotted a chocolate shop and of course we had to check that out.  Upon walking through the door, who did we spot but Kim and Alicia, our tour-mates!  Everyone got a hot chocolate and I had the ladies pose outside with their sinfully delicious drinks.

Checking out the shops

Kim (my Kim) and I asked if we could hang out with Kim and Alicia for the evening.  These ladies were so much fun!  We'd hit it off from the first day and enjoyed their company.  To begin with our group picked a random street and headed to the opposite end, checking out the shops along the way.  Kim (Alicia's Kim) spotted a huge toy store so we stepped inside to investigate.  The place had every Lego set ever made (or so it seemed.)

Selfie with the Spire

Stepping back outside onto the crowded street, I spotted a great view of the Spire.  It was such a good vantage it warranted a selfie with the all the ladies.

The Church restaurant

Kim and Alicia were interested in checking out a restaurant Pascal had recommended called "The Church."  Apparently the place was located in an old cathedral that had been deconsecrated and remodeled into an eating establishment.  It sounded great to Kim (my Kim) and I so we set out to find the place.

 

This restaurant was in an old church

Locating the restaurant was no problem.  Stepping inside, the place was absolutely hopping.  We had to wait for a table, so to bide the time my friends and I found a spot in the bar area.  A band was setting up to play traditional Irish music, and rumor had it some Irish dancers were also going to perform.

They left the organ in place

While waiting for our table, I gaped at the huge, ornate building around me.  It was the most amazing and unusual place I've ever had dinner.  The original stained glass windows had been left in place, as had the organ in the choir loft, high above the main dining area.  When finally ushered to our table, we noticed a large inscribed rock slab on the adjacent wall that appeared to be a gravestone.

Dinner table pic

Our food was just okay.  But the best part of having dinner at the Church was that occasionally two Irish dancers would step upon a makeshift stage and perform Riverdance style.  Our table wasn't close to the stage, but we could hear the tapping of the dancer's shoes.  When one of us heard the dancers starting up, we'd grab our phones and run over in hopes of getting a video.  It was an amazing thing to watch!  The dancer's legs moved as fast as lightning.  

Here's the video I was able to get of one of the dancer's sets (excuse the very poor light quality, I don't know what happened.)

Evening light on the Spire

After dinner, listening to music, and occasional rushes to the stage to watch dancers, my friends and I were ready to return to our hotel.  After paying our bill we ventured back onto the even more crowded streets of Dublin.

Ha'penny pedestrian bridge

There were people everywhere!  It seemed everyone was done with work and had gravitated to the bars and restaurants to relax.  That's one thing I noticed about the Irish people - they loved to gather in pubs and socialize.  An important part of the Irish culture, these folks knew how to enjoy life to the fullest.

Ready to walk across the bridge

My friends and I walked up a street and came to the River Liffey.  Not far away was an ornate white pedestrian bridge spanning the river.  Called the Ha'penny Bridge, it was an important Dublin landmark.  I suggested to the ladies we stroll across it.

Selfie on the bridge

We pushed across the bridge with a couple hundred other pedestrians.  Pausing in the middle of the span, I snapped a quick selfie of the group for posterity (and to prove we were there!)  The we re-joined the flow that carried us to the river's opposite side.  From here I could see the O'Connell bridge and Westmoreland street and remembered that this was the route we'd traveled during our afternoon tour.  I motioned to the ladies I'd found the way back.  But someone (I think it was one of the Kims) spotted a cool, brick alley and suggested we duck down it to see what was on the other side.  Before I knew it, my friends had disappeared into the alley and all I could do was follow along.

Alleyway we ducked down - and then got lost

On the alley's other side was a street full of pubs.  We'd unknowingly stumbled into the Temple Bar district.  The sidewalks were packed with patrons, all in various stages of inebriation.  We ambled through the crowds, gaping at all the interesting bars.  Neon lights blazed and colorful banners were strung everywhere.  People from the bars backed up out the doors into the street.  It was quite the sight to behold.  We strolled around for a good bit of time, just taking in the mayhem.  Then after about 10 minutes of wandering it dawned on us four ladies that we hadn't the foggiest idea where we were - or which street would take us back to the hotel.  Uh-oh!

Wandering through the bar district

Alicia's Kim pulled out a paper map.  My Kim pulled up Google maps on her phone.  I tried my luck with the paper map I had.  But....there were no street name signs (we later discovered they were posted on the sides of buildings).  And the streets in this area were aligned at funny angles, so it was hard to gauge direction.  With all the tall buildings overhead Google maps didn't seem to work very well.  We walked one direction, nothing looked familiar, so we turned around and walked a different way.  I'm sure my friends and I went in circles several times.  Soon it began to get dark and we were all starting to tire.  But despite our predicament, no one panicked.  As a matter of fact, everyone kept a good sense of humor about things.  Someone remarked that we'd all laugh about this later (we did).  

Still it wasn't a good feeling to be lost in a strange town in another country.  After wandering for the better part of an hour, and getting nowhere, Alicia's Kim asked a man smoking outside of a bar if he knew how to get to St. Stephen's Green.  Thankfully the man was able to point us in the right direction.  After walking down one street, someone spied a sign for St. Stephen's Green.  Then we saw another guide sign.  Finally, some of the landmarks began to look familiar.  When we passed by the tall stone archway above St. Stephen's Green, we all sighed with relief.  Our hotel was now just a few short blocks away!

After getting lost I needed a drink!

Upon our return to the hotel, Kim and Alicia, tired from the night's misadventure, went straight to their room.  But after roaming lost around downtown Dublin, Kim (my Kim) and I decided we needed a drink.  So we stopped off in our hotel's bar and each enjoyed an alcoholic nightcap.  I ordered a Bailey's hot chocolate and the waitress, who didn't appear to originally be from Ireland, commented that she'd never heard of such a thing but it sure sounded good.  And it was the best Bailey's hot chocolate I've ever tasted!  And the prettiest, dusted with chocolate powder on top and served with a tiny biscuit.

My first night in Dublin had been quite a memorable experience.  But it had ended well, and now my friends and I had a good tale to tell.  And looking back, getting lost really hadn't been that bad.  It turned out to be a friend-bonding experience!

Tomorrow there was more exploration of this bustling city on the agenda.  Join me for Dublin day two, coming in my next post.

Glendalough and Powerscourt

 (Day seven recap of my late April Ireland trip.)

Ireland day seven dawned in Kilkenny to overcast, rainy skies.  Sadly, our good weather luck had finally ended.  Kim and I endured an awful night's sleep thanks to rock hard beds in our hotel.  Despite being extremely tired, both of us managed to get up and drag our sleepy selves to breakfast.  We then packed up our suitcases and boarded the bus for another early departure.  I was sad we'd only had a short afternoon and evening in charming, medieval Kilkenny.  I really liked this town - there appeared to be many things to see and do.  A revisit was added to my growing "for next time" list.

There's a Hollywood in Ireland!

On the road again!  Today's first stop was the ancient monastery of Glendalough.  Traveling through foggy sheep-filled farmlands, our guide Pascal remarked:  "Did you know there's a Hollywood in Ireland?"  Sure enough, we passed by a road sign pointing towards the famed village.  Another few miles of traveling brought us through the Irish town of Hollywood, which turned out to be a very tiny hamlet.  However, in honor of it's name, a white "Hollywood" sign graced one of the nearby hills - an exact replica of the famous one in California.  Well, almost.  We noticed a few of the letters had fallen over so now it just read "Hollyw."

Entrance to Glendalough Monastery

Soon the farmlands gave way to winding mountainous roads.  These were the Wicklow Mountains we were now traveling through.  After seeing so many barren fields on our travels, it was a shock to pass through steep, rugged terrain topped with thick forests.  The road narrowed and got even more curvy.  At one point a truck heading in the opposite direction barreled through, causing our driver George to hastily pull onto the tiny roadway shoulder to avoid getting crunched.  (He groused that the truck should've used a nearby pullout.)  George handled all this tricky driving like a champion, and got us safely to the Glendalough visitor center.

Round tower and gravestones

A heavy mist greeted our arrival at Glendalough.  Donning raingear and warm clothing, Kim and I made a beeline for the restroom, narrowly beating a busload of schoolchildren.  After everyone had taken advantage of the facilities, our tour group gathered inside the visitor center for a short film.

Perfect weather for visiting a cemetery!

Once the movie had finished it was time to tour the monastery grounds.  By this time, the mist had transformed into proper rain.  I'd packed a waterproof cover for my camera and was mighty glad I did, as it was now called into service. 

Ornate Celtic cross

Our guide led us over a bridge spanning a lovely creek, down a grassy lane to a large arched stone gateway.  This arch was the original entrance to the monastery grounds.  My group huddled under the rock walls, umbrellas and hoods up, while our guide talked about what we were about to see.  

It was interesting to read the tombstone inscriptions

Glendalough was founded by St. Kevin in the sixth century and was in operation through the age of Saints and Scholars, until it was destroyed by the English in 1398.  A few monks continued to live within the ruins until all monasteries in Ireland were abandoned in 1539.  But the faithful continued to visit Glendalough, especially on June 3rd, which was St. Kevin's Day.  One of the popes of the times stated that seven visits to Glendalough had the same indulgence value (forgiveness of sins) as one visit to Rome.

Cathedral ruins

Our guide finished her gateway talk and led us onto the grounds.  Ornate tombstones were everywhere, many of them topped with a Celtic cross.  A round stone tower rose 110 feet above the cemetery.  Our first stop was underneath this tower, where our guide explained that round towers like this one were unique to Ireland.  It likely functioned as a bell tower, storage loft, beacons for traveling pilgrims, and a refuge of last resort during Viking raids.  As with other towers I'd seen in Ireland, there was no ground floor door.  The entrance was placed higher up on the wall, for both structural reasons and safety during an attack.

The old cathedral walls

After checking out the tower, our guide led us toward a tall stone wall.  This was the ruins of a large cathedral.  Stepping through the doorway, I entered the interior of this roofless structure.  While the four stone walls were still mostly standing, the wooden roof had rotted away centuries ago.  Built in stages between the 10th and 13th centuries, this building was the largest of the Glendalough ruins.

Our group walking to St. Kevin's Cross

Not far from the cathedral's walls stood St. Kevin's Cross.  Carved from a single block of granite, this plain cross towered 10 feet above us.  Because of the hardness of the material used, no Bible stories were carved into it (most Celtic crosses were carved from softer sandstone, allowing ornate depictions.)  A local legend states that anyone who can wrap their arms around the entire width of the cross body and close the circle by touching fingertips will have their wishes granted.  I didn't try this - at the time I was too busy taking pictures while listening to the guide and trying to keep my camera dry at the same time.

Old stone church known as "St. Kevin's Kitchen"

Beyond St. Kevin's Cross I noticed two very picturesque small buildings nestled under a tall, wooded hill.  One had a round tower protruding from its rooftop.  Known as "St. Kevin's Kitchen" these buildings were actually used as churches.  Our group walked down to the buildings and had a chance to peek inside.

Lots of folks walking through the cemetery

Nested up against a treed, fog-shrouded hill, this little church made for a lovely scene.  The rainy, foggy weather actually added a touch of mystery to the place.  Perfect weather to photograph an old cemetery and ancient ruins!

Another view of St. Kevin's Kitchen

In ancient times, Glendalough monastery would provide sanctuary for anyone who was under threat.  These refugees could stay for up to 90 days, but on the 91st day they had to leave - unless the person decided to become a monk.  

Tombstone covered with lichens

After touring the tiny chapel building, our group was free to roam around the monastery grounds for another hour.  Some of my fellow travelers decided to head back to the visitor center for a warm drink and escape from the damp weather.  But of course I opted to stay.  The photo opportunities in this old graveyard were plentiful.  I was like a kid in a candy store!

Some graves were adorned with flowers

Being the good friend she is, Kim tagged along with me as I explored the cemetery with my camera.  Some of the tombstones were so weather-worn the inscriptions were unreadable.  Several of the really old headstones were covered with moss and colorful lichens.  Many other ancient grave markers were tilted at unusual angles.  It's a wonder they hadn't completely fallen over.

Celtic crosses and the old church

After several minutes, Kim was looking pretty wet and miserable so I told her to go ahead and get coffee without me.  I planned on using every minute of this free time to capture as many photographs of the place as I could.

Kim taking a photo

Enjoy yet another photo dump.......

Some of the tombstones looked ready to fall over

Old cathedral wall

Three dark tombstones

More leaning tombstones

The tall round tower was impressive

I hung around until all the tours left and had the place to myself

I roamed around the place for the rest of my allotted time.  With about 10 minutes left before I was due back at the bus, I looked around and realized all the crowds had left.  Only a handful of people remained, scattered about the area.

Cathedral wall

With no one to get in the way, I quickly returned to the ruined cathedral for a few pics sans people.

St. Kevin's Cross

And I made one final visit to St. Kevin's Cross for an unobstructed selfie.  Then I hightailed it back to the visitor center.  I wasn't the last person on the bus, but it was mighty close!

Arriving at Powerscourt

It was a wet group that boarded our bus.  Jackets were hung on seat backs to dry and the windows began to fog from all the dampness.  George guided his bus back down the curvy roads of the Wicklow Mountains.  Our next stop was a mere 45 minutes away.  We were headed to the lovely gardens of the Powerscourt Estate.

Cafeteria lunch at Powerscourt

Powerscourt Estate and gardens were located at the end of a long driveway.  Entrance to the site required passage through a very small archway.  It didn't appear our bus would fit through the arch's narrow opening.  We all collectively held our breath as George slowly edged through.  Looking out my window it appeared there was barely an inch to spare.  But of course George cleared the arch without incident.  That's our driver!

The grounds were immaculately landscaped

It was past noon when our group reached the huge buildings of the Powerscourt estate.  Before partaking of the sights, everyone headed to the cafeteria for a bite to eat.  Several tour groups had the same idea, and the lunch line was long.  The food offerings were very different from what Kim and I were used to.  No hamburgers or hot dogs here!  When our turn finally came, Kim ordered a sausage roll and I chose a slice of quiche.  The quiche came with my choice of three "salads."  From about 10 salad options I picked a macaroni salad, (weirdly with ham and pineapple!) one with peas, and what appeared to be a three-bean variety.  Although my quiche turned out to be quite tasty, I couldn't say the same for the salads.  

One of many statues

Hunger now satisfied, Kim and I headed outside for a tour of the fantastic gardens at the Powerscourt Estate.  Lucky for us the rain had stopped, allowing us to enjoy the scenery without getting wet.

Large pond with fountain

One of the grandest estates and gardens in Ireland, Powerscourt is a popular attraction.  The huge manor was built in the 1730s by Richard Wingfield, the first viscount of Powerscourt.  The gardens were laid out between 1745 and 1767 and then redesigned during the Victorian era (1858-1875.)  The large house was nearly destroyed by fire in 1974, and the rebuilding process is ongoing to this day.

Looking back on the mansion

Immediately outside the mansion was a sweeping lawn.  Sculptures were placed along a walkway leading visitors downhill to a large pond, complete with a tall fountain.

 

Lovely big tree

There were several different gardens within this huge greenspace.  After walking around the pond, Kim and I stumbled upon the Japanese Garden. 

Blooming shrubs in the Japanese garden

It was quite lovely!  Many of the bushes and flowers were blooming - a bright explosion of color.

Pink azaleas

I saw lots of rhododendrons and azaleas in bloom.  Although the colors were stunning, it wasn't all that different from the vegetation I see back home in Oregon.

Lots of red here!

As a matter of fact, I thought the Japanese garden was very comparable to the one I've visited in Portland.

Japanese garden pond

But of course, I love photographing flowers in bloom, so my camera was not idle.

So much color!

After spending some time in the Japanese garden, Kim and I wandered into an adjacent wooded area, that appeared to be showcasing many types of large trees.

I loved the bark of this tree

As we continued down the path, Kim and I spotted a stone castle tower peeking out of the foliage.  This was called Pepperpot Tower, modeled after a favorite pepperpot from Lord Powerscourt's dining table.

Walking past some giant trees

Visitors were able to climb a spiraling staircase inside the tower for a fantastic overview of the gardens.

Castle tower in the garden

About this time, it began to sprinkle again.  Worn out from several full days of touring and a lack of sleep the prior evening, I began to lose interest in the garden.  Kim and I decided to head back into the mansion building and chill for awhile.  Unusual for me to cut out early, it was the only part of the entire tour where I wasn't the last one still out exploring the attraction!

Kim does her statue impression

The break was needed and most welcome.  It was nice to have a slow pace for once.  We explored the gift shops and sat around people watching, which turned out to be fun.  

I have to say, of all the places I visited during this tour, Powerscourt was my least favorite.  Maybe because I was tired, maybe because of the dreary weather.  But also I think I was more into seeing ancient ruins - huge gardens and large estates didn't pique my interest as much.  

Our driver George and his brand-new bus

When our time at Powerscourt was up, Kim and I headed back out to the bus.  The next stop was Dublin, our base for the remainder of the tour.  Because transport wasn't needed in the big city, this would be our final ride with George.  Kim and I thanked him for his excellent driving and posed for a selfie.  Then I took a pic of our driver standing proudly beside his brand-new bus.  Not only was George a good driver, he was also a really nice guy.  Thanks for everything George!

George was an amazing driver and a great guy too!

After Powerscourt, the mighty town of Dublin beckoned, our final city on the Rick Steves tour.  There's so much to recap from our first evening here that I'll have to cover it all in the next post.  So stay tuned!