Things to do and Places to visitHaven't been able to transfer my pictures from my laptop at work to our desktop here at home so will use pictures from the Net.
Guinness Brewery, DublinWent here with Sheila Pascual and Mags Magalona. Forgot how much the entrance was but the place is something new to me and the free pint of Guinness in the 360 Bar is a bonus. Guinness isn't the usual SML here in Pinas but I still wasn't able to finish the whole pint.
Trinity College, DublinDid not take the guided tour inside the college because I felt it wasn't worth it. Not that the tour was by the students but because it's not on my high list of expenses while I was there. I just took some pictures.
St. Stephens GreenWent around the park and took some pics. Wasn't able to tour the whole place because it's too big and I didn't have enough time. It's a big place and I understand why it's popular to the locals. Families will have a good time here.
Temple BarDuring one of our trek to city center, we went to the famous Temple Bar area to see some of the local restaurants and bars.
Malahide CastleThe castle was well preserved and there are lots of relics with a nice tour of the whole castle. But the castle was smaller than I was expecting. In the books I read, the castles have large rooms for parties and bedrooms that could fit my whole house. I was told that for castles of that size, I should go to England.
Dalkey CastleDalkey Castle was another castle that didn't meet my expectation of what a castle should look like in real life but the actors that played as medieval tour guides were a delight. They had the accent and looks down pat minus the smell. :D
SeaLife, BraySeaLife was probably the most disappointing aquarium I have ever visited. It was quite small and the fish we're not as exotic or varied than what I have visited before. BUT, they have a fair sized octopus and it's my first time to see one.
Outside of Dublin
GlendaloughThere's a Bus Éireann (Ireland's national bus line)
trip to Glendalough that Sheila and I should have taken but I was late so we had to look for another bus. I forgot the name of the bus but this one only brought us to Glendalough where we stayed for about 3-4 hours roaming the 2 lakes and the ruins of an old monastery.
Cliffs of MoherEven if I wasn't able to convince my other friends to go to this trip with me, I decided to go ahead and avail of the Cliffs of Moher tour by
Barratt Tours. It was the cheapest tour I could find in the Net and in the tons of brochures I collected. I had to take the train from Dublin to Limerick but it was Barratt who arranged the train ticket. I just had to pick it up from the train station on the day of the tour.
It was another experience for me while in Dublin so I grabbed the chance. I did not have a seatmate so I was able to take pictures and explore the area near my seat to my heart's content. Although I have not tried riding the train here in the Philippines, the train from Dublin to Limerick was nice. The seat was roomy and comfortable and there were only few passengers. There are even mini tables for the passenger's convenience. You even get your name printed out above your seat if you have reservations! :D
Some other sights included in the tour are:
Leamenagh Castle
Poulnabrone Tomb
Powerscourt EstateRoss McConnell, the head honcho in Dublin office, invited us to a tour of Wicklow mountains and
Powerscourt garden. According to him, this garden is in the top ten gardens of all Europe. And it has earned that right with it's beautiful flower arrangements, towering sculptures, and more! THIS is the Victorian gardens I have read for years now. I can imagine the characters of my favorite historical romances in this place.
TIPS:For someone who's used to the tropical heat of the Philippines, Ireland's summer is still a bit cold. I always wore a jacket, even a thin one, whenever I am outside.
Need to know the DART schedule so that you won't have to wait in the cold for a long time.
Be prepared to have coins because sometimes some of the DART stations doesn't have a teller and the ticket machines only accepts small denominations.
