Walking the Streets of Dublin

I thought I'd seen most of what Dublin had to offer when I visited the city two years ago. And while Theresa and I did see many of the same sights, we did so much walking that we saw things a little closer up. We also took the hop-on-hop-off bus--even though I rode it in 2013, this time it was like a refresher course, with new information added.

One thing I'll say for Dublin is that they make our street repairs look like a breeze. This is city with well over a million people, and very narrow streets. Right now some of the major thoroughfares are being torn up to put in a new tram system. So in places 3 or 4 lanes go down to one. Very unhandy. The tour bus drivers are phenomenal though, and manage to negotiate and keep close to their time schedules amazingly well. Bicyclists are fearless, and pedestrians likewise on these busy streets. I learned quickly to make my way along crowded walks, and most of the time we obeyed the WALK signals just because we valued our skins!

Here are some of the random shots taken during our stays in Dublin.

Taken from the tour bus during a shower. I was intrigued by this--a whole store for yeast? Didn't get to investigate, unfortunately.

Update: my friend, storyteller Kate Dudding, sent me a link to a Youtube video about this store. So neat the way we can find information so easily these days! Thanks, Kate!

And of course, Guinness, which is pretty much the national beverage of choice!

These light posts were all through the city. So pretty! And note the shamrocks.

The blue door of the St. Patrick's Choir School, near the cathedral. The school was founded in 1432 and continues to train boys to sing in the cathedral choir. Coincidentally, I watched a movie called Boychoir on the flight home, and wondered if that fictional school was based in part on this one.

Another iconic Irish drink, the Jameson Whiskey Distillery is also located in Dublin.

Construction...

and more construction!

A beautiful building in the Temple Bar district, on the banks of the River Liffey.

And the Ha'Penny Bridge over the Liffey, which got its name when the bridge replaced the old river ferries and pedestrians were charged a half penny to cross it.Today, an average of 30,000 people a day cross the bridge for free.

A tour boat makes its way upriver. We didn't get a chance to ride one of these. Maybe next time!

The busy Temple Bar district.

Artwork on one of the many bridges over the Liffey.

The Brazen Head is Ireland's oldest pub. Larry and I visited there on our last trip, and enjoyed its quaint atmosphere. Traditional music used to be played there every night, but (sadly to me) the pub is now offering blues music.

The door of Saint Augustine and Saint John the Baptist Catholic Church.

A different kind of traffic--two boys on bikes, with one leading a pony down the street in a less busy area of the city.

The Guinness brewery is in the heart of the city and is probably its primary tourist destination. Larry and I visited the brewery but Theresa and I opted out this time. She's not a beer drinker and neither am I, although the history offered in the brewery's tour is well worth it if one has the time--and the view from the top is gorgeous. Check it on my my post from 2013.

You might have noticed that some photos looked like the day was cloudy and gray while others look like a sunny day? With the exception of the first three, these were all taken the same day. Irish weather is as changeable as the wind, and we were told several times that Ireland is the place where you can have all four seasons in one day. We didn't mind the weather, though, but learned quickly to take rain gear wherever we went!

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