Day
Four - The Emerald Isle
After breakfast in the hotel, we packed up and tubed it to the Victoria
Station, where we took the Gatwick
Express to, well . . . Gatwick.
It was a quick trip, about 30 minutes in all, and we were greeted at
the airport by a vendor offering free shots of Pimms.
Now that's my kind of place! Gatwick itself was a very lively airport
with many shops and restaurants and such.
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Approaching Dublin |
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The River Liffey at Night
(Click to Enlarge)
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Temple Bar at Night
(Click to Enlarge)
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After a brief rain delay and we were aboard a Ryanair flight
on our way to Dublin
Airport. The flight was very smooth and fairly quick, and the view
of the coast of Ireland and the clouds on approach was truely remarkable.
Getting into the city by bus was
very easy and before long we were at the Morrison
Hotel, a very stylish
and sleek hotel, that far exceeded our expectations for the price.
I could not recommend it enough for a stay in Dublin.
After unpacking, we crossed over the River
Liffey into the Temple
Bar area, seeking a place for an early dinner. Before long we came
upon the Purty Kitchen, which
suited our needs perfectly. Over some fantastic prawn fajitas and a few
pints of Paulaner
Hefeweissbier, we struck up a conversation with a gentleman
over from England, who was in town to administer English language exams
to students from all over the world. It was interesting to gain his perspective
of London and Dublin and we enjoyed the food and drink and conversation quite
a bit.
Farrington's Pub was our choice for evening entertainment, which featured
a musician named Ronan Quigley, who played a very wide variety of music
--everything from U2 to Gloria
Gaynor, with some old Irish folk songs mixed in. He was quite good
and we enjoyed the music while downing a few pints of Guinness'
newest Brewhouse Series edition brew North
Star. Well, more so me than Fai.
Great food, good music, and quality beer. It was the perfect introduction
to Dublin.
Day
Five