How to Spend a Day in Dublin

As the familiar Missourian landscape disappeared in the horizon, we soon found ourselves navigating the stark maze of New York’s hectic JFK airport. After overcoming our tedious layover, we were eventually strapped in a small seat and became as comfortable as we could with our new metal confines. After a long, monotonous flight (7 hours) of us trying to get a wink of sleep, we were beyond relieved to finally be on Irish soil. A brief bus ride later from the airport, we were soon perusing through the heart of Dublin. As we approached our first sight of the trip (Saint Patrick’s Cathedral), we received our first welcoming present in the form of a chilling, torrential downpour. In the weeks leading up to the trip, we had been incessantly checking the forecast for our city destinations and noticed quite a lot of expected rain. During our England trip last year, we had been very fortunate with the weather and only once experienced a light shower. Finding ourselves in a rainstorm only hours from our arrival, we were already glad with our foresight as we were both equipped with small umbrellas.

Standing frozen in the small park before the cathedral and admiring the towering church was when we finally accepted the fact that we were here again in another country and that this was the very start of something special.

After a few moments had passed, we were soon in St. Stephen’s Green Park on our way to our next stop, Trinity College. Our sole reason for stopping at Trinity College was to see the legendary Book of Kells. We were soon shepherded in a large wooden room overflowing with leather bound books. With floor to ceiling bookcases and marble busts, this seemingly fantasy inspired library room that held the Book of Kells truly felt like a scene out of Harry Potter’s Hogwarts.

As we stumbled through the room, we noticed two separate large glass display cases, each with their own small crowd huddled over them. The first case contained the oldest recorded wooden harp in Irish history, which happened to be the inspiration behind their national symbol and also for the Guinness Brewery logo. Housed within the second case was the legendary Book of Kells, a centuries old manuscript filled with elaborate illustrations. Ultimately, we took much more enjoyment in the space itself rather than the original intended source of attention.

Our stop at Trinity College left us with a deep hunger for lunch and we were soon speeding through the streets attempting to find a place to grab something to eat. Before long, we found ourselves nestled in a cozy corner at a small pub (Devitts of Camden Street) that was bustling with life.

A quick lunch (and a few beers) later, we set off to our hotel (Albany House) and decided to call it a day as we would have to be up extremely early the next morning to catch our flight to Germany. Crawling into bed at a ripe time of 7 PM, our first day in Ireland and this trip was over. So much more was left to come.

To move onwards with us along our journey, click here.