Ulysses scribe James Joyce once said, “When I die Dublin will be written in my heart.” Well, cheers to that because if you can’t go to Dublin and have a good time, you and I can’t be friends. Dublin is easily one of the coolest cities in all of Europe, and depending on what time of day you ask me, a personal favorite.
Sorry to disappoint some of you, but there aren’t a bunch of leprechauns running around in short-shorts, and everyone isn’t dawned from head to toe in kelly green, and yet Dublin is still everything you think it would be before arriving.
There’s Guinness and Jameson, a rich literary history that includes Irish authors like Oscar Wilde, Edmund Burke, James Joyce and George Bernard Shaw, and a people that are warm, friendly and willing to talk to just about anyone. And those accents! It’s like you’re walking around in a Lucky Charms commercial. Oh yeah, and did I mention the Guinness? Not that chocolate death in a glass they pour you at the corner Bushwick bar, but real Guinness.
If you’re heading to Europe anytime soon, and have never been to Ireland … take a day or two out of your schedule and fit the place in. It’s a great introductory country for first-time tourists in Europe such as myself when I went. Dublin is compact, easy to navigate, and while not cheap, certainly affordable. Throw in the fact that everyone speaks English and you’re good to go; just don’t let the gaelic signs confuse you.
My three week tour of Europe included two stops in Ireland’s capital where I took the following images. Enjoy!
