1st day in Dublin

Sunday, June 23, 2019
Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland
We landed in Dublin safely, though about 45 minutes late.  After we boarded our flight in Calgary we were advised a minor oil leak was detected on the walkabout inspection. Fortunately, Calgary is WestJet's hub so we & our luggage were moved to a different plane and we were in our way to Halifax.  About 3 connecting flights out of Halifax had to wait due to our late arrival.  20 of us came off the Calgary flight and went directly to the next flight to Dublin.
We cleared Irish customs & immigration, got our Republic of Ireland stamp and collected our luggage.  We picked up a 72 hour AirLink pass (18 Euros / about $27 CDN) which gets us unlimited local bus, tram & train access all over Dublin, including to & from the airport.
Lots of double decker buses here and one took us into the city.  We dropped our luggage off at Blooms Hotel, our home for the next few nights, and headed out to explore the area.  We are right in the middle of the main district.....the famous Temple Bar district, many pubs within a very short walking distance.
We stopped at Fitzsimmons bar for a much needed breakfast. As no meals were served on board our flights, we were a bit famished.
We then headed to Dublin Castle which was just a few blocks away. It was once the seat of the Irish government.  We wandered through the accessible rooms & saw some very intricate crown moldings, ornate furniture and lots of portraits and artwork....not all old & serious!  
Many of the streets in the area were cobblestones....not recommended for high heels or anyone who needs a level walking surface and we noted later when it started to rain, slippery when wet!
We then wandered back to the actual Temple Bar, probably the most famous pub in Dublin, just after it opened at 13:00.  It was so busy, we barely found a place to sit.  A band was already playing and everyone was spirited. I had the first Guinness of the trip and Eve had her Pino.  We enjoyed the atmosphere until it was finally check in time at the Blooms Hotel.
After a little rest, we went back out and explored a few more streets and did a little shopping. We explored more in the Temple Bar District, a few of the bridges along River Liffey, Henry Street Mall and O'Connell Street.  Good thing we wore our rain coats too it started raining pretty heavily.  Working our way back towards our hotel, we stopped at the Shack Restaurant for supper.  One other thing I wanted here in Ireland was Irish Stew, the kind made with lamb.  I ordered it and it didn't disappoint.  Eve had Grilled Salmon with vermouth dill sauce that she thoroughly enjoyed.  
Before heading back to the hotel, we stopped in at Tesco grocery store.  We like checking out grocery stores in other countries.  Many items were comparable in price to what we pay at home, but some items, like pop, were more expensive and their pack sizes were a little smaller. We picked up some snacks and a few local beers.
Day one is in the books.  Tomorrow we are going to hit some more tourist sites!
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Comments

Carissa
2019-06-23

Glad you made it safely!!! I’m excited to see what tomorrow brings!! Great pictures!

John
2019-06-24

The stew in Dublin is outstanding. Get fish and chips you won’t be disappointed and lamb shank. Have fun. That’s what our people are all about.

Alison
2019-06-24

Be sure to see the Book of Kells and the library at Trinity - gorgeous! Jameson Distillery and Guinness Storehouse too!!! Wouldn't be Ireland if you didn't get rain:) Glad you arrived safely:)

2025-02-11

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