Blogs from Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland, Europe - page 93

An interesting fact about travelling between the UK and Ireland that I thought I would share (some people will find this more interesting than others). When I left Ireland my passport never got checked by Irish Customs at all. I used a self-service kiosk to get my boarding pass and because I only had hand luggage never even presented my passport to the airline. When I went through security I handed both my passport and my boarding pass over to the security dude but he only checked the boarding pass. When I boarded the plane they did look to make sure the names matched - between my boarding pass and my passport. But that was it. At the time I thought it was a little odd but figured UK Customs would look at it so it ... read more

A Weekend in Dublin Sometimes I forget how small Edinburgh actually is, but being in Dublin definitely reminded me of that. The city was crowded and very urban, but nonetheless interesting, and above all, I got to see two of my friends from Claremont McKenna. Day 1: Saturday An Airport Adventure The trip didn't get off to a very good start: the plane was significantly delayed. Everyone was getting nervous at first, the boarding time had passed and soon the take-off time as well, and still, there was no plane outside our window. Eventually, we were informed that our plane had landed at a different terminal but had to refuel, so we would be boarding after that. Therefore, after about three hours in the airport (having arrived two hours early for an international flight and ... read more

Our long weekend in Dublin was a lot of fun. We arrived late Thursday night after a rather harrowing flight through high winds and driving rain. We met Kevin at the airport and he led us to his house in Clane, about forty-five minutes from the city center. Being so late we had time for a nightcap and then it was off to bed. Friday morning we awoke early and headed to the Wicklow Mountains to see the Glendalough Valley. It was here that in the sixth century a vision inspired St. Kevin to give up his life of isolation and to build a monastery. He chose one of the most spectacular valleys in Ireland, Glendalough valley, which means glen of two lakes. We drove some very scenic roads to get there and once there ... read more

Friday 14 March 2008 After rising above the drizzly clouds of London we flew briefly in sunshine before ducking under the clouds in preparation for landing in Dublin. As we descended the rolling green hills of Ireland came into view. It was a strange feeling for Barbara. She had never been to Ireland before but somehow arriving there felt like coming home ... but not quite? Her family left this country half a century ago to seek a new life in Australia. Barbara had not only come to Ireland to enjoy its lovely countryside and party for St Paddy’s Day but also to learn about her roots and to meet the extended family she had only recently learned about. The prospect of this discovery was quite touching for her. Barbara was nervous but very excited. Michael ... read more

Today was yet another beautiful day in Dublin as we headed to the south side of the city centre. Found a central car park and headed off for a tour of the religious beauty of Dublin. First stop was the Book of Kells in Trinity College. The college grounds were everything you would think an old world university would be and being in the middle of it, it is very easy to imagine the historic figures who graduated from the famed college walking around the same cobbled grounds we were walking. Taking the tour of the Book of Kells was fascinating but as a book lover, I think the most awe-inspiring site was the Long Room in the floor above where the Book of Kells is displayed. The Long Room is an amazing library that boggles ... read more