2012 Ireland trip Day 2 - Dublin

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Friday May 11 – Dublin day 2- Friday was a long day. I took the LUAS to O'Connell St. and ate breakfast at the kylemore restaurant by the Spire. It was quite a large breakfast and cost 9.95 Euros ($13.93 ) . No free refills on the coffee though....that would have been 2.65 E ($3.71). So I made do with only one cup. After breakfast I bought a combo LUAS/Bus daily pass and took the 140 bus down O'Connell Street and across the Liffey. After crossing the Liffey the bus went by Trinity College. I should have pushed the “stop” button there. I would have gotten off there by Trinity College and at the North end of the pedestrianized Grafton Street. The bus turned left and went down Nassau Street and then turned right on Kildare Street. At this point I wasn’t sure where the bus was going so pushed the “stop” button and got off. I had no immediate idea where I was at. I noticed however that I was next to The National Museum of Ireland – Archaeology and History. Looking to the South I saw some trees and realized from the homework I had done that I must be looking at St Stephens Green since it is south of the National Museum of Ireland. So I walked down to the Green pausing to look at some paintings on display by the entrance and then walked into and around the Green. It was quite nice and I paused several times on benches to enjoy the views and rest a bit. The day had been quite nice and it was a nice day to be walking in a park. After a bit it started to rain so I left the park via Fusiliar’s Arch which put me at the South entrance to the pedestrianized Grafton Street. It quit raining and I walked down West St Stephens Green which became Harcourt Street to the Location by where my mother lived when she came to Dublin before the war. It was across the street from the former Harcourt Station and is now just some office buildings. Sad…..



After this I got on the Luas Green Line at the Harcourt stop and took it all the way to the end touring hoping to see some of the country. It was disappointing in that respect so now I’ve checked out that option and can write it off. After I took it to the end at Brides Glen, I rode it all the way back in to Charlemont and got off because I saw a waterfall. It was a waterfall for one of the locks for a canal that had tour boats on it. I walked around a bit and enjoyed the views and then it started to hail. So I went back to the LUAS and took it back to its start at St Stephens Green.



Then I walked up the Pedestrianized Mall of Grafton Street. What can I say…..a shopping center by another name is still just a shopping center.



When I got to the top end of Grafton Street at the Molly Molone statue aka as “The tart with the cart” I tried to get some pictures but had to work around some stupid guy dressed up in a Leprechaun suit that was having people take their picture with him and they put coins in a “pot of gold” at his feet. He must have made some good money at it though as I’ve quickly realized that coins here have an actual value as opposed to coins in the US. These small coins here are 1Euro, 2 Euro , etc.,so that is about $1.38 and $2.76. Coins tossed carelessly in pots, hats, guitar cases, or in tips, etc could quickly add up.



After touring Grafton Street I caught the 46A bus on Suffolk Street and rode it to Phoenix Park. From the gate there it looked like a long walk anywhere and I was getting a bit tired of walking so I stayed on and took the 46A bus to Dun Laoghaire (The 46A bus runs between Dun Laoghaire and Phoenix park passing Trinity College, the north end of Grafton Street, the National Museum of Ireland, St Stephen’s Green etc and could be useful for getting to these locations. When I got to Dun Laoghaire I was disappointed as there didn’t appear to be much there. There was a very long pier that might have been nice to walk out on as the view of the ocean was nice but I had had enough of walking for one day….and of busses. It was also very cold and windy. So I went to the DART stop there and was having trouble using the machine to buy a ticket there and so asked the guy at the ticket office about it and he was nothing but a rude ass and kept insisting I could use the machine….so what is his ignorant ass there for!!! In any case rather than put up with him I went back to the machine and figured out after a bit I had to put in the first letter of the location I wanted to go to and it would show me the fare. So I put in C for Connolly Station and my fare was 2.25E if I remember correctly. So I paid it and got my ticket and took the train to Connolly Station. At Connolly station I walked the short walk over to Basaras Station on for the LUAS Red Line and took it back to the Abbey Street stop which is the one for O’Connell St. I got off at the Abbey Street Stop and walked about ½ block West to O’Connell St. and as I was hungry I went to the Supermac’s there. The Supermac’s was kind of like a MacDonalds but also has a Quizno’s Sub, and Papa John’s enclosed. I had their version of Chili/Cheese fries which I think they called taco fries. Although certainly unhealthy it was what I needed after a hard days touring. After eating I took the LUAS tram back to Smithfield Square and walked the ½ block or so to the hostel. I had planned on going to the Cobblestone Pub up the street but after a hard day’s touring I just wanted to go to bed. Which is what I did.

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Photos

Irish Fry
9.95 Euros at kylemore on O'Connell St. by the Spire

Comments

[D MJ Binkley]

Public transportation seems to be working
Hello William, Sounds like you familiarized yourself with the area before you headed out to explore. Enjoying reading your explorations. Like the Molly Malone photo. Can't wait to read more.