Ireland trip day 3 - Dublin

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Saturday May 12 – Ireland Day 3 – Dublin

Another good but tiring day. I got up around 9AM and my roommates were all sleeping still so I got dressed quietly and went to the computer station of the hostel. I invested a few hours going through my pictures and doing my blog for Friday. After I finished I went back to the room and everyone was up and gone so I didn't have to worry about noise and I locked away the stuff I would not need while touring in my under bed locker and loaded up what I needed in my messenger bag. This of course included a refill of my 20 Ozarka water bottle I had brought from home. I refill and reuse it every day. Not sure what bottled water cost here but I’m sure it’s pricey.

I walked down the alley by the hostel to a restaurant called Christophe’s. They have both breakfast and a sort of traditional Irish food. I had ham, potatoes, dressing, carrots and water to drink. The ham was delicious but to me salty as I use no salt with my meals.

After eating, I walked to the LUAS Smithfield stop and took the tram to the Basarus stop. From there I walked over to the Connolly train station and used their machine to purchase a ticket with return to Howth. It was around 4.50E but I’m not sure exactly what. It was a very long walk from the ticket center to the platform the train leaves from but I don’t rush things and figure if I miss this train another will be by in a bit. As it turned out I only had an 8 minute wait and I took the train to Howth. At the exit from the station in Howth and across the street I saw a bus stop for the 31 bus that went back into Dublin. I walked towards town a bit and saw a bus stop for the 31 bus that went to Howth Summit and figured that the best way to do the cliffs walk would be to take the bus to Howth Summit and walk back. So that is what I did. For 1.40 Euros the 31 bus took me to a restaurant near the summit with about a 100 yards steep walk up the hill to the parking area for people who came in their cars. From there I went through a gap in the fence to a magnificent overlook of the sea and a postcard view of the lighthouse and sea. It was a really breathtaking view. I enjoyed a very long look at the view. Afterwards I started walking along the cliff walk back to town. The cliff walk feeds back into a street after quite a while and I noticed there were bus stops for the 31 bus on it but thought that the last bus for the day had already run. BIG MISTAKE. As I kept walking and walking and walking back from the outskirts of the town to the harbor, about 3 buses passed me. I had already had enough of a hike for the day and was smooth worn out time I finally got back to the harbor. I stopped on a bench and rested up a bit before making the final trek to the DART station. I now know if I had it to do over I would have just caught the 31 bus from outside the train station in Howth and just explored the area around the parking lot at the top of the summit. Then taken the 31 bus back down into town. The view of the lighthouse and sea is magnificent and I would say it’s not worth the trek back into town along the cliffs unless you are just into hiking. I’m very quickly learning that there is no need to worry about getting in your walking in Ireland.

I caught the train back from Howth to Connolly Station. From there I walked over to Basarus Station and caught the LUAS back to Springfield Square. After going to my room to clean up a bit I went over to the Cobblestone Pub hoping to enjoy a pint and some traditional Irish music. I was lucky to even be able to squeeze in the door. The place was jam packed. So I gave up on that idea and went to the Supermarket here in Smithville Square and bought a pint of milk and a sandwich which I sat in the square and ate while people watching. I was smooth worn out but had enjoyed a good day. After eating I went back to my room and turned in.



The public transportation here is very good here. I use the LUAS Red line quite a bit. The Green line not so much so as its first station starts at St Stephens Green which is about as far south as a tourist would want to go. The 140 and 46A buses covers the gap between the two. The 46a bus is useful as it runs across town pretty much East to West although it takes a long time to get to Phoenix Park. And the both busses run O’Connell St. and by Trinity College, Grafton Street, the Museum of Irish History, St Stephens Green, etc. Both can be caught at O'Connell Street.When you get on the bus you tell the driver where you want to go and he will tell you how much to pay. 1 or 2 Euro coins are useful to pay with. No change is given but the driver will give you a ticket with a refund due showing on it. The refund can be redeemed at the Dublin Bus Head Office at 59 Upper O’Connell St.( near the Spire) You can also get schedules and ask questions there.

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Photos

Lunch at Christophe's
Lunch at the restaurant by the hostel

Cliff Walk
View of the cliff walk from the summit back into Howth

Bikes for hire
Bikes for hire at Smithfield Square

All I needed for my laptop
This was all I needed for my laptop to work in Ireland. The charger for the laptop worked here in Ireland as well as the USA. I did have to use the adaptor plug.

Comments

[LAURA]

travels
good to now you are staying active , you quite the traveler , the pictures are good , the picture of cliff overlooking the sea is the way mom explained w/ the lighthouse , have a good trip

[D MJ Binkley]

America is a driving country
Good Morning William, you are indeed getting in a lot more walking than you would in the states. Almost every country we have been to other than the US is designed for walking. In America, we generally drive even if it is only a couple of blocks. You will be in good shape when you return. Hope you have good shoes.

[Sojourner1208]

walking
Thanks . That's one of the main reason I travel....because it gives me new places to walk. I want to walk in beautiful places.