The luck of the Irish!

All in a day Dublin Ireland

As the time drew near to my next trip to the UK I decided that I would go to Ireland for a day by my self. I had never been and decided to leave the friends and family behind in the lovely city of Lytham St Annes on the west coast of the England, hop down to Liverpool and fly over to the Emerald Isle. I began to think, what can I really do in one day in Dublin Ireland? What would I really want to see and what would everyone else who goes there want to see? I am a lover of beer, and yes women do like beer, so the Guinness Store house was on my list and to take in some traditional food and music is also on the top, as well as the nightlife. Where to stay, there are so many lovely hotels and loads of hostels, if your really budgeting. What money do they use and what is the exchange rate? Will it be dangerous for me as a young woman to travel alone? It can be scary to travel to a foreign country on your own. So many questions to answer and so little time to do it in. It became AN obsession.

I am lucky enough to have family in the UK already and I get to go over and visit them when I can without paying for a hotel and transport and things of the sort. It saves you a ton of money. Europe is expensive and never in a millions year did I think that I would get to say yes I have been to Europe. The public transportation system over there is amazing and so inexpensive. I could go nearly any where in a day!

Irish Flag

I decided on Ireland because it was only a 45 minute flight and really inexpensive especially around this time of year. When we booked the flights to the UK I realized later that I would be coming back to the States on St. Patrick’s Day, what a bummer! I wish I would have given it a little bit of fore thought. So I have set a few things that I had to look at first and lucky you if you haven’t been there before, when you read this it will help answer some of the questions that you will have as well. I will give some links of the sites where I found my information and what answers I came up with. After my trip I will be able to let you know what is fact and what is pure fiction.

I will be flying out of Pittsburgh Airport and to Manchester UK. The flight over is almost always over night, seven hours long and to be honest it really helps with the jet lag. They are five hours ahead and it really wears you out. The cost of a flight this time of year is relatively inexpensive, about $600 round trip booked through Expedia. I have used Travelocity as well, they both are pretty good. Now if you stay in  Manchester there are so many amazing hotels, as far as cost I have never researched it. I can say that I have stayed in a bed and breakfast once when I went over and it was an amazing experience. I wish I could remember the name of the B&B but it was many years ago. The inn keeper was extreamly polite and told me all about the places near by and even let me borrow his dog for a walk. A British breakfast is really something you should have so filling and so tasty. Boiled tomatoes, eggs, sausage and delicious bread. I would have one every day if I could.

I have been around the coast a good bit and I have been to Manchester for a night on the town. I can tell you that  Don Giovannis restaurant is fantastic the food and atmosphere is excellent and the employees are very attentive. But Manchester will be another day.

Things I wanted to know Before I went

Flights from England to Ireland

I found out that there is a super cheap way to fly to places around Europe. The airline is called Ryanair. They have good prices on their flights but watch out for the hidden fees. There are fees for baggage and all sorts but you can get the flight for way less then the other airlines. I have yet to fly Ryanair but I have been told that it is extremely basic, nothing at all fancy no special treatment, drinks or any of the small amenities that the big airline offers. I have found a flight out of Liverpool for only £49.00. That about $77.00, not bad right?

Where to stay

I looked at all sorts of sites just buy google searching places to stay in Dublin. Most things that I read said to stay south of the Liffey River. It is all touristy and most of the things you want to see will be there I looked for a central location. I also considered the places I want to see. I decided to stay in the Temple Bar area which seems to be a overly touristy area plus Trinity College is right there. so I am guessing that if you want to relax and enjoy the country side then this area isn't the place for you. I my self like a lot of people and noise and crowds. I love the atmosphere it brings and I also love to people watch. There are several night clubs in there area too so I'll get to see what the club scene is like Irelands beautiful capitol.  I am staying at the RiverHouse hotel.

Where to visit

77 North King Street. Great trad sessions as they call it.

Now that I have those two things figure out what can I do while I'm there besides drink beer? I am a very green photographer and scenery is very important to me. This will be the first time I get to really use my new camera on vacation. I knew that there were at least three things I couldn't miss while I was there Guinness, Trinity College and a traditional pub.

There are so many pubs in Temple Bar but I wanted the feel of the non touristy type of places. I decided to do a google search for pubs with traditional music and found the Cobblestone Pub in the Smithfield area. I know that a lot of the articles I read said to stay south of the Liffey River but really I would rather go to a place that isn't full of people like me. I plan to take a taxi instead of walking or walking to the nearest bus stop. I think that the little bit of extra money you will spend for a taxi is well worth it. Again being a woman alone in a different country, all safety precautions should be taken. I am really excited to go to the Cobblestone I have watched many YouTube videos of the musicians and it looks like a great time.

While I was looking at the website for the Guinness Storehouse I noticed that they had a walking tour map called iwalk. You can find it in my link or on the Guinness website under podcast there is also some music and things you can download there. There are other walking tours like National Geographic one day in Dublin that start at certain places in the city but I have decided to start mine at Trinity College then head towards the Storehouse by end the day for dinner time,  have a few pints then back to the hotel to get ready for the evening at the Cobblestone. I will hit all three points of interest and many more on my way there which I will list upon my return.

Other little things that really aren't so little

Money

They use the Euro in Ireland. I check the exchange all the time with a great app that I have on my iPhone 4S called Currency made by Onda. As of 02/28/2012 the rate was $1.34 for every £1.00. The fact that the exchange is better for the British Pound and I happen to have access to a bank account in England means that I will use Pounds( £ ) to exchange for Euros ( € ). You get €1.18 for every £1.00. There ya go.

Not getting duped on taxi rides was also a big concern for me I found a nifty website that gives you an estimate on what certain trips should cost. I am positive in EVERY part of the world including the US that you can get tricked into paying more for a taxi ride then a local. The site I found is called World Taxi Meter. It will give you a good idea of the cost for a txi ride any where in the world.

Local travel

I haven't looked too much into anything but the bus lines. Only because I will take a bus from the airport to the hotel. Dublin has a great way to plan your trips around the city according to public transportation routes http://www.dublinbus.ie/. I found it to be very informative and lets you really see the places you can and can't get to on a bus. There are other forms of transport like the Luas and the Dart. The main parts of my trip will be walking and taxi.

Safety

As far as I have read and searched the most common crime is pick pocketing more then anything else. Guns and pepper spray are illegal in Ireland so if you were thinking about getting mace when you landed think again. My best suggestion is to just be cautious and not look like a tourist. Dress like the locals and try your best to not walk around holding a map and scratching your head. I plan on jeans and dark tennis shoes. I have been told that white tennis shoes for some reason are a sign of tourist. I am sure I'll spice it up for the evening out on the town. I will also use the hotel safe for things of value that I may leave in the hotel.

The end of the boring stuff

I am so exited to go it's only days away and I will be spending a evening in Manchester as well and a day in London. I will elaborate on the things that I see and do there too. I will be posting tons of photos when I return as well and if I'm not too busy posting a few things while I am on my trip. I would really like any feedback on things you would like me to find out if I can and places that you may suggest to see in any of the places that I will be.


Happy Traveling!!


Jade