Dublin: Day 2

I've just arrived at my grandparents' home in Bydgoszcz, Poland, after a short

day in Dublin.

This morning, we had some nice continental breakfast at our hotel before going

on a walking tour of the main city. This time we were just on time and went on a

midday stroll through the city. The tour guide was born in the city, so he knew

it like the back of his hand. We started at the Spire on O'Connell St and

learned some of the town's history as we walked on some of the side streets.

Eventually, after passing through "Little Italy," we crossed the River Liffey,

the main river of Dublin. On our way, we passed an interesting Church that was

converted to a restaurant/bar.

After we crossed the Liffey, we took a walk on Temple Bar, which is actually a

street. The street is famous for its pubs and restaurants. Pictured above is one

of its many bars. On one of its side streets, we saw the wall of fame, which

included pictures of some of Ireland's most famous musicians. Some of the people

there were Bono from U2, and the singer Sinead O'Connor. While walking through

the city, we were pondering what we could do when we returned in two weeks. One

idea we had was to go on an excursion leaving the city. The guide was able to

recommend a bus tour to the Wicklow region south of Dublin, so we'll get to see

some great scenery and traditional Irish villages in a few weeks when we go on the tour.

To end the tour, we walked into the historic Trinity College, and exited to

Grafton St. After one final walk down Grafton St, we took the Luas tram back to

the hotel for the last time to pick up our bags and go to the airport. The

airport bus got so crowded that they stopped letting passengers step on.

Luckily, we were an early stop so we had a place to sit on the first bus.

We arrived at Dublin's airport 3 hours early, so we had time to waste. For

dinner, we had hamburgers at a very overpriced restaurant with an "outdoor"

terrace, but the terrace didn't have food, and it was in the middle of the

airport, with absolutely no view. The food was good nonetheless.

Our two-hour flight to Bydgoszcz was relatively smooth, but the landing was one

of the hardest I've had in a while. The Bydgoszcz airport was surprisingly busy

even though we landed at 9PM. Because three airplanes landed within a one-hour

period, the airport was at a peak in traffic. Typically, there are only four or

five flights a day.

I'm now sitting at my grandparents' home, and having a "family reunion" with my

uncle and grandparents. I am quite shocked though about the speed of the dial-up

connection at the apartment. I never remembered dial-up being so slow. Anyways,

I'll be spending some time with family, so you might not get any updates for a

few days, but in 10 days, I'll be going to Budapest, so you'll be hearing a lot

more.