Jan 26 2010
Passage To Dublin
Dublin – the capital of Ireland, the home of Guinness. It’s a rather small city when compared to London and Paris. Nevertheless, it was a great experience to be there!
The O’Connell Street in the middle of the city is the main road. It’s where most of the monuments are located, such as the Parnell Monument, the O’Connell Monument and notably the 120m Spire of Dublin.
The Spire was built in 2003 as part of a plan to improve the streetscape. It’s erected at the exact location of Nelson’s Pillar, which was destroyed by a bomb in 1966.
I actually WOW-ed when I saw this structure, and I initially thought it’s used to absorb lighting or something. Really amazing to witness such a huge thorn!
Along the street there’s a Malaysian Chinese Restaurants called Pulau Pinang.
It was surprising to see a restaurant named after a tiny island in Malaysia. Never knew the Penang Island is well-known over here in Dublin huh? Penangites must be damn proud.
Entering a souvenir store, particularly Carroll’s, can be interesting as well.
This is Ken the Irish lamb with the clover leaf nose. Everyone say “Meeeekkk!”. It means “Hi!” in Lambish language.
And to anyone who doesn’t like me (I’m sure there is, I get hate comments every now and then) you can Póg Mo Thoin! The Irish way would be the best! =P
Anyway, here are some of the places I’ve been to during my visit to Dublin.
Firstly, the Dublin Zoo.
This is the group that went to Dublin, excluding me of course since I took this photo. Everyone seemed all hyped up to see some animals!
There wasn’t any special animal in particular, but I was attracted to this monkey – the Squirrel Monkey.
It’s hyperactive and cute.
Next, is the number one attraction in Dublin – the Guinness Storehouse! *Cheers*
Before my research on places to visit in Dublin, I can only think of the Guinness Storehouse! And do you know that Guinness for the Irish is like water for the Malaysian? I think they drink Guinness almost every day! With breakfast, lunch, teatime, dinner and maybe supper too! Imagine having Guinness with your roti telur.
Anyway, visitors receive a complimentary pint of Guinness at the Gravity bar, which is located at the highest floor of the building.
It’s definitely the best pint of Guinness around the world, since it’s freshly brewed from the brewery. Oh it’s Guinness Draught by the way, not Guinness Stout.
Besides producing Guinness like mad, they also have a huge variety of Guinness gifts and souvenirs.
Ranging from cups to plates, shirts to under wears and chocolates to everything, it’s almost impossible to leave Dublin without a Guinness-related item. If you do, it’s probably you hate black stuff!
However, the girls seem to go wild when it comes to Guinness.
I think I should drink more Guinness. You’ll never know what’s gonna happen next right? =P
Another must-visit place is the Kilmainham Gaol. No, it’s not a place where you shout “GOOAALLLL, Rooney scored!”. Not a stadium, it’s actually a prison.
And “Gaol” is actually pronounced as “Jail”.
It’s one of the largest unoccupied jails in Ireland. During the guided tour, we were brought to see prison cells and were told about the history as well. I would rate this attraction second behind Guinness Storehouse.
After that, we went to the National Wax Museum Plus.
This wax museum is not the typical Madame Tussauds with Justin Timberlake, Brad Pitt and David Beckham. It’s actually a museum which brings you back in time on a journey of famous individuals who have contributed in shaping the country.
One important individual was Sir Ken Wooi.
He signed some treaty with some big shot when Dublin was formed. What was it about? I’m not sure, I didn’t read what’s on the table, unfortunately.
Oh by the way, you gotta believe how much the Irish love Guinness.
They love it so much, that even Irish wax characters drink them!
After we’re done with the wax museum, we dropped by Trinity College.
Trinity College was built in the 18th century and till today it dominates the city landscape and it’s one of the oldest buildings around.
We managed to visit Malahide Castle too, which is located 40 minutes north-west from the city center.
Unfortunately it was closed by the time we reached. Most of the attractions are closed by 5pm. Very early I think.
Anyway on the last day, we made quick stops at a few famous landmarks. One of them was St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
It’s definitely a huge cathedral. You need to pay to enter it.
Next, the Christ Church can be seen from Patrick Street.
It’s where the heritage center, Dublinia and The Viking World is located. There are 3 exhibitions, namely the Viking World, Medieval Dublin and History Hunters. It’s a good place to be if you wanna know more about the history of Dublin.
The Dublin Castle is unlike those old bulky castles we usually see. It’s more of a large area with different blocks of buildings.
It doesn’t amaze me to be honest.
Next up, St. Stephen’s Green.
It’s a beautiful public park located in the city. You can definitely feel its tranquility when you stroll in the park.
Besides all that I’ve mentioned, I’ve visited some museums as well, such as the National Museum of Ireland and the National Gallery of Ireland. But they’re definitely no match against the famous museums in Paris.
Anyway, each of us bought a Dublin Pass during the trip.
Kinda cool right the pass? It gives free (actually I’ve paid when I buy the pass) entry to attractions, special offers when shopping and dining, free (again, paid) airport transfer and a free (paid) Dublin guidebook.
However, it might be costly. I bought my 2-day pass for €44.00 (RM220.00) but I didn’t fully utilize it because I didn’t manage to visit all the attractions listed. So if you’re confident in visiting all the listed places, yes you should consider the Dublin Pass.
The public transportation services in Dublin doesn’t have underground trains. Alternatively, you can travel by Dublin’s Luas trams.
But you can only go to few places with the tram – for instance O’Connell Street, Dublin Zoo, Kilmainham Gaol and Guinness Storehouse. On the other hand, you can take the public bus service.
These double-decker buses can be seen everywhere in the city.
I bought a 3-day Rambler Ticket at €13.30 (RM66.50) to travel around Dublin by public bus. It works exactly like an all-day ticket, except that you can choose from 1-day, 3-day and 5-day. We used it mainly to get to O’Connell Street from the place we stayed, and also to Dublin Zoo.
Here’s something tricky – getting on the right public bus to the desired destination can be quite frustrating. Since there are too many routes and too little in-depth information, it’s not easy to visit all the places by public bus.
Just look at the number of routes this particular bus stop has. I don’t even know which route goes where. I guess only the locals will know.
So, with the limitations of the tram and public bus services, the last resort is definitely walking. Actually the attractions are located quite near to each other, therefore walking could be a good idea.
On the bad side, walking can be tiring.
But with the Rambler ticket, taking the public bus and walking seem like a good combination – it gives us the freedom to roam freely. But if you want a quick hassle-free sightseeing tour around Dublin, you can check out the Dublin Sightseeing Bus Tours.
During my stay in Dublin, I didn’t try much Irish food. We only had Irish food on the last day – the Irish stew.
Guinness stouts are actually added to provide extra flavour and it tastes really good!
And yeah, even the coasters are Guinness-related.
Say no evil to Guinness, see no evil in Guinness – just indulge it!
During the Winter season, the sun sets at about 4pm and most of the shops are closed by 5pm. Unlike the shops in Malaysia where they open until 10pm because they wanna earn more money.
This is the Liffey river at night. Somehow it looks like the Seina river in Paris. In fact, the city layout of Dublin and Paris is almost similar. They are divided into north and south parts with a river in the middle. The difference is Paris is 2 times larger than Dublin.
Oh yeah, not forgetting the General Post Office at O’Connell Street.
It’s another prominent building and one might actually doubt that it’s a post office. Coz post offices are normally not as grand as that one.
Besides the usual night bars and clubbing venues, there is nothing much to do in Dublin. Most of us are quite tired after being out the whole day. Therefore retiring to the bed is probably the best option.
That is unless you’re a Utopia player. Any Utopia player reading this?
Hey, I saw Utopia version 2 here in Dublin.
And I think you might be interested to go in see see!
wheee first to leave comment *proud*
so u manage to survive from the wax house? not like the movie The House Of Wax *okey kidding i damn bo liao*
*serious* nice post!
wtf damn envy wanna earn more money and go travel *dublin in my travel list now*
how come so fast got ppl comment dy one????
Very nice pictures. You must be gaining a lot of experience throughout the journey. Btw, the ticket is very expensive if convert to RM ..
Got money will travel… you definitely travelled n did a good job in blogging bout it.. my hubs n i sit here nite after nite waiting for u next post leh.. :D
That’s flattering! Thanks! =)
damn nice..dublin place..but with ur camera lagi best..kekeke
from Nikel Khor
love the scenery
wow…lovely pics. So did you guys go to the Penang restaurant? hahaha
Nope, Penang food in Malaysia should be way better! =D
the irish stew looks yummy…hungry dy… damnn…
There’re so many ppl stalking ur blog, man!
Comments mushroom within hours. Haha…
How I wished to visit Europe…
Travelling around Europe surely gonna costs me a bomb!
=D
wow
Included in my list of ” Places to visit ” =D
keep us updated and enjoy yourself ~~
Wow! You are are enjoying yourself huh. Is this the trip of your life? :p
Wahh so nice.
Hi Ken, love your great pics here, but regret when I was in England, never ventured there.
Can imagine the fun you all had what with nice SYT’s around too.
Oh ya, all my life I can never finish even half a glass of Guinness, ha ha, but no problemos with Scotch or a Jack Daniel.
You have a nice day, best regards, Lee.
wow……..like you….did you notice how blue the sky is in countries other than malaysia? so blue and cloudless….
dublin… that is why joshua goh is.. he is doing his medical there now.. u really travel a lot..
I guess the Chinese (or in this case, Penangnites) are everywhere all over the world.
I had my first taste of guiness when I was a little kid. Took a sip from my grandpa who loved his guiness.
wah~ so many place d …
so, where is your next stop ya?
going to Holland?
guess i need RM15k to do this – tour around Europe in 1 month time
XD
wow… nice experiment!! you should drink more Guinness at there… ^.^
I had been in scotland for 10years and i had not been to Dublin, gosh how can it be, what a miss! ;(
i want the beef stew :)
Nice place. I haven’t been to Dublin before as I always got the impression that it is a rough place.
It must be a great experience for u! Well, guinness stout is indeed their daily drinks.
Wish I could be there! Must be fun and beautiful there! Enjoy and hope you got plenty of souvenirs!
I wanna go travel like you too :(
ken~ i want souvenirs~ haha
Wow! You travel a lot. *Envy eyes*
Wow!
Penang!
I am proud of having ‘penang’ in Dublin.
looks cool.would consider dublin someday. :P
sounds fun!!!! :S OMG!! ie wish ie was there! >_________<"
Meeekkkkkkk!
So you went to Dublin! soooo envy uuu!!
Guess you must had been busy lately. Haven’t seen you online for such a long time. Ahahah!
this is a so super long post. and yes, im so d*** proud about the pulau penang! lols
Nice Dublin!
I like the post office photo…nice one with the lines…must be taken thru a tripod i guess?
Oh yea, and indeed, Im going to Paris in May…thanks for dropping by both blogs…haha..=)
Hello , awww….nice pics :D
so u r one of the pros that i can learn from. =)
Enjoying the pictures u took.nicely done :)
eh how does the irish stew taste like?
and who did u go with?not with family i suppose?
wah. me no money go in see see. LOL =D enjoy!
Nooooooooooooooo Irish Stewwwwwwwwwww~~~
Ah! Ireland! Wanted to go there when I was in the UK – but winter was coming – getting too cold and the weather not too friendly. Didn’t make it in the end. Sigh!!!
NICE NICE…stay there forever lah..then everyday we can enjoy ur travel notes..=)
Nice pics, so good for you to be able to tour europe!!
wah!
the squirrel monkey is so cute!
^.^
Loved the photos! I’m jealous. Looks like you’ve had a lot of fun! <3
Say no evil to Guinness, see no evil in Guinness – just indulge it!
hahahaha this is funny!
beautiful pictures of experiences you have there in Ireland. ENJOY!
free guiness to drink…i also want leh…
Calling 873 0980 now..
great trip!!
i want to go too!!!
owh…interesting!
Just jaw dropping… Dude, you travel a lot! nice post. ;-)
Oh…now only I know Dublin is the home for Guinesse….paiseh :P
hey. i wanna go to dublin too!!!
wow, looks like Ireland = Guinness haha. Can’t wait to visit Ireland one day, looks just like how I always imagined it to be! =)
wow…no wonder pple love to go europe! And, you should drink lots of Guiness …lol
The buildings in Dublin are magnificent!
wow, what a great experienced of yours. I never been to that country.
thanks for sharing photos.
Oh noooooooooooooo! Ken you went to Dublin and turned into a lamb!!!! lmao
i like the squirrel monkey!!!*-*
wow…
really PULAU PINANG ehh??
lol!!!
wow!
so cool..
i wish to be there one day..
now is working very hard so that i can further my study in ireland..
‘meeeekkkkk ‘ Ken
Hahah waddup?! Still in Dublin eh? How’s things there? fun?
the Squirrel Monkey is so adorable! you sure had a great time there. =)
does the Guiness taste nicer in Dublin??
It depends. But Guinness there is freshly brewed. =)
haha u just said the stew was ‘good’ i was hoping got more explanation then ‘good’….lol
haha ok my bad.didn’t read abt going to with friends part.
Great article and very informative on the places you visited in Dublin, I also like the sign that had “kiss my ass” in two languages! Thant was funny. House of Wax and ap rison as well. The pics you took were great as well. Do visit my blogs and I hope all your travels are as much fun as this was.
Pulau Pinang^~^
Looking 4ward ur nxt post~ I like ur blog!
very interesing post. i would love to find out abt the Sir Ken Wooi in the wax museum.. mayb i shud google for it hehe
omg omg. guinness! I love that although I seldom drink beer :)
nice :)
So sad..
first, because i’m not from penang..
second, i’ve never been there before.. lol
Something interested me from your photos, it seems like you wont find even single rubbish at all places even at their roadside.. is it?
Yeah, the place is pretty clean. =)
i think i see a picture of you already. and nice pictures taken…
[Jino] – A man’s not a man unless he knows how to shoot
OMG NOW U R IN DUBLIN PULAKKKK!!! DAMN JEALOUS LORRR!! HEMPHHH!! UNFAIR!! COME BACKKK!! hahahahaa
Dublin is one of the places I want to go to next time.
Mostly for the music scene I heard that they have especially during summer!
That tall structure is indeed something! I would have thought it’s to absorb lightning too!
Pog Mo Thoin, Kenwooi! Hahaha!
The squirrel monkey looks cute! Any kenwooi monkey there? Haha, just kidding!
Wow! The Dublin Pass is very good! Must make use of it next time I go there, if ever I get to go there!
Wah! Your post so long, you are like fufu already ; )
Can make your comments come out on a separate window? Then I can comment and refer to your post instead of scrolling up and down, up and down : )
Man, that looks like a real fun trip. Can u go on a budget to dublin? like via airasia?
I went to London first. From there, I took Ryanair (which is a budget flight as well) to Dublin. =)
This is a very fascinating travel. I like the lamby :)
It is cute. Love the photos too.
Well, I like the restaurant. Pulau Pinang? huhu… wonder if they sell char kuew tiau over there.
like so nice lor.
I’m considered half penangites. *proud* Did you go in n try the food?
Nope! =)
hey there! (:
nice place..!! feel like going dy.. hahaa
btw… what camera you using?? nice pix !!
Just Canon 1000D. =)
well,
No other choice. haha.. Must eat in london china town whereby cant find cheaper food rather than MCD always. XD
heya kenwooi
how foreign land treating u?
the pulau pinang restaurant is actually owned by a malaysian or locals?
so jealous la.. all of a sudden ur posts are all about ur life overseas T.T
Love that look of that hearty stew. And the slow shutter speed-taken streams of light.
Adapting well to the climate there, i supposed?
Heya! Whassup! Hey, what course are you doing in Ireland? I got an offer to study in Dublin back in 1995, but it was too expensive. Wow, since you are in Ireland, I was wondering whether have you been to Derry/Londonderry in Northern Ireland where civil rights protesters weer shot dead by the Royal British Army back in 1972?
If you do, do you mind take some photos of landmarks or monuments related to the riot. Would really appreciate it if you do happen to be there or been there, if you could send some of those photos to my email at drwan76@yahoo.com.
Really appreciated it, pal!
I wowed for the Malaysian restaurant there in Dublin. I always prefer Chinese food than Malay or Indian food but it would be more great if there’s both Malay and Malaysian Indian restaurant too. Guiness everyday? Wow. I guess it’s kind of their national drink.
No Irish food until the last day? What did you eat then mostly?
Nice squirrel monkey.
Fast food, Tesco food and some Western food. =)
Hello. owwowow. U guys sure having lots of fun. it must be a great experience.
ur photos from canon 1000D is it?
Yes. =)
wow~ jealous oh~ again i really enjoy reading your blog and view all nice nice photo~ hehe very professional photographer~ you make me feel like wanna buy a high end camera :p
.♥ Omg ~ 90comments!
.♥ Good post my dear~*thumb up*
hey u bila nak balik mesia mehh?!!
I love STEW! LOL.
And English architecture still fascinates me nontheless =)
Looks like u r having a great trip over there. Awesomeness =)
Wheres the next destination?
I love the Dublin group photo taken by you Ken.
Love the reflection of the lake, really serene and beautiful!
I used to sampled Guinness too, fine but not too much liking on the taste!
bro…like ur dublin pics…hope to c new post soon…
Hey, nice photos ;)
For me, the main attraction in Ireland is Westlife!!! Hahahax
nice and innocent photos this time.Hah! Hah!
hi,how are you today?Welcome to my blog of FRIDGE MAGNET. Special price for you and friends!!
regards,
nora