Wanderlust #2 - Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, 1992 - Alone in Dublin, 2016

Good morning dear readers, happy Sunday!

Recently, I told you that the entries will become more interesting again because some trips are coming up. And that wasn't a lie :) Today, I want to tell you about my trip to Dublin. You might be wondering about the title of this entry, but I really felt like little Kevin when he wandered around in New York. Of course, I am much older than he was back then, but it was still a strange feeling to spend a day in a big city completely alone, without a plan. If you're thinking now, 'that's nothing special, I do that often' - please consider that I have never done something like this before. Before my semester abroad, I talked about wanting to travel alone, but I don't know if I would have actually done it. But now the situation is different. Going somewhere alone where you don't know your way around is great, you can experience so much when you're on your own, you only do what you want and you feel like a little adventurer :D 
Well, enough explanations, let's get started:

From Cork to Dublin it is about 270 km. Since I don't have a car and I don't really want to drive on the left side, I had to find another way. Fortunately, there is (attention, tip for all those who might come to Ireland) an Aircoach/Bus that goes from Cork to Dublin and to Dublin Airport. The journey takes 3 hours and is really cheap. If you buy a ticket online, you also have a guaranteed seat, so I did that and the 3 hours just flew by while admiring the beautiful Irish landscape.

When I arrived in Dublin, I wasn't sure what I should see first. I had picked out a few things that I really wanted to do, but rain was forecasted for the afternoon, so I just ran through the city first. Aimless, but happy :D 

River Liffey as seen from O'Connell Bridge

I had already heard a lot about the famous Temple Bar area. I really liked it there.

Afterwards, I went to the beautiful St. Patrick's Cathedral. At first, I wasn't sure if I should even go inside or if it was enough to see it from the outside. One thing in advance - if you're there, PLEASE go inside! It's definitely worth the entrance fee. I spent a whole hour inside the cathedral. It is absolutely beautiful and simply huge. In addition to the historical facts that you can read there, you can also try things out 'at the learning place'; touch materials, paint, listen to music or build the nave of the church. And of course, light candles. I don't know why, but in every church I visit, I light a candle. Here are some pictures:

Near the cathedral is St. Stephen's Green, a public, very large park. I have never been to Central Park, but I imagine it to be similar. Very large, very beautiful, very crowded. Even a wedding party took photos there, it was also nice to see :)

Cute, fat duck :D 

Afterwards, I continued walking along the street to the Disney Store. 3 floors!! Yes, the little girl in me comes out again, but don't worry, I spare you the pictures :D

I want to show you something more interesting that I was looking forward to the whole day: Trinity College Dublin. On the campus is the exhibition of the 'Book of Kells', which was declared a World Heritage Site in 2011. I have to admit that I only briefly went through the exhibition, because at the other end is what I was really waiting for:

The Long Room 

I have no idea how many books are in there, but for book lovers like me, there is probably no better place. An indescribable feeling to stand inside. Simply wonderful.

Afterwards, I booked a Dublin Discovery Boat Tour, which was also great. Especially because I was alone with two English people and the tour guide. Having a private tour was really great, we learned a lot and had a lot of discussions. I also learned more about the history of Ireland in the 45 minutes of the tour than in my history class at university... :) However, it started raining during the tour, so I only have one picture for you. Besides, it was too cold for me to take pictures, being directly by the water, in the rain (but under a roof) and wind, it quickly becomes very very cold.

O'Connell Bridge from the water

Unfortunately, it continued to rain for a while, so I had to cut my exploration of the northern side very short and then went to Starbucks. Yay, warmth! Yay, coffee! Yay, the Starbucks Christmas editions are here! YAY :) 

Toffee Nut Latte - Hello Christmas spirit :) 

Finally, here are some impressions from nighttime Dublin:

It was a beautiful day in Dublin, which I will probably repeat with my friends during Advent. Today, we still have the 'Christmaslights Switch on' event on our plan here in Cork; at 7.15, the Christmas lights on the main street will be turned on. I'm really looking forward to it. But now I have to stop, we will now plan our trip to Amsterdam. We're leaving on Thursday :)

Sending you lots of love and greetings from Cork 

xxx Danni