Well the snows virtually gone, the main PC has packed up, but walking for the bus this morning the bus driver let us on outside the front door. Admittedly there was a bit of a jam , but better than some of the miseries you get.
A few things I noticed in Dublin:
In these days of super duper mobiles , Dublin is as up to date as anywhere , but it seems everyone just has the default ringtone on their phone which is far more annoying that the MP3 customisation that we get over here.
Also in the posh (well five quid for a hot chocolate , knockin' Travolta's five dollar shake for six) Butler's Chocolate Cafe , you have to collect your drinks from the counter . I was flabbergasted. At five quid a drink I expect MORE than waitress service!!!
Alternatively in the decent pubs such as the Ha'Penny Bridge, The Druids Cair , The Queens and Finnegans they server the drinks at your table no matter how busy they are.
Showing posts with label Dublin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dublin. Show all posts
Tuesday 3 February 2009
Sunday 1 February 2009
Dublin Images 2009 ... With Guinness
Now back from Dublin , and thought the simplest way to show the pictures was to just do a brace short videos. The first is stuff around Dublin , soundtracked by the Dubliners "Seven Drunken Nights" which you can download here:
The second is from the Guinness Storehouse which is well worth a visit despite being in a fairly dodgy part of the city, the soundtrack of this is "Guaglione" by Perez Prado that you can download here. To Celebrate the 250th Anniversary of Guinness in 2009 there is a CD of iconic music used in their adverts , available here. This is a direct link to the Virtual Tour
The second is from the Guinness Storehouse which is well worth a visit despite being in a fairly dodgy part of the city, the soundtrack of this is "Guaglione" by Perez Prado that you can download here. To Celebrate the 250th Anniversary of Guinness in 2009 there is a CD of iconic music used in their adverts , available here. This is a direct link to the Virtual Tour
That's it for today!!
Sunday 25 January 2009
In Dublin....
And they're charging 12.5 Euros for a days wi-fi access and the bus drivers seem intent on telling which busses you can't catch rather than what you can catch.
On the plus side the Druid's Chair in Killiney is fully redecorated and still providing totally excellent service and Guinness. Also The Queen's Head in Dalkey is still doing their excellent Bacon and Cabbage which tastes far better than it sounds!
The ASUS is a bit small for my fingers so I'll expand these entries with pictures and video at a later date.
Highlights of the week included the visit to the Guiness Storehouse finishing up with a pint in the Gravity Bar.
Also theres an updating of "Playboy of The Western World" by Roddy Doyle and Bisi Adigun , which was playing to packed houses at the Abbey Theatre , see here, and is absolutely superb. Hopefuly it'll tour the rest of the world at some point.
On the plus side the Druid's Chair in Killiney is fully redecorated and still providing totally excellent service and Guinness. Also The Queen's Head in Dalkey is still doing their excellent Bacon and Cabbage which tastes far better than it sounds!
The ASUS is a bit small for my fingers so I'll expand these entries with pictures and video at a later date.
Highlights of the week included the visit to the Guiness Storehouse finishing up with a pint in the Gravity Bar.
Also theres an updating of "Playboy of The Western World" by Roddy Doyle and Bisi Adigun , which was playing to packed houses at the Abbey Theatre , see here, and is absolutely superb. Hopefuly it'll tour the rest of the world at some point.
Wednesday 27 February 2008
Seven Days In Dublin Again #2
Just reading the rather excellent Pies and Prejudice by Stuart Maconie and the man from Wigan points out that Dublin's name is extrapolated from the gaelic "dubh" meaning black and 'linh" meaning pool. So Dublin is Ireland's very own Blackpool!! I think generally the name is about the only thing the two places have in common.
As this was our second time we managed to track down decent places to go and hit the target every time.
The Ha'penny Bridge pub , next to the Ha'penny Bridge (no surprise there) , serves an excellent pint of Guinness (to everyone in the pub when I was there) , and managed to screen the Manchester United and Celtic matches simultaneously , and still provide a warm welcome and superb service.
Across the Halfpenny Bridge is The Winding Stair and book shop cum restaurant (Michelin Guide Listed) that scores highly in both departments. Some excellent and unusual books are on sale and the food was absolutely gorgeous, though I get the impression that you do have to book , so make sure you phone if you fancy a meal there.
Also this there seem to be fewer beggars , being split between sad cases who sit holding out a McDonald's cup and the cheery ones selling The Big Issue or plaing some musical instruments. The latter ones actually brighten up the streets and walkways so got some donations from me.
Also checked out Tower records which among the normal stuff had many unusual psychedelic gems and is recommended. They were playing Beefheart and Amon Duul over the PA , not something you hear everyday anywhere!!!
As well as that we visited some museum in Dublin Castle which had a Japanese art display and a green area decorated with snakes in the form of a Celtic design . Well worth a look.
Another thing about Dublin , is the preposterous number of pharmacies everywhere. The Irish don't strike me as being a particularly ill race, far from it. Maybe it's because of the number of pharmacies that they manage to stave off all the possible ailments. Theres one particularly pleasant example in Dalkey (out of the four that I noticed , which is the one below.
As this was our second time we managed to track down decent places to go and hit the target every time.
The Ha'penny Bridge pub , next to the Ha'penny Bridge (no surprise there) , serves an excellent pint of Guinness (to everyone in the pub when I was there) , and managed to screen the Manchester United and Celtic matches simultaneously , and still provide a warm welcome and superb service.
Across the Halfpenny Bridge is The Winding Stair and book shop cum restaurant (Michelin Guide Listed) that scores highly in both departments. Some excellent and unusual books are on sale and the food was absolutely gorgeous, though I get the impression that you do have to book , so make sure you phone if you fancy a meal there.
Also this there seem to be fewer beggars , being split between sad cases who sit holding out a McDonald's cup and the cheery ones selling The Big Issue or plaing some musical instruments. The latter ones actually brighten up the streets and walkways so got some donations from me.
Also checked out Tower records which among the normal stuff had many unusual psychedelic gems and is recommended. They were playing Beefheart and Amon Duul over the PA , not something you hear everyday anywhere!!!
As well as that we visited some museum in Dublin Castle which had a Japanese art display and a green area decorated with snakes in the form of a Celtic design . Well worth a look.
Another thing about Dublin , is the preposterous number of pharmacies everywhere. The Irish don't strike me as being a particularly ill race, far from it. Maybe it's because of the number of pharmacies that they manage to stave off all the possible ailments. Theres one particularly pleasant example in Dalkey (out of the four that I noticed , which is the one below.
Tuesday 19 February 2008
Seven Days In Dublin Again #1
Back in Dublin this January , with the knowledge to avoid awful pubs like Goggerty's in Temple bar.
We decided to try either end of the DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transport) line , well Howth at one end and Bray ate the other.
Howth is a small village with a marina that makes no attempts to pander to tourists. It's obviously just "take us as we are" , none of your normal seaside rubbish. Unfortunately this was the day I forgot my camera so had to rely on my mobile phone . However one place that caught my eye was a photographic studios. The pictures in the window were obviously someones pride and joy , but I thought it was more like the children of the damned!! Well maybe that's a bit harsh , but they were scary none the less.
The town centre is pleasant and there's one fish 'n' chip shop , but we lunched in the Abbey Tavern , where the Guinness was excellent , the fish and chips likewise , and the T-Shirts reasonable!!
Bray was a different kettle of fish entirely , or so it seemed. Got off the train and were accosted by some drunk outside a Chinese takeaway . Didnt get much better and although the coastal scenery is breathtaking we couldnt find the town centre and when we did it looked like two steps down from Gateshead high street (that's not good), We took our chances in the first pub we came across , expecting the worst , but onece through the door the place was very pleasant , service and Guinness again absolutely excellent. We didnt have much time in Bray but will check it out properly next year.
We decided to try either end of the DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transport) line , well Howth at one end and Bray ate the other.
HOWTH
Howth is a small village with a marina that makes no attempts to pander to tourists. It's obviously just "take us as we are" , none of your normal seaside rubbish. Unfortunately this was the day I forgot my camera so had to rely on my mobile phone . However one place that caught my eye was a photographic studios. The pictures in the window were obviously someones pride and joy , but I thought it was more like the children of the damned!! Well maybe that's a bit harsh , but they were scary none the less.
The town centre is pleasant and there's one fish 'n' chip shop , but we lunched in the Abbey Tavern , where the Guinness was excellent , the fish and chips likewise , and the T-Shirts reasonable!!
BRAY
Bray was a different kettle of fish entirely , or so it seemed. Got off the train and were accosted by some drunk outside a Chinese takeaway . Didnt get much better and although the coastal scenery is breathtaking we couldnt find the town centre and when we did it looked like two steps down from Gateshead high street (that's not good), We took our chances in the first pub we came across , expecting the worst , but onece through the door the place was very pleasant , service and Guinness again absolutely excellent. We didnt have much time in Bray but will check it out properly next year.
Saturday 28 July 2007
Seven Days In Dublin #1
The real reason for setting up this blog was the mad things you tend to see when you're away from home on holiday.
In January 2007 I spent a week in Dublin , near a place called Dún Laoghaire.
It's pronounced Dun Leery !!
It was at the station there I saw a great example of the dual language type fun , not exactly Samuel L Jackson , but funny .
Dublin is an excellent place to go , but has become very cosmopolitan and wealthy over the past few years. If you're travelling a lot by public transport it's worth getting a DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transport) that does you for the buses & trains.
Going in one night I was on a bus surrounded by Italians and Poles , and remember thinking "Kinell , It's like I'm in a foreign country!!!" . I then remembered that I actually was . Doh!!!
We were in a hotel outside Dalkey which is a pleasant seaside village. In one of the pubs , I went to the loo and saw this, thinking that's an accident waiting to happen . Chewing Gum , Jelly Beans and Condoms in the same machine after ten pints. Though after ten pints the condoms wouldn't be much use to most blokes anyway.
There's a rather good pub called The Druid's Chair that serves excellent Guinness , and has some excellent views out over the Irish Sea. Like this:
In Dalkey itself , we found an excellent Italian restaurant called Benitos!! . The war pictures on the wall should have alerted us to the inspiration behind the name. The food and service were great , so it's well worth tracking down if you're in that nck of the woods.
Back in Dun Leery we went to a restaurant , and this was the menu. Fine but the cost of two courses separately was 2 Euros cheaper than buying them together. I asked the waitress about it but no explanation was forthcoming.
Another amazing site in Dublin the the 600 Foot (or is it metres) Spike in the main street. It's lit up at night and looks mental.
The name of this place tickled me, not that I'm likely to frequent such a place with my excellent taste in food. Though I think they're a chain as I started to see a lot more of them (It wasnt the Guinness, honest)
Another fun thing was this old French Beer advertisement , which I'm sure would go down well these days , well with most of the punters I know!
If you're drinking or looking for night life in Dublin , Temple Bar is the place to head for , However the main pub seems to be Gogerty's Bar ,and while if you're looking for "company" it's fine , but the Guinness was atrocious. We started a Musical Pub Crawl there and the band drank water . Subsequently they were on the Black Stuff , but obviously had the same opinion of Gogerty's that I did. The musical Pub Crawl was well worth doing, Apparently the do a literary one as well , but we didnt get a chance to sample that.
I'll add to this as I remember stuff . Comments welcome
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