Surprise Dublin Trip
As I mentioned yesterday I am not going to LotuSphere this year. When I realised I wouldn't be going I decided to finally send off my application for a photo driving licence. To do this I had to send my passport off with it. Luckily, in hindsight, Karen came in before I put it all in the envelope and asked "Are you sending that off somewhere?", to which I replied "Yeah, why should I not?". This put Karen in the awkward situation of not wanting to tell me not to but also not wanting to say I could. Reason being she's taking me on what was to be a surprise trip to Dublin. We fly tonight.
We were supposed to have gone there last year but my trip to Bermuda clashed with the dates. Now I can tick off Ireland as another European country whose capital I've visited. I'm running starting to run out of countries to visit on short weekend trips now. Only the Nordic countries and Eastern Europe left.
It's a good job I'm not going to Florida this month in a way. Karen refuses to see my recent business trips as any other than "holidays". In her eyes the more holidays I go on the bigger hers will have to be in the summer to make up for it. She loves to tell people "Jake's been on 4 holidays this year and he didn't take me anywhere".
Anyway, I'll take the camera and post some photos on Monday. Apart from the Guinness and Jameson's tours what should I make sure I do?
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Have you been to Prague already?
And I don't mean for a Friday drinking party, like lost of Englanders do...
Make sure you take Karen to Grafton Street and give her your credit card. That should start to make up for all the holidays you have taken ;-)
The Go Kartings is a laugh, it's near the airport.
If the Guiness place is open at night, thats the best time to go, a pint of Guiness (the best you will ever taste, really) and a 7th floor, 360 degree view of nighttime Dublin.
Have a great time.
You need to visit the oldest pub in dublin. Cant remember its name. But dont confuse it with the oldest pub in Ireland, which is also in dublin! Confused? We were!
The Brazen Head is its name. Go there. Its just across the river from Jamesons.
And get a Dublin Pass to avoid big queues at Guinness. When we went in May the queue was massive. We walked straight in.
Look here: {Link}
The one that Adam G forgot to recommend, is don't what ever you do go to the Wax Works museum, it's free to enter with the Dublin Pass, but I still feel that we were ripped off at that price!!!
Jake
I am sure the needle in O' Connell St wil provide you with some photographic challenges.
Temple Bar is a bit touristy but it can be interesting for a wander around.
I had a very good meal in the Elephant and Castle in Temple Bar though it was over five years ago.
If you can get out to an out of town pub somewhere especially on Sunday lunch after mass the craich as they say is great.
The clarence hotel of U2 fame is an interesting venue for a drink.
Trinty college and the book of Kells if you are into the old.
But one of the things I really enjoyed about Ireland is that most of the bartenders have an ability to serve multiple customers while waiting for gallons of guiness to settle all without a bad word.
Josef. Yes I went to Prague about four years ago. I like to think I achieved a nice balance between drinking and sight-seesing whilst there ;o)
Thanks for the rest of the info guys. Going to print it out and take it with me.
Tacky as this might sound, I did an open top bus tour in Dublin and really enjoyed it. It may have been because the tour guide was interested and interesting and the presentation was bright and cheerful, rather than the usual monotone voice.
[In case anyone wonders, I'm not a serial tour bus user, rather I work in a London office that is on a tour route and the buses tend to stop at nearby traffic lights, giving me the same part of the tour repeatedly throughout the day.]
Take the Jamesons tour and be a volunteer at the start of it - its worth it!
Well, I reckon you're long gone by now but if not I'd head over to Kilmarnock Jail. It's a really interesting place to visit. Plus, it's the prison where the Italian Job was filmed so the main cell block will have that "I'm sure I know this place" kind of feel.
From an Australian (well, at least New South Wales point of view) it sounds unusual to have to send your passport somewhere to get a photo licence. When we renew (or apply for) our licence we just go to the Motor Registry, get sat infront of a digital camera, they take a snap and your plastic credit card sized photo licence arrives in the mail a week or so later.