About four in the morning we boarded yet another ferry to get to our final destination: Dublin. This particular hostel was indeed more spacious in that with six to a room there were a good three paces of floor space, but was far less clean the Aran accommodations. The city does however offer a much greater variety of options for lodging ranging from four-star hotels to hole in the hostels only slightly above curling up in a dumpster (ours lingered on the spacious dumpster end). As the capitol, Dublin its self is the run of the mill European city: medieval architecture, cobblestone streets, bronze statues and hordes of pigeons in a quaint town square, and of course a river running through the center. And not unlike other European cities Dublin is filthy, cramped, crowded, noisy, and boasts an almost constant rainfall. While most of Ireland is warm and friendly, like most big cities even Irish hospitality can run thin. And unlike the rural regions, Dublin has some pretty rough area, so it’s best to stick to the beaten path. Female tourists would do best to travel in pairs or groups when outside of tourist areas. But weather and urban woes aside, the city is home to some of history’s greatest treasures such as the Dark Ages Book of Kells in the Trinity College Library in its multitude of stellar museums. Book enthusiasts will be pleasantly surprised by the number of bookshops we found—a fitting phenomenon for a land of scholars. Big city lovers will enjoy the pulse of face-paced energy as well as variety of attractions and night life. Needless to say, fans of calmer country sides will tire quickly of the hustle and bustle and occasional scent of urine in the streets. But for the ultimate Irish city experience, Dublin is a must, but Galway can also suffice for those averse to the hassle of big city travel. |
