Posted on June 10, 2013

… To Dublin. Alone – and just a little lonely – but it was still worth doing.

I’d already been once before, but this time I fancied returning to see/do the things I missed out on the first time. Also it was my first time travelling solo, and I was like “well this would be a good opportunity to see how you get on”.

It took a while between landing and checking in, so I used this gap in time to visit The Book of Kells at Trinity College (a major tourist trap this time of year but still worth seeing). I took some photographic evidence:

 

The Old Library (a notable literary inspiration) complete with all its various treasures from throughout its history (yes I know the photos don’t do it justice but I couldn’t resist a little snapping):

Dublin is a city with a certain atmosphere which is hard to pin down. It feels almost like Britain (being in relatively close proximity, and with the people speaking English and everything) but it has rather more of a European vibe. The summer heatwave certainly contributed to that feeling, as I ran about like crazy, here and there, trying to decide how put little ole me to the best use in this place.

So I turned it into a mini-adventure; I went to places of interest on a whim, I ate a ton of salady veggie food from the outlets which have popped out around the city, I took pictures, I did a ridiculous amount of walking. I visited Kilkenny and the coastal town of Dalkey, both very pleasant places to spend a morning or an afternoon, and to just get away from everything for a while should the city become too intense. Which it did for me, quite often, as much as I enjoyed the whole experience…

I made the most of my time there and came home. I don’t regret doing it, certainly.

In fact, I’m pretty sure that I’ll at least try to plan something like this again soon…