Dooblin (as the Irish call it) is a wonderful place for vacation. It is a compact capital city, but yet not too small. In spite of being a small city, Dublin has almost all of the attractions a big city has to offer. The main thing of course in Ireland is the pub. Even if you don’t drink one has to go to the pub just to experience live Celtic music, tap dancing, and the cheerful and almost always-humorous Irish. They say that there are about 1, 000 pubs in Dublin alone, and it is not hard to believe when you go around the city.
The Irish are real fun people – the friendliest in Europe. They are laid back, very helpful to tourists, and most important of all humorous. It doesn’t matter that they don’t know you; they’ll share a joke or play a benign practical joke on you (I fell for it!) if you just stop by to talk to them.
The place itself, I mean geographically, is nothing spectacular. Beaches are at best average, amenities the usual, beauty and wilderness a little different in a spectacular way, but nothing worth bragging about. I am by no means saying that Ireland is not beautiful, it is; all I am saying is that it is not the strongest point for me. For me the most appealing reason to go to Ireland (if I had to go again, and I would love to) is the ambiance, the people, the laid back mentality which is oh so ideal for relaxation, the slow pace, the culture, and so on. I think the people in the U.S. have glorified Ireland only for its beauty, and left the other aspects in the back burner.
There are of course the touristy places - Museums, historical sites, parks, and what not. I didn’t go to many other than the ones in the immediate vicinity of my stay, right in the heart of Dublin. The Trinity College, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, a castle or two here and there, the Guinness Brewery and the sorts were some of them. Prices are almost the same as U.S. ($3-5) for most things. If you are a student you’ll get discounts at many of these places. The food is excellent, and is easily available. A fish n’ chip shop is around every block, and has decent food.
Accommodation is also the same as that of the U.S., but since I lived in a Youth Hostel, I paid around 15 euros. The whole trip including transportation, food and accommodation can be managed within $1000 if planned well, and is an ideal place for Spring Break. The temperature at that time in Dublin is not too warm, but much higher than most Midwestern states. It feels more like early fall than spring, and is manageable even without a jacket.
Of course there are things to do in Dublin. I didn’t have an itinerary, but did want to visit the countryside, and couldn’t. Nonetheless, I had more fun than any vacation I have ever taken before. All we did (I made a few friends, knew a few Irish guys) was walk around the city, talking to everyday people, went to some remote places hiking, taking some photographs, enjoying the culture, riding the bus in the busy Dublin streets, and be completely at peace.
(* The Liffey is the river that runs through the heart of Dublin, and divides the city into two; and hence, Up the Liffey (North) and down the Liffey (South).)