OUR FIRST TRIP TO IRELAND ⋆ The Alya Experience

When we first booked our trip to Ireland back in October of 2017, I will admit I was a bit reluctant to go. Initially, I was under the impression that Ireland was all farm towns and rainy weather. While much of Ireland does contain vast rolling hills and farms, and the weather is often grey, I was pleasantly surprised. We stayed in Dublin, which a charming little town. With its unique architecture and historical churches, there were plenty of things to look at. The city radiates culture, and there are plenty of opportunities for foreigners like ourselves to experience it.

Our first stop was at Saint Stephen’s Green, which is the city’s public park. We stumbled upon it while shopping at the Stephen’s Green Shopping Centre adjacent to the park. This is far and away the most stunning park I have ever been to. Everywhere you look you are surrounded by lush greenery. The old stone walls give the park a classic feel, while the variety of trees and birds make you forget you are in the middle of a city. Walking through the park we got to admire local people performing live music, and I even got to hangout with this very tame swan!

Later that day, we toured around the city, mostly on foot. Our next stop was the whiskey bar, because you simply cannot go to Ireland and not enjoy some quality whiskey. We explored more of the mall, and by the end of the day wandered over to Trinity College. Sadly, the library was closed, but you will see further down that we went back. We were blessed with beautiful weather for the majority of our trip, which I was very thankful for. We even got some sunshine!

On our second day we made it back to Trinity College. The campus was absolutely stunning, with original cobblestone walkways, and old stone structures. I am an architecture junkie, so I’m always drawn to unique buildings. The library did not disappoint. If I had a library like this when I was in college, I would have literally lived there. The beautiful barrel vault ceiling was enough to take your breath away. We checked out some of the old scriptures as well as The Book of Kells, which the library is famous for.

We spent the remainder of the evening exploring Temple Bar, which is the busy riverside neighborhood that we were staying in. The entire time I was obsessing over the cobblestone streets, and thinking about how much of this area reminded me of a place back home in New Hampshire called Downtown Portsmouth.

If you ever go to Ireland, I highly recommend going to watch Irish river dancing. We reserved a table at The Arlington Hotel O’Connell Bridge. The reservation included a 3 course meal, and they were very accommodating to my food allergies. We got to eat dinner while watching the show, which including Irish dance as well as a live band. If you have time you should definitely check this place out!

Last but definitely not least, you simply cannot go to Dublin without experiencing the Guinness Storehouse. It is Ireland’s most popular attraction. You begin at the bottom and tour your way through all 7 floors, learning about the history of Guinness as you make your way to the top. The top floor is called the Gravity Bar, which gives you a nearly 360 degree view of Dublin while drinking your beer. This was such a fun experience, plus the beer tastes just a little better when you are in Ireland 😉 Unfortunately we were only here for 5 days, but we are moving to Dublin January 11, 2018! So stay tuned for more posts to come!