I arrived back into Dublin around 4 PM. Once I was settled in, and the rain stopped, I ventured out in search of food. Not too much near me (it seemed to be all business), but I found a convenience store near me, which is always a good thing. I decided to relax for that evening and plan what I am going to do in Dublin during my one full day in the city.
Unfortunately, the weather did not want to cooperate, but that is expected in this part of the world. But I was prepared with my raincoat and my trusty umbrella. I started by walking towards the city center along the Liffey. It started out as a very nice day!
It was about a twenty minute walk from my hotel, but it was a nice day out. Lots of people out and about. I didn't really have much of a plan, but I had things in mind. After a while, the sky's started to change, and the rain started to fall. Lucky for me, when it started pouring, I was at Trinity College (just by chance!), which was one of my stops I wanted to make. Mostly to see the library. And what a library it was!
I love old books, so this was right up my alley! There are over 200,00 books in the library, called the Long Room. It is also the largest open room library in the UK. They are currently in the middle of preserving all of these books. Once I left the library, I walked out to wonderful sunshine once again!
But sadly, it did not last very long. Once I was done touring Trinity College, I went to find some lunch. Ominous clouds began to appear once again, so I ducked into a cafe and ordered some lunch. That is when it poured. It was raining so hard, it was coming down sideways in two separate directions! Now, I don't know if it is o TV back home, but Dublin has been getting a lot of rain lately. Last Friday, they day I left for Galway, Dublin flooded and it cause a lot of problems. So when it rained yesterday, it didn't take long for the water to pool up everywhere, making it impossible to keep your feet dry. But, as it seems to be, wait twenty minutes and the weather will change.
I decided to walk through the Temple Bar area to see what all the fuss was about. Now, I have been told by several native Irish to not to the The Temple Bar. Nobody goes to The Temple Bar but tourists and Irishmen looking to pick up tourists. But the area itself was pretty cool. Live music playing in almost every bar.
It started to rain once again, and I was feeling like a 90 year old woman, so I decided to head back in the direction of my hotel. One can only take hurricane inspired rain for so long! Sure, the sun is shining in my pictures, but that was maybe 20% of my day. That, and I had to pack up all my stuff and get organized because it was going to be an early morning for me! I decided to order room service so I could concentrate on my packing and organizing. Yummy salmon-potato cakes and delicious lemon cheesecake. Just what I needed.
I wish I had more time in Ireland. There is so much to see and do here. But that goes for every country I visited. But the way I look at it, you have to save somethings for the return journey!
