Dublin – The city of diversity
Website design By BotEap.comIreland is an island in every sense of the word. It is located between Europe and the United States. It has managed to hold more of American and European culture than neighboring Britain. Dublin Airport is surprisingly small for the center of a developed economy. It is the American bridge to Europe and the home of the largest low-budget airline in the old continent: “Ryanair”.
Website design By BotEap.comYou will find the spirit of Ireland in the contrast of its cities. And Dublin is a city of contrasts: the contrast between the seventh financial center of Europe and the city of low-rise buildings with brick facades in the style of the eighteenth century; between the surprisingly quiet center with its hiking areas and the huge traffic jams; between the casual and carefree look of people on the street at a certain time of day and the prices in the establishments, which are close to the normal Bulgarian salary. At the crossroads of global business, Ireland has been defined as the most globalized country in the world. I discovered that the romantic idea of the Green Island still thrives intact among French and Australian wines, Polish and Chinese workers, American SUVs, Burger King and plasma television.
Website design By BotEap.comI came in with the belief that Ireland is all about U2, dancing and bad weather. Given that Bono apparently rarely passes through the country, Irish dancing is certainly not a popular activity in pubs, and I saw no rain, I was pleased to discover how much fun it was to explore Dublin. From the window of my apartment in Dublin I saw several large posters inviting me to the William Yates exhibition. Walking past them, I thought of the justification of the Royal Swedish Academy, where the poet received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1926: for his truly inspired poetry, which essentially represents the spirit of an entire nation.
Website design By BotEap.comHow do you really represent the spirit of a nation, which for half a century has had not one, but four winners of the literary Nobel Prize? Mathematically speaking, this means that for every million Irish people, there is at least one man who is a brilliant writer. Perhaps this is precisely what makes Dublin a little more special than any other city in the world. In the days I spent there, I passed two Oscar Wilde houses, a couple more by James Joyce (apparently his number is infinite).
Website design By BotEap.comI also found a sculpture exhibition dedicated to Bernard Shaw. It was part of a literary festival under the name “Samuel Beckett”, covering a poster for Sinead O’Conner’s upcoming show at a local club. Add to that the Wellington Monument, the hero who defeated Napoleon.
Website design By BotEap.comThe climate on the island is humid most of the time. It’s not too difficult to figure out why there is one place in the city where most of the popular pubs can be found. In a nutshell, the true Irish pub obviously represents a small place with not enough seats, unlimited supply of beer, good music in the background and a TV with “sky sports”.
Website design By BotEap.comIn Dublin, for example, there are more than 1,000 pubs. And the “Temple Bar” is one that is definitely worth visiting.
Website design By BotEap.comDublin’s central area is made up almost entirely of bars and pubs, ready to welcome you at any time of day. For example, there are 4 pubs next to my vacation rental in Dublin. As well as its obvious advantages – a place that has more beer shooters than visitors – Temple Bar is also close to Dublin’s pedestrian shopping area. An area that is quite worthwhile, although the prices of souvenirs are sinfully high.
Website design By BotEap.comIf your passion isn’t shopping, but education, history, and sightseeing, you definitely won’t be disappointed.
Website design By BotEap.comHere you will find the most famous university on the island: Trinity College. There are several cathedrals (in one of which British military flags from the Crimean War are kept).
Website design By BotEap.comThe garden behind the parliament houses the National Gallery, the National Museum and the Natural Museum. In fact, the latter is just a small, old building, with an impressive collection of animals inside. A huge whale skeleton hangs from the ceiling. You will also find all kinds of animals, from giraffes and rhinos to small African insects. All the heritage of Irish zoologists, who traveled all over the world, is there.
Website design By BotEap.comOn the corner of the same street, which I recognized from a U2 video, I found Oscar Wilde’s house. There was only a humble sign before. When I looked further into the garden, I came across a beautiful statue of Wilde himself, resting on a stone, smiling strangely at me.
Website design By BotEap.comI took my time to pay the honor in memory of one of the most famous writers in the world.