Dublin – A Land Of Many Wonders!

By Author: Ackley Cooper Shaw
Total Articles: 211
Comment this article

Frenetic travelers might look at me as some sort of odd creature – but the fact remains that, I love staying indoors even when the holidays are on. I mean, what more can one want apart from the company of near and dear ones during the joyous festive seasons? As luck would have it, my husband (Freddie, to whom I got married in the fall of 2009) turned out to be a huge travel-lover. Slowly but surely, he managed to convince me about the virtues of going to exotic foreign cities during the vacations. The first place that Freddie coaxed me to visit after our marriage (making it a sort of honeymoon – four months after our wedding!) was Dublin, in Ireland. He knew that I was a bit of a foodie, and kept on harping about the excellent restaurants in Dublin, until I finally gave in and agreed for the trip! To my delight, Dublin indeed turned out to be every bit as captivating as my hubby had described. Here’s a few of the places that we visited in this lovely Irish city:

• The Dublin Zoo – I suppose there is still a bit of kiddish streak in both Freddie and myself – judging by the way that we agreed that the Dublin ...
... Zoo should be first place we should check out in the city. Nearly 250 wild animals were there at the zoo (at least our guide told us so!). I particularly enjoyed seeing the majestic tigers and the really tall giraffes. We visited the zoo twice, and on our way back, dined at two of the best restaurants in Dublin. Yum!

• The National Museum of Ireland – Being a grad student in history, it was only natural that I would be interested in paying a visit to the much-acclaimed Irish national museum. I can now categorically state that, if I had not visited the place – I would never have been aware of the rich cultural heritage and archaeological wonders of the nation, from a bygone era. If you are planning to visit Dublin anytime soon, do take out time to take a look at the exhibits here.

• The Ghost Bus tour – I had tagged along Freddie to the museum, so it was only payback when he insisted that we should try the ghost bus tour. I was totally spooked by the ambiance within the bus, as well as the scary Dracula tales that the conductor shared with us. In case you are looking forward to the Ghost Bus trip, make sure that your companion is not faint of heart!

• The Abbey Theater – This was a place that had caught both of our fancy, right from the time we had first read about it. We caught a nice little play at the Theater, during our stay in Dublin, and were mighty impressed by the overall grandeur of the revamped building as well. If you wish to witness really classy theatrical performances, this is a place you simply must visit!

• The Toscana Restaurant – Oh yes, I know that a restaurant cannot be a ‘tourist hotspot’, in the typical sense of the phrase. However, Italian cuisines are a mutual favorite of ours, and we made it a point to try out several exotic Italian restaurants in Dublin . The dining options at the reputed Toscana Restaurant were so good, that I simply had to include it in this list. Indeed, it’s not for nothing that Toscana features among the finest Italian eating joints in Dublin!

Apart from the above, we also visited the Guinness Store House, the Dublin Castle, the St. Stephens Green Park and the Croke Park, during our fortnight-long stay in the city. You can also read up any reliable travel guide, to learn about other attractive tourist spots here. For me though, the main highlight of the trip remains…the lip-smacking delicacies at some of the best Dublin restaurants. Now then, don’t think of me as too greedy!