Friday, January 04, 2008

Dublin

In spite of the best efforts of snotty fellow guests on New Years Eve we had a great time in Dublin.

We got there about lunch time on Sunday and had lunch in a place recommended to me by John of Counago and Spaves and I would in my turn recommend The Elephant and Castle to anyone. It was excellent.

Then we had a wander round Trinity College....



Then we did the open top bus tour with the most hilarious tour guide I have ever heard. As well as pointing out the obvious tourist spots he told us nuggets of info like one about Dublin's Heuston Railway Station. This had 8 platforms and then another was added - Platform 10. "Where" the good folk of Dublin asked "is platform 9?" The station management put out a press release to explain why there was a platform 10, but not a platform 9. They explained to a perplexed public that there was no platform 9 as that would only have confused people. :-) The same guide also told some good jokes and sang 'Molly Malone' to us, thereby earning every cent of his tip.


More later.
Blessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed.

9 comments:

The Fatalist said...

Dublin's a city I've never been to, unfortunately unlikely to in the near future, as any spare cash I have is already allocated for my brief trips abroad this year.
(Brussels & Namur in Belgium, a long weekend at the end of this month, five days, with the Dulwich Hamlet Supporters' Team to play Namur Supporters' on the Saturday; Friday to Monday in March, to Paris, to watch Red Star 93, plus 2 other games & a bit of tourism; Supporters' Team long summer tour in late July, 5 or 6 days, not finalised, but hopefully Tallinn again, with a game in Helsinki too!; & my annual birthday trip in late October, which will be back to my favourite European city of Prague)Sorry, I bored you there! I'd love to go to Dublin, maybe in a couple of summers time, for a long weekend. League of Ireland football being in the summer, I could catch three games, and as someone with political leanings to the republican side there's plenty I'd love to see. One day maybe...
In the meantime I can see the city through your beer goggles! Just hope it doesn't tempt me back on the booze! ;-)

trousers said...

I love the thing about platform 9 - brilliant!

Reidski said...

I simply do not like Dublin - worst foreign city I've ever visited!

Reidski said...

I like the sound of the tourist guide, right enough!

J.J said...

Fatalist - that all sounds great. Me and Reidski are hoping to get to Paris again soon.
As for Dublin - fascinating for the Republican history stuff.

Trousers, I thought it was very funny - but when I was searching for Departure Gates D at Dublin airport, stupidly assuming they would be after Gates B & C whereas in fact I eventually found them the other side of Gates A, I decided it must just be an Irish 'thing'!

Reidski - the tour guide was great. And don't mince your words will ya? ;-)

John said...

Reidski--

They still talk about you here.

J.J said...

John, my tour guide certainly did!

Martin said...

Sorry to hijack your blog JJ but can I just ask out of interest wether Fatalist knows our cousins Lucas and Damon.

J.J said...

Martin, I shall make it mission to try and find out for you!