Making dreams come true: a trip to Dublin, Ireland

Wicklow Mountains

For as long as I have known my husband, he has talked about getting to Ireland some day. I kept that in the back of my mind and when we were saving for a big vacation, I made sure to save just enough more so that we could go to Ireland sooner rather than later.
The “sooner” came earlier this year with a week in Dublin.

We almost didn’t make it because of canceled flights, but fate was on our side…even though that included no luggage for three days.
We arrived in Dublin on a Saturday, and after a quick lunch at the oldest pub in Dublin, The Brazen Head, we settled into our apartment. We took a short nap and then headed out to explore the city.
Our first stop was Christchurch Cathedral just down the street from our apartment. They were having a garden festival that day and the plants were beautiful. We checked out Dublin Castle, Dame Street and Grafton Street, but wanted to save the good stuff for Sunday. We had our first dinner at a wonderful place called The Winding Stair. The food was delicious and the view of the city was spectacular.
On Sunday, we went to the shortest church service I have ever been to at John’s Lane Church down the street from our apartment. We then ventured to Hatch and Sons for lunch, where we enjoyed amazing coffee and the traditional Blaas sandwiches.
After lunch, we took a quick trip upstairs to the Little Museum of Dublin.
My husband was particularly excited about this because there is an entire room dedicated to the history of U2, his favorite band.
The entire museum is quite cute and very affordable, but the U2 exhibit was definitely the favorite.
After the museum, we did as the locals do and sat in St. Stephens’ Green park. Locals and visitors alike enjoy the rare sunshine and the company of friends and family. It was absolutely perfect. I could have sat there all day.
We made a quick stop at a fantastic grocery store called Fallon and Byrne for some tea and shopping and then wandered around until dinner.
For dinner on Sunday, we had reservations at a tiny Italian restaurant called Il Vicoletto. The place is known for its homemade pasta and great atmosphere and it didn’t disappoint. My husband even said that the calamari appetizer was one of the best he ever had. And that is saying a lot. I very much enjoyed my ragu with homemade pasta. Multo bene.
On Monday, we went to the Wicklow Mountains.
Tuesday, we wandered around the city checking out little shops, museums and parks before having dinner at L. Mulligans (Brandon thoroughly enjoyed the scotch egg) and then heading to the Bob Dylan concert at the O2 Arena.

Merrion Hotel afternoon tea

On Wednesday, we enjoyed some shopping before heading out to lunch at Matt the Thrasher, where Michelle Obama and her daughters ate lunch while they were in Dublin. Brandon enjoyed the dressed crab lunch with brown bread and I had the shrimp scampi. Every bite was delicious.
We didn’t eat a lot, however, because we were schedule to have afternoon tea at The Merrion Hotel with tons of sandwiches and desserts. My favorite part, however, was the tea. Delicious.
After a very light dinner at our apartment, we headed out for a pub crawl and enjoyed The Long Hall and Stag’s Head pub. Stag’s Head was probably my favorite pub because that is where the area journalists and writers go. I fit right in.
Thursday, we went to Howth.
After Howth, we enjoyed another pint of Guinness, dinner at one of the best Chinese places in Dublin, another cocktail and then a final beer at Grogans. Brandon later found out that Grogans is Bono’s favorite pub in Dublin.
Overall, the trip was absolutely amazing.
The only thing that would have made it better was seeing Bono…and that is expecting a lot.
Safe travels!