Ireland — Dublin; Getting Our Bearings

Let’s continue where we left off on Monday. That would be Ha’penny Bridge on the River Liffey in Dublin, Ireland:

And as I mentioned on Monday, Ha’penny Bridge is a great place to just people watch for a bit:

Heading into the Temple Bar district you’ll find a lot of great places to eat:

By the way, our favorite restaurant in this area is Quays Irish Restaurant — reasonably priced with great Irish cuisine and even better Irish beer (forget the Guinness; instead try Smithwick’s ruby-red Irish ale).

The locals look down on Temple Bar, with many considering it the tourist area, but I still saw many locals there despite those claims. It’s certainly a happening spot with lots of color, but make sure you price out the restaurants and avoid the pricey bars.

Our hotel was in this area, and we loved it. The rates were affordable, the digs comfortable, and the location superb. It was the colorfully appointed Blooms Hotel:

By now many of you are aware that both Ursula and I are avid fans of Hop-on/Hop-off busses. There’s not much better in most cities for getting one’s bearings and figuring out what one want’s to visit more in depth. So, after hoofing it about O’Connell Street Lower and a bite to eat we took our first Hop-on/Hop-off ride. Along the ride we passed beneath a foot bridge spanning market street that connects two structures at the Guinness Storehouse:

A short hop later and we found a destination we had to hit, and which you’ll see more in-depth next Monday. This is the Pearse Lyons Distillery, which is housed in the old St. James’ Church and a more modern adjacent structure:

Now let’s head back into Temple Bar for one last image: