As you may have noticed, I've been a bit Instagram-happy over the last few days. I think I can be forgiven as it was my birthday and I took a little trip away for a few days. Although, I do try to restrain myself and save the good stuff for the blog.... I hope it's the good stuff anyway!
Last Thursday I turned 33 years old and as I had a couple of days booked off work I wanted to go somewhere I'd not been before. It turns out that it's something like £20 to fly to Dublin and back from Birmingham; and as I had only been there before for just a few hours when I was a kid I chose it as my birthday destination. I'd heard it's great for short city breaks - steeped in history, culture and with a reputation for world class food and parties to match.
So, my boyfriend and I jetted off and arrived mid-afternoon on Thursday to a freezing cold and windy Dublin. Unfortunately, the day before I'd come down with a cold. It happens to me every year! I bet all the summer babies don't have to deal with that when they're having fun on their birthdays... anyway, enough moaning.
One thing I love to do is organise, especially when travelling! I read all the guide books, look at maps and do my research on all the interesting places to visit and, of course, all the best food and coffee to try! Our first port of call was the Hugh Lane Gallery, north of the River Liffey in central Dublin. They had some really interesting artwork there but we were short on time before the gallery closed and the main reason for visiting was Francis Bacon's studio. You can see a photo at the bottom of this post. Bacon's London studio was dismantled and recreated at the Hugh Lane in the late 1990s when it was donated by his heir John Edwards. It was fascinating to see into the workspace inhabited by one of my favourite artists, providing an insight into how he worked and what helped him produce his incredible paintings. It was somewhat eerie, like he'd only just put down his brush and walked out of the room, everything left untouched.
That evening we ate a dinner of tapas and enjoyed some red wine at a lovely restaurant recommended to me by my Spanish housemate - it was great! I think I can still taste the garlic now! Still not feeling brilliant, we headed back to our hotel, which was situated opposite Christchurch Cathedral just outside the Temple Bar area of the city.
We spent Friday and Saturday exploring the city more and we mooched in some shops, stopping off for coffee and food when we needed to. We saw Oscar Wilde's house and enjoyed the Georgian architecture of Merrion Square. I'm so glad we decided to go in to the Natural History Museum. It was taxidermy heaven! I think they must have a stuffed version of every creature in that place. Plus it's free to get in! I would recommend a trip there if you're ever in Dublin and dead animals are your thing. We saw Dublin Castle, ate Irish sea salt ice cream, walked over a lot of bridges, saw the alleyway where Phil Lynott once filmed a music video, consumed some huge and delicious sushi and managed to avoid drinking both Guinness and whiskey. A victory for common sense!
On the last afternoon before we headed off to the airport we made a stop at St Michan's Church. I was told about this place by a friend who'd visited Dublin a while ago for a stag do. Only ten minutes walk from the hotel we stumbled across the somewhat unassuming church hidden behind modern apartment blocks, just north of the Liffey. We went inside where we had to pay €5 to two old gentleman to gain access to the guided tour. We were collected by an eccentric, middle aged Irish man who immediately wanted to know where we came from and what football team we supported. We followed him as he led us down some steps underground to see the crypts below.
There are several crypts under the church and due to the unusual combination of the local geology, depth and temperature of the underground burial vaults, the mummified bodies inside the crypts have been preserved in remarkable detail. Some are as old as 600 years. It's creepy, damp and dusty under the church but the stories of the dead told by the guide were captivating. You can see the couple of photos I snuck while he wasn't looking as photography is prohibited in the crypts. We were even allowed to touch one of them - the body of a crusader - as it's believed to be good luck. I'll let you know how that works out!
I've added a few more of my favourite photos from the trip, including a few poor quality iPhone and Instagram shots but I wanted to share them anyway. I hope if any of you make it to Dublin you enjoy your visit as much as I did. Thanks for looking!
