The real life

People in Ireland have seen everything. Especially in the capital city of Dublin, which has remained authentic, yet is very open and surprisingly vibrant.

Statistically speaking, Dublin has fewer rainy days per year than Piedmont or the Croatian capital Zagreb. Statistically speaking, city travelers are also usually respectful.

In real life, however, things are different. And Dublin and its inhabitants can't be blamed..

Especially not for the weather. The fact that Ireland is known to you as the “Emerald Isle” must have an origin, after all, and this origin falls abundantly from the sky during our visit. But that doesn't matter, because the Irish capital radiates warmth even when it seems gray and wet outside. And there is a lot to discover.

 

Just a few water drops.

For example, there are the classic tourist attractions. The Guinness brewery, for example, where the part open to the public is more of a huge marketing spectacle (without a doubt a well-made one). It's not only worth a visit for the beer included in the price (you can also choose a non-alcoholic drink) - the top floor also offers a very nice panoramic view of the city and its parks.

Also well worth a visit is Trinity College, Ireland's oldest university, located in the heart of the city. Not only is the campus itself beautiful, but also the old library, known as the Long Room, which also served as the model for the library in a well-known series of wizard and witch films.

 

It's conceivable that owls might be flying in here soon: Trinity College.

Then it's a good idea to simply drift through the city center - past brick houses, pubs, churches and through parks, the relaxed, cosmopolitan and historic Dublin is revealed. On this rainy Easter weekend, the city is full, lively and there is no shortage of opportunities for a snack, coffee or a stop at the bookshop.

But the real attraction are the people of Ireland. Yes, there is plenty of hospitality and warmth to be found in other places too. But the encounters with the locals simply go beyond that. Dublin welcomes its visitors with this special blend of friendliness, humor, eye level, a pinch of true stereotypes and the serenity that you have probably seen pretty much everything human here before. And there is hardly any other place in the world where it is so easy to strike up a conversation with the locals. Only those who actively isolate themselves might feel out of place in Dublin.

 

Green is a thing in this country: Dublin's Ha'Penny Bridge.

So what's the catch? Well, there are certainly destinations where the temperatures rise higher than here on the Irish Sea. And then there are the other travelers. Most of whom simply enjoy many Irish moments. And yet a strikingly large number of them behave in a difficult manner. Because you can simply enjoy the atmosphere in Dublin's pubs - but you can also get loudly drunk in the middle of afternoon. And you can simply appreciate Dublin's unofficial figure of identification, the statue of fishmonger Molly Malone - or touch her in particularly exposed places (see photo). It is a shame and alarming that this Dublin icon is reduced to her body shape, especially by tourists - this is where the city authorities should and (according to media reports) will take action.

 

Tourism can lead to grievances: Molly Malone, marked by travelers who think they are brutally funny.

So for whom is Dublin the right destination ? Actually for all open-minded people who have an umbrella and can enjoy the combination of history, pub culture and the pulse of a boomtown - then it's hard to leave.

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Good to know

The journey from German-speaking countries to Dublin is usually by air - Swiss, Lufthansa, Aer Lingus and Ryanair all offer flights several times a day that reach Dublin Airport in around two hours. If you insist on traveling by land and sea, you should plan at least 22 hours from Zurich, for example, and be open to two boat trips - first to England, then from there or from Scotland to the island of Ireland.

As in any big city, there is accommodation to suit every taste. Our home for a long weekend was the Hyatt Centric The Liberties - a new hotel on the edge of the city center with good value for money.

There must be thousands of pubs and restaurants in and around Dublin. Some of them are particularly memorable:

• Glas Restaurant, a fine address with excellent vegetarian dishes;

• Darkey Kelly's pub with its live music and very friendly bar staff;

• the Christchurch Inn pub, which has less of a party atmosphere but offers very fine pub food;

• the coffee bar Soren & Son, great coffee and hipster vibes;

• Café Two Pups by Day, Notions by Night, which has lots of delicious small dishes on the menu;

• Fallon & Byrne, which elsewhere might be described as a “delicatessen” - it also serves lovely sandwiches, fresh bread, coffee and many other fine things.