Dublin Part 4


The Quay (pronounced key) runs through the center of the city which makes it impossible to miss. Dublin was never a Celtic settlement. After the Vikings conquered the area and plundered the monasteries, some of them wanted to establish a permanent trading post. Dublin was in  the ideal position for a Viking trading town because their shallow dragon boats could sail up the river and most other boats could not. They called it Dublin as a misunderstanding of the Celtic words Dubh lynn meaning the black pool just outside the original Dublin walls.

The bridge behind me is made to look like a harp. It's hard to see in this photo, but there were long cables that were the harp strings connecting to the part in the air. It was beautiful. Similar to a bridge we saw in Japan.

Cosette has been very into Santa this Christmas season. We stopped at a mall that just happened to have a free meet Santa and play place. He was the creepiest Santa ever. We are 99% sure he was hung over.

Outside the mall there was a Christmas market that we saw when we first came into the city. It was across the quay from our hotel. I was dying to go because I had read about the Christmas markets there are really wanted to check it out. Plus it had a Ferris wheel that was lite up every night. It lived up to the expectation. Cosette got to ride on her carousel.

The ugly Christmas sweater or jumper as the Irish call them tradition started in Ireland. During the holiday season these ugly jumper shops pop up everywhere and it is the thing to wear your jumper the whole holiday season. I had read about this in my travel research and was dying to know if it was true. It totally was. We saw many shops dedicated to these ugly Christmas jumpers an numerous people wearing them. They had just about every Christmas theme stitched on them from the commercial holiday symbols and even some religious themes which were not one too tasteful...the point of the jumper is to be tacky and ugly.


 
 
 
 
Christ's Church to the left and another Christmas market. There was a man from the Aran Islands selling fudge there. Growing up it was not Christmas without some fudge so we got a little bit. Super good. The Christmas season was now complete.
 
A pub we tried to eat at. Pubs stop serving food early like five or six in the evening. We knew that going in, but then time slips away from you.

We did make a stop at the Guinness factory. It was raining and everything was closed except for the brewery. It was interesting to learn how the most famous Irish beer was made. Plus, in my research I found that the top floor has the best view of the city and it was right.

Lyndon is standing to what is left of the old Viking wall that went through the city. There are pieces scattered about here and there you just have to keep your eyes out for them.

Thanks for the good time Dublin! We cannot wait to see you in the spring.
 

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