dublin 00: prologue.

I was in Dublin, Ireland 2 months ago.

It was still autumn back then.

It wasn't really a trip that was on my radar you see. One regular day abah was calling me and asked me if it is okay for us to go on a family trip to Ireland for a week.

I stayed in a nice neighbourhood called Lucan. Its a 20 minute bus ride from the city.

I was treated with fried chicken, vegetables and curry when I arrived at the house. It was very good.




They have dishwashers here so no need for us to do the dishes.




Let's go upstairs.




Here's my room.




Cute. Reminds me of Mr Bean's favourite doll.




It's quite chilly outside. And windy too.




Although it is still autumn, winter is quickly approaching, so I expect the weather to not be that good.




I highly recommend those who those who comes here to buy a rambler ticket. It is basically a bus ticket for travelling. I bought it at a local supermarket here in Lucan but I think there's a booth at the airport selling these also.

As for myself, I bought a 5-day unlimited bus pass which costs me 23 Euros.




Also for those with smartphones be it Android or iOs, be sure to download the official Dublin Bus apps. I am impressed, as it shows accurately when and where a certain bus will travel - which is absolutely handy for us travellers.




Not many people inside the bus I see.




I love seeing the autumn leaves.




Its only 3PM but the day is getting dark.

Busses have their own lane on the road - so most of the time, travelling by bus is a much much more time saving option.




We are approaching the city.




Dublin city centre. I'm euphoric.




Here's where I hopped off, near Trinity College. I originally wanted to hop off near O'Connell Street which was one station earlier but for some reason I missed the que. Might be my unfamiliarity with the place.




Oh well, let's walk towards O'Connell Street shall we? The stroll will only take 5 minutes.




Oh well, let's walk towards O'Connell Street shall we? The stroll will only take 5 minutes. While walking I can't help but notice how clean the city is. A far cry from Egypt.




We're here.




The very first shop that I went into is a bookstore named Eason.


 
Since this is an unplanned trip I need to buy some books to get an idea on where to go, what to do, and the do's and don'ts of this country.


 
So I'm looking for a nice and compact travel book as a companion.




At first I was sure that I was gonna buy this one - but after much thought the book is too detailed for my liking. I'm afraid that I will get too overwhelmed by information that I just don't know what to do.




So I settled with this one, its full of pictures and visual guides which is right up my alley.


 
I went to the counter, payed with my 20 Euro notes, got the change and went outside. The cashier's very friendly.




It's nighttime.




These are for rent I think, but I'm not too sure.




I love how friendly and helpful the Dublin people are - if you're lost, just ask around, they are more than happy to help.




The Spire, a tall spiral tower which is a landmark of Dublin.




Here's Arnotts, a very famous supermarket. I didn't go inside because the shops are closing. In Dublin, shops are closed by 6PM everyday except Thursday, which closes by 9PM.




During this time the iPhone 5 isn't widely available yet worldwide, Egypt and Malaysia included, so imagine my excitement in knowing that it is already available for sale here.

I stopped by a Vodafone shop nearby and bought a Vodafone simcard for usage. It costs me 10 Euros I think. Calls from Vodafone to Vodafone numbers are free, so not bad.




It took me a while to figure out that today is Halloween. That answers why so many kids in the city are dressing up with various colorful and most of the time unique outfits.




I stopped by a pharmacy inside here to buy some necessities such as soap and toothbrush.




Shops are closing.




I think its time to go home. Tomorrow is when the trip really starts.




As with most cities, beggars and homeless people are a common sight. On this bridge alone, there are about 6 beggars, sitting by the walkway, faces all red freezing from the night breeze.

A nice girl in her 20's came up and offered one of the beggars her winter gloves to make him warm. This happened right in front me and I was so touched by this that the scene is still stucked in my head till this day. The man might be bluffing or just acting that he's homeless, but it is nice to see someone with a heart of gold such as her's. Just something that I think is a story worth sharing.




Stick around for my tales in this country. There will be lots of interesting stories, facts and trivias, and of course pictures to accompany my tales.

There's currently 6 part planned for this but there might be more (or less) depending on my mood and creativity. I suffer from writer's block alot. Remember this is just a prologue, part 1 will start on the next entry and I really hope people will enjoy it.

Took this picture on the bridge. Until then.

OTHER ENTRIES 
dublin 00 - prologue.
dublin 01 - trinity college, the library & st stephen green.
dublin 02 - howth.
dublin 03 - a rainy friday.
dublin 04 - the prick with the stick - a james joyce tribute
dublin 05 - malahide castle
dublin 06 - epilogue - a journey full circle.