Dublin
In the end of the month of March, I had the great opportunity to take 3 days off to visit Dublin with my boyfriend. This little escape was also the celebration of my 25th birthday, so it was a very special weekend for me.
First of all, I have to admit I have been tired of travelling around Europe. You already know almost everything about the places even before touching your feet in the ground, you have seen pictures, you know stories, you know which places you are suppose to go and so on. One of my favourites experiences around Europe was a travel to Budapest, for the simple fact that the city is absolutely amazing and I didn't know anything about it before going there.
For this reason I obliged myself to not google "Dublin", not check pictures or pre-made tourist guides. Instead I bought a small book guide and I took my amazing book "36 Hours: 125 Weekends in Europe - The New York Times", a bit heavy to carry but great for little tips on weekend escapes!
So, that was it, Dublin was an unexpected surprise. I just loved every little thing about it! Escaping during the day to drink beer and eat finger food, sightseeing and getting surprised all the way with it, the Dublin castle, the old Library of Trinity College... The amazing colours of the city that cover each pub, restaurant or store with crazy colours in the facades... Likewise, the thousands of mural art, graffiti and/or illustrations in the buildings. It makes the city look original and inspiring. Plus, I went crazy for the gregorian doors and all the amazing neighbourhoods with parks and colourful entrances.
Walking around in the city is safe, pleasant and a unfortunately to my boyfriend a reason to stop each five minutes for a great photo. Yes, the weather is crazy, but we do live in the Netherlands, so that part was covered for us!
Now, what this post is all about. We were very lucky to rent a house in the Rathmines district, surrounded by amazing night clubs like "Whelan's", places to eat, gregorian doors and... SECOND HAND SHOPS!
This travel was a delight to see all the vintage scene of Dublin and the way they have their secondhand shops. In fact, we bought a couple of products that can be found in our shop and of course, some for us :)
Conclusion, if you are looking for great escape, Dublin is the place!
Beer and Food : The Porterhouse (www.theporterhouse.ie)
Music: Whelan's (www.whelanslive.com)
Breakfast: Cafe Moda (www.facebook.com/cafemodarathmines)
Sightseeing: Dublin Castle, Book of Kells,
Cafe: Cafe de Seine (cafeenseine.ie/galleries/), the Cake Cafe Dublin, also very nice design! (www.thecakecafe.ie)
Secondhand shops: Rathmines area