Thought I would blog a few of the things I like and dislike about our new home city.
I like:
- Taking the train south to the beach on the weekends. Ireland is small – about 1/3 the size of NZ which means its also only a short drive or train trip to go basically anywhere in the country! Perfect for weekend trips 🙂
- Cool old architecture and public spaces – Victorian brick buildings, Georgian squares, quaint little cottages, cobblestone streets…
- Shopping. Henry St and Grafton St are the two main shopping meccas in Dublin and both have plenty to keep me occupied. At the moment the Dublin Summer sales are on!
- Plenty going on in the weekends. There are lots of restaurants and pubs around and also a lot of ‘events’ around the city. A few weekends ago was the Maritime festival, then the International Street Performers Competition. A big music festival this weekend. Lots to do and see!
I dislike:
- Dog poop on the streets. One of the first things I noticed here was the strangely high occurrence of dog mess on the pavements. Watch your step!
- Too much smoke. As a non-smoker I don’t enjoy the cigarette smoke that is always wafting in the air as you walk along the steet, or the cigarette butts littered all over the sidewalk. Ruins the idyllic surrounds somewhat 🙁
- Rain. Yes, it is summer here but apparently that doesn’t mean it will be sunny or warm or dry 😛 The more pessimistic around Dublin tell me summer has been and gone – the few warm weeks in April were Summer. I prefer to hope that Summer is still yet to arrive here in Dublin and very soon we will have at least a few days without rain.
Comment from Gill on 2007-07-09
I didn’t notice the poop (oops) but I did see and feel the rain! England was very wet too so might not just be Dublin that’s always wet! Keep optimistic!
Comment from The Halletts on 2007-07-09
Welcome to the wonderful world of weather in the British Isles (even if Ireland isn’t strictly British) 🙂
Comment from Brownie on 2007-07-11
You think Ireland rains alot in the summer! Try Alaska!
Comment from The Halletts (The Sarah) on 2007-07-11
Hey Kat,
I can totally identify with dog poop grossness – I lived in southern France for 10 months and it was EVERYWHERE! Amazingly, I managed to not step in any the whole time I was there – though on my last day, as I wheeled my huge suitcase to the train station, I was sure I was going to end up with poo on my suitcase.
Hope you and Matt are enjoying life in Dublin.