A Date With Dublin

Glittering waterways, blooming parks and nightlife aplenty welcome the adventure seeker to the Irish capital. Saumya Sinha feasts her eyes on lush landscapes, beautiful Georgian architecture and striking street art in the city

- Saumya Sinha

I try to be judicious when describing a city as magical, but after just four days in the Irish capital I’m sure Dublin deserves this accolade. Besides the world-famous breweries and pubs — the ultimate passion of the Paddies — the Gaelic town has a lot on offer. This is the city where James Joyce set his highly acclaimed novel Ulysses, where Gulliver’s Travels began and where Oscar Wilde was born. Home to some of the most celebrated wordsmiths, Dublin’s lexical landscape comes as no surprise. But it’s the energy of the buzzing local markets, the humour contained in centuries-old history, a flavoursome bite of the freshly baked soda bread, and above all a taste of the unmatchable Irish hospitality that cast their irrevocable spells on me.

VINTAGE WONDERS

As someone who is thrilled by the idea of solo travel, I jump at the opportunity of using my first few hours in the city on an independent tour on the hop-on hop-off buses. Once aboard, I prop myself on the open top of the double decker to get the best views of the vibrant city. As we journey through some of the attractions, I’m amused by the live commentary of the guide-cum-driver who sure has the gift of the gab or, as the locals would say, has kissed the Blarney Stone! From the comfort of my seat, I appreciate the glorious expanse of the Trinity College, obsessively overuse my camera as we pass the iconic Guinness Storehouse and fall in love with the many beautiful bridges on the River Liffey that flows through the city. I make notes of all the places I would come back to when I have some me-time and the lanes I would wander aimlessly in, just soaking in all the beauty.