Sorry, Belfast, but Dublin is my favourite of the two of you.
Dublin is both more Irish and more European than Belfast. The people seem gentler and less angsty – any sectarian turmoil is far less evident. And they’re funny! Dubliners have a tendency to nickname local landmarks, for example, Molly Malone is the Tart with a Cart (there are other variations also)
and this statue is the Floozie in the Jacuzzi.
When the longstanding and divisive statue of Lord Nelson was partially destroyed by the IRA in 1966, the remains were nicknamed the Half Nelson.
Of course, one of the greatest wits of all time was a Dubliner: Oscar Wilde. The nicknames for his statue are rather homophobic and not particularly funny so I’ll spare your blushes.
The shopping is streets ahead of anything I’ve come across anywhere in Ireland, putting my luggage allowance in great peril. And even the weather is better!
We’ve done lots of touristy things while here – two walking tours, a hop on hop off bus, and a museum, as well as eating and drinking in various establishments, and of course, just wandering around. There’s loads to do here and you could easily fill a week as a visitor, and you get the impression it’d be quite a nice place to live, too.
So, a big thumbs up to Dublin. Sadly, our time is up and we have to fly home tomorrow. We have 24+ hours of plane travel ahead of us. Ugh. Still, it’s been great, and if my slight tickle of a sore throat doesn’t turn into anything, I’ll be more than happy.