Awards Moderator HarmonicGenerator Posted September 2, 2021 Awards Moderator Share Posted September 2, 2021 13 hours ago, LaGoosh said: Thinking of doing a long weekend in Dublin. Anyone been? Is it any good and what would you recommend doing there? We went on a long weekend in Dublin a few years ago and had a great time. We also stuck mainly to the big touristy things but also don't drink so none of the Guinness stuff appealed. Trinity College is worth a visit to see the Book of Kells and the amazing Library. The main museums and the National Gallery are pretty good too. We had lunch a couple of times at Bewley's which I know is probably a tourist trap but is still nice. One of my favourite things we did was go to see a film at the Irish Film Institute, lovely place and it's always fun going to the cinema when you're on holiday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Awards Moderator HarmonicGenerator Posted September 2, 2021 Awards Moderator Share Posted September 2, 2021 (edited) Edit: Dublin double post Edited September 2, 2021 by HarmonicGenerator Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Carbomb Posted September 2, 2021 Paid Members Share Posted September 2, 2021 (edited) Been to Dublin twice, had fun both times. First time was with my ex, we went for four days, went to the Jamesons distillery, the Guinness brewery, the Customs House (site of a historic battle between the IRA and the British empire in the 20s), Trinity College & the Book of Kells. Second time was three years ago - had the esteemed @Chris B as my guide! We did a walk-around tour of St Stephen's Green, a garden square which, he explained, had been where a section of the IRA had taken position in the Easter Rising (there apparently were times in the day where both sides agreed to a ceasefire so the park warden could feed the ducks) - also pointed out the various statues with their "local nicknames", i.e. Molly Malone (or "The Tart With The Cart"), the Fountain of the Three Fates (or "The Floozies In The Jacuzzi"), and the Spire of Dublin/Monument of Light (or "The Great Big Spike At The End Of O'Connell Street"). Visited the GPO - that's definitely worth a look, just something about historical places, especially sites of rebellion and the way they're maintained, that leaves me in awe. We also caught a bit of the James Joyce/Ulysses route, and there was a really cool comics place near the Liffey. Quite a few other things I don't remember off the top of my head, but Dublin is a gorgeous city. Edited September 2, 2021 by Carbomb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members LaGoosh Posted September 2, 2021 Paid Members Share Posted September 2, 2021 Thanks chaps, well that's my mind made up. I'm off to Dublin! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Chris B Posted September 2, 2021 Paid Members Share Posted September 2, 2021 Dublin is fucking great. History, culture and beer and all in walking distance. The Guinness Experience is honestly worth it - even if you're not into drinking, the history and iconography of it all is really interesting, and they do a good job with explaining it all and making it all seem fascinating. Temple Bar is a tourist trap but a good one. If you want to do a day doing something different, grab a train or drive out to a small town somewhere. Dublin is a brilliant city, but if you've never been to Ireland, it's still that - a city, and it has a lot in common with all the other cities. If you can get out to the country for an afternoon, it's worth doing. My favourite place is the west coast, but you'll spend the day driving back and forward. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MPDTT Posted September 2, 2021 Share Posted September 2, 2021 (edited) On 7/15/2021 at 9:06 AM, SuperBacon said: I'm sure that'll be lovely, but as someone that has lived in Basingstoke, I'm struggling to get my head round it Boringstoke......I lived there too for about 5 years. Best part of Basingstoke was the exit back onto the M3. That and the Agra balti house on Winchester Street. Edited September 2, 2021 by MPDTT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Carbomb Posted September 2, 2021 Paid Members Share Posted September 2, 2021 3 hours ago, johnnyboy said: Went to Dublin on the ferry once. It rained, everything was shut, and the ferry was delayed so much going that the return journey begun almost as soon as we'd disembarked. Sounds like Bernard Black booked it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members garynysmon Posted September 3, 2021 Paid Members Share Posted September 3, 2021 (edited) Living near Holyhead, I used to go to Dublin at least 3-4 times a year as it was easier and often cheaper to get to than any other major city. Worst thing they ever did was start using Dublin Port rather than Dun Laoghaire. At Dublin you have to faff around with buses or a taxi to the city centre, while at Dun Laoghaire you could easily take the Dart train to O'Connell St and pass Landsdowne Rd on the way. Temple Bar is probably a must just for a photo op, but the prices are eye watering and almost exclusively made up of North and South Americans. I wouldn't stay long in Temple Bar, its a terrible rip off, but would also recommend the Guinness Store House. Edited September 3, 2021 by garynysmon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Blog Posted September 3, 2021 Share Posted September 3, 2021 We just bought a caravan so will be heading to Belford in Northumberland for the weekend. Just the wife, dogs and me, children are staying with grandparents. Bliss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tamura Posted March 17, 2022 Author Share Posted March 17, 2022 2022's holiday is going to be pretty much the same as 2021 (see first post in the thread), except for a weekend trip to Berlin in October. St Kilda is known as being a difficult place to get to, but I managed two cancelled trips in 2021. July's trip started off perfectly. Got to the departure point on time, had the boat safety demonstration, lifejacket on, sat on the boat and the skipper managed to damage the boat's propeller on the concrete jetty. Not to be put off, I decided to try again in September only for the scheduled trip and the stand-by trip the next day to both be cancelled due to bad weather. Luckily I didn't cancel 2022's accommodation straight after booking for September. On the plus side, I got to do more sightseeing round the Isle of Skye, if you're into rugged countryside it's definitely worth a trip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RancidPunx Posted March 17, 2022 Share Posted March 17, 2022 Off to Vegas with the Mrs in July. We promised ourselves during lockdown to get back there if we could. I am toying with the idea of doing 3 weeks in Costa Rica by myself in Dec. Its been on my list for years, herself has no interest in going but want to get it done before we have kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members waters44 Posted March 17, 2022 Paid Members Share Posted March 17, 2022 3 minutes ago, RancidPunx said: I am toying with the idea of doing 3 weeks in Costa Rica by myself in Dec. Its been on my list for years, herself has no interest in going but want to get it done before we have kids. If your wife is telling you that’s ok I’m telling you she’s lying Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
69MeDon Posted March 19, 2022 Share Posted March 19, 2022 I'm considering booking a week off work and then taking a further two weeks while working in the same spot. So, I'm looking for suggestions for warm, but cheap-ish, places that are no more than one or two hours ahead of BST that would be nice to work on my laptop from. I was thinking Croatia or Spain but I am really open to left field suggestions, please. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Awards Moderator Frankie Crisp Posted March 19, 2022 Awards Moderator Share Posted March 19, 2022 (edited) I’d recommend The Hague, @69MeDon. Only half an hour or so from Amsterdam for the non-work part of the trip, but it’s such a fantastic setup for remote/outdoor working. I used to do a few days over there with work and had the perfect balance of being able to concentrate on what I was doing around others doing the same, whilst being a two minute walk away from great buildings, boozers and restaurants. I’d see dozens of people in the local squares on their laptop and enjoying the scenery. The canal walks are beautiful as well. It has a really good beach and you can hire bikes to get around, but it’s all within walking distance. Obviously with Amsterdam being so close you take advantage of that, so you’ve got it all really close together. Edited March 19, 2022 by Frankie Crisp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
69MeDon Posted March 20, 2022 Share Posted March 20, 2022 That's a good shout. Thanks. I'm going to check that out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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