Dublin, Ireland

All in all we were disappointed with Dublin. Our first impression was that it is just a somewhat dirty, industrial city. The architecture is bland compared to London and the atmosphere just seemed gloomy. The fact that it was overcast and lightly raining didn't help. I've heard that once you get outside the city, the countryside is green, lush and spectacular.


The churches with their majestic spires and Gothic style stood out among the other industrial-looking boxy buildings.

We drove by the Guinness brewery but did not go in when we were told that to take a tour we would have to pay about $15 US per person. :(

There were some nice statues around the government buildings.

And the Spire of Dublin, officially titled the Monument of Light, in the downtown area is quite impressive. The monument was commissioned in 1999 as part of a redesigned street layout whose purpose was to upgrade the appearance of O'Connell street which, since 1970, had been going into decline.