Ha'Penny Bridge at sunset: rabidly romantic
First of all, let's clarify: Dublin it may seem like a destination more to share with your best friends or even with family than with your partner; but these addresses position the city of Joyce, Yeats and Wilde as one of the European capitals where fall in love even more.
It is not trivial that the Irish lands have given of themselves so many writers and writers; neither is it that they have devoted a large part of their works to analyzing the character of Dubliners , survivors of the Great Famine and a greater emigration in the mid-nineteenth century that would mark them forever. "I feel more and more the time wasted that is not in Ireland," he said. Lady Gregory . Because in Dublin, even if you come to waste time, one ends up feeling that something unites him to this land.
We fall in love?
Another author also said, the everlasting James Joyce in his Ulysses , that the difficult part of the city is to walk it without finding a pub at every step ( "Good puzzle would be cross Dublin without passing a pub" ) . We are not going to challenge Joyce by looking for an alternative route without pubs (although we could) but we are going to start the romantic guide with coffee (and not with the draft beers ) . First stop for Dublin lovers: Shoe Lane Coffee _(7 Tara St, Dublin 2) _.
This street has charm. And he has class. Therefore, a shelter to warm up from the Dublin fog could not be missing; one with the smell of roasted coffee and homemade pastry . Order the coffee of the day (we tried the Astobilbao from Colombia ) and some of its essential pieces of pastries such as the almond croissant. Go up the narrow stairs and you will reach a small room featuring a large wooden table. There's a turntable and there's vinyl: Johnny Cash, Fleetwood Mac... and there's a window from which you can see one of the city's great works of urban art, the 3D squirrel by the artist Artur Bordalo .
A WALK THROUGH THE PAST
We go out into the outside world, though it's hard to stop snuggling up in this cafeteria. We are in the middle of the university zone (it is not difficult, the Trinity floods everything) and following the Shawn Street about seven minutes, we will run into the curious T Clifford Antiques _(42D Pearse St) _; is antique shop it is a concentrated world apart, housing French chandeliers, Elizabethan sofas and gold-leaf mirrors.
Come in, if only to be amazed and dream of the romances of another era. Or to get out of there with a phonograph, for example.
T Clifford Antiques, the city's most rococo antique shop
We continue on this peculiar journey into the Irish past, among antiques and lives from another era, and stop at ** Sweny's Druggist ** _(1 Lincoln Pl.) _ an old pharmacy that is the protagonist of several pages of the Ulysses of Joyce.
Today, it has changed the pills, syrups, ointments and herbs per reading . One drug for another, that's the way things are done in Ireland. What hasn't changed, however, is the citrusy scent inside (so well described by Joyce).
Sweny's window is crazy. In it, utensils from the beginning of the 19th century are mixed with posters announcing the days, times and readings that will be held in this crazy cultural space. Sweny is very close to the oscar wilde house _(2 Marino Park) _, today home to the American College of Dublin (note: it has not been possible to visit it for ten years).
Sweny's
But it is not necessary to enter his house to understand him since he spoke in his books for everyone: "Keep love in your heart. A life without love is like a garden without sun when its flowers are dead. Being aware of loving and being loved brings a warmth and richness that nothing else in life can achieve. Who, being beloved, is he poor?
Crossing the street, we find a tribute to the author in the form of a statue, in Merrion Square Park . Here the goldfinches and the occasional seagull sing and the traffic disappears (it does not matter if we are in the center of the city).
Next to O. Wilde, a plaque reminds us that love is not owned by anyone: it belongs to everyone. "A happy life is one which is in accordance with its own nature" , (A happy life is only one that follows its own nature) . This quote from Seneca - so appropriate after the figure of a Wilde jailed for "buggery and indecent conduct" in his day - accompanies a tree, planted "in memory of those members of the Irish gay and lesbian community who are no longer with us". A monument for LOVE with capital letters. So necessary.
Oscar Wilde Memorial in Merrion Square Park
It's time to shock : time to be flooded with art and soak up paintings of indescribable beauty and firm lines between bodies and curves. We enter the National Gallery to learn Irish history from Irish hands.
We are welcomed by the **Red Countess, Constance Markievicz**, the revolutionary who fought tirelessly for Irish independence and became the first female officer in a modern army fighting in the failed Easter Rising. This is one of the few paintings in which she is not dressed as an officer. Her gaze in front of her, undaunted, hard, relentless, powerful.
We fall into the temptation of James Barry, who pays homage to the poem of the Lost paradise by John Milton. Adam and Eve, naked, brushing their hands around the forbidden apple...
As we move through the corridors the temperature rises. We find the pornography of the time, the prints of Matthew William Peters that he made in series and distributed among those interested, enjoying great success. One of the example, 'Sylvia, a courtesan' . It's a shame that William Peters ended up repenting of his work and taking refuge in Catholicism until he was ordained a priest.
Another of the most iconic works on this first floor of the National, dedicated solely to Irish art, is the painting of 'Cupid and Psyche in the wedding bower', of Hugh DouglasHamilton , beautiful mythological story of forbidden love.
Behind the extolled romanticism of Nathaniel Grogan or Francis Danby, the paintings of the 20th century and the visit to the Millenium wing (dedicated to the great European painters Rodin, Rothko, Epstein, Berthe Morisot...) the jewel arrives: the lust of the painting by Domenicus Van Wijnen in 'The temptation of San Antonio' , strategically placed in the Great Hall, the most impressive room in the museum.
'Cupid and Psyche in the Wedding Bower'
If you prefer the short version, literally, you can (must) visit ** The Little Museum of Dublin **, to learn the history of the city in 29 minutes accompanied by a local guide through a series of chaotic rooms, full of details of Dublin life. At the end of the visit, we recommend that you continue to the top floor and let yourself be surprised by its three themed rooms. A track: 'With or Without You'.
ROMANCE IN THE RESTAURANT
Let's rest. Time to regain strength. Where? The most romantic restaurant in town is screaming for you, Coffee in the Seine _(40 Dawson Street) _ which has witnessed love stories (and more) for three centuries.
This building was a jail (for French prisoners of the failed Irish Rebellion of 1798), also luxury brothel (frequented by King George IV), a tailor's sewing workshop that came to work for Queen Victoria , an improvised surgery hospital, a car showroom, a piano store... And now, your perfect place for a romantic lunch or dinner. Its fish and chips or its well-paired beef burger with a Red Ale craft beer, is the only thing you need to follow the path.
THE POWER OF MUSIC AND BOOKS
Leaving the reverie of the Café, you can continue along the same street, Dawson St. until you reach the bookstore Hodges Figgis (yes, another essential stop for those of you who have read the Ulysses ) where you can lose yourself between special editions and that stand dedicated to the Penguin publishing house.
On a small table, three books in black with blood-red edges: Handmade's Tale, 1984 and Brave New World . The great dystopias of the world. In three wonderful editions of Vintage Books London. But the discoveries do not end... do you dare to go down to his basement?
For vinyl lovers, across the street, you can be flooded with the sounds of the world in the huge Tower Records .
Hodges Figgis
But if there is something sexy in this world, it is to go through shelves stirring the dust of great literary and musical jewels from any corner of the planet, think about the past lives that heard or read the same thing that you are enjoying now and imagine in whose hands these second-hand objects were...
If your definition of sensuality fits this description, your place is at the end of a narrow gallery : is about Freebird Records _(15A Wicklow St.) _, books by weight, vinyl and records second-hand, in a shop where art accumulates without rhyme or expectation to be discovered. Will you be the next?
At the entrance of the mini-gallery you can get a coffee and a donut in the Revolutionary Bakery corner and its products handmade.
The sensuality of vinyl EXISTS
SUNSET AND DINNER OVER THE RIVER LIFFEY
The reddish hues of the sun become more intense as they "closer" on the horizon with the River Liffey. Enjoy these views from the bridge Grattan, Millenium or Ha Peny's Bridge It is one of the most magical and natural experiences in the city. You will not need more to feel the romance with Dublin: the sun going down, a walk through its Liffey's Boardwalk , and the best views of the city skyline from the bridges.
There is more: there is a perfect corner to say goodbye to the day, where to have dinner but also to read. One of the most charming bookshops in the city awaits you at Ormond Quay . This is ** The Winding Stair **, a small bookstore but with the best of gifts: a charming reading room in the back that consists of the basics: a padded armchair, a floor lamp and everything surrounded by shelves of books. classics and some second season.
But **The Winding Stair** hides something else: a restaurant. To get to him you must leave the bookstore and enter through the next door and, without fear, go up the stairs. When you get to the top you will come across a restaurant in full activity (reservations are recommended). Their brunch They are very well known in the city: surrounded by books, with good tea on the table and with views of the city at dawn... who can ask for more?
WHAT THE NIGHT HIDE
Fun has a thousand faces in Dublin. You can choose to do a good pub crawl or choose a place that has everything and not move from the site.
Among the pubs, we recommend staying away from the Temple Bar area. The true Dublin experience lies just beyond , on sites like Fiber Magees _(80-81 Parnell St.) _, a place as dark and deep as the night and as the music that is heard here (many times, live).
If you go out to his open air you can enjoy the company of other bars (the huge patio is shared between three locals) and order drinks and beers (better the latter, without a doubt) in their van-bar. In addition, you can choose the music in your juke box digital. You would never guess his most played song in recent years...
A less rock but more hipster place awaits you on the other side of the river. This is **Cassidy's** _(27 Westmoreland Street)_ , and in addition to pizzas and fast dishes, they also serve board games for a quieter evening, by candlelight and in a place that is more reminiscent of the Berlin of Ostkreuz than the center of Dublin.
But the place that hides EVERYTHING and at the same time hides nothing is very different from all the previous ones. Is about wigwam _(54 Abbey Street Middle) _a pin pon club (so you can play non-stop on the ground floor) that also offers a small cafeteria ( VICE Coffee ), a rum bar with the option to snack on their brazilian food and a concert and party room where the best electronic music in the capital sounds (if you're lucky, on the bill you can see masters of the mix like Erol Alkan ) .
The night is by WigWam
THE REST (AND THE PASSION) OF WARRIORS
the night is from Dylan . Dylan is our perfect companion for a romantic night, a Preferred Hotels & Resorts hotel that was once a nursing school (and through which Princess Helena, daughter of Queen Victoria passed). Its wonderful exterior is at the height of an interior full of warm colors, red carpets and a maze of doors that ensure silence and privacy.
Inside his Suite we will find some welcome brownies with a touch of strawberry and a bathtub full of salts from the Irish organic cosmetics brand The Handmade Soap . In the morning, if you are able to wake up on time, a brunch on his terrace is highly recommended (if the weather is good) and order his toast with butter and homemade jam. So easy. So complicated.
Wake up, you have to continue discovering the city. We started very close to the hotel, about ten minutes away, at one of the most influential roasters in the city, **3FE Coffee** _(7 Sussex Terrace and Grand Canal Street)_. Here, in your perfect toaster to buy coffee utensils, coffee pots and to place your order takeaway, the coffee is excellent and more than necessary to accompany it with some sweet (such as its incredible pain au chocolat or its stuffed croissants).
THE LAST RIDE
Let's go to the center, strolling by the pond of St Stephens Green, a quiet place, of absolute silence only broken by the birds and the ducks that move around here. From the bridge of the pond you will see the stylish swans floating placidly. the print is amazing . It is a living tableau, accompanied by the Dublin fog that floods everything.
We continue to ** Georges St. Arcade **, looking for original purchases, unique gifts, such as the crazy clothes of vintage , the hats of Heads Up! , the photo gallery of Fitzgerald Art And Photography Gallery or the disks Spin Dizzie.
Georges St Arcade
Very close, one last green walk for you: the Dubh Linn Gardens , hidden behind the great castle of Dublin. It is an extension of grass only broken by the body of several sea serpents marked with cobblestones. ** It is said ** that this is the point where the city originated, where the first Vikings settled creating the foundations of present-day Dublin.
You have eaten, you have drunk, you have laughed, enjoyed and learned, between hugs, art and enjoyment. But this Stendhal's syndrome Dublin can only be completed with one more visit. The visit.
As a culmination, without a doubt, the Great Room of the Library of Trinity College Dublin, with its 65 meters long and its more than 200,000 books (the oldest in the library). The silence between so much wisdom, overwhelming. Like this complete getaway to the city of love? In the end, it will be you who have the last word.
the culmination