Dublin has a certain special place in my heart, as it was the first foreign city I visited. I went to a Language College and this included spending time abroad to practice the language studied. I was 15 when we went to Ireland, and stayed 3 full weeks with a family in the suburbs of Dublin.
I remember eating spaghetti with ketchup and completely freaking out LOL, such a stereotype! I also remember catching the double-decker bus to school every day, and I remember the classroom where we spent a few hours a day practising English.
But what I remember the most is visiting the Cliffs of Moher, and then spending St Patrick’s day in Galway. What were our teachers thinking? Honestly, we were so scared! hahaha
I also remember visiting the Guinness’ distillery and giving away the ticket for the free pint to other visitors, as we were underage and could not drink. In Ireland. Not that I was drinking at that age, but in Italy you would be able to drink a bit of wine since you are 8 years old if you wanted and nobody would care. I also remember going in the Trinity College and being so fascinated about how beautiful it was. I love books and this is heaven for books, for sure.
I didn’t go back to Dublin until over 10 years later, in 2015, when I went to see a friend from back home who was living there. I only stayed for the weekend and we didn’t have much time but I loved visiting Phoenix Park. Known for being the largest park in Europe, this park is famous for hosting a herd of deer! Yes, you read well, a herd of deer! It feels like being in the countryside but you are just in the middle of bubbly Dublin.
I could also drink pints in Temple Bar, obviously!
And then I loved the statue of Molly Malone. I love it because it represents a normal woman, a woman who worked hard in her own Dublin. There is something romantic about it. And a sad song that goes like this:
“….In Dublin’s fair city, where the girls are so pretty I first set my eyes on sweet Molly Malone As she wheeled her wheelbarrow through streets broad and narrow Crying cockles and mussels alive a-live O!” cit. Pete Seeger
Tales from a Red Suitcase 