11- DUBLIN

Hy everyone! I'm really excited about this post! I went to Dublín a couple of times, in the summer of 2013 and in the summer of 2014 and I really enjoyed

1- General information

Dublin is the capital, largest and most populated city of Ireland. It's located on the country's east coast, at the mouth of the River Liffey. The population of the urban area of the city is about 1.3 million people. However, including the metropolitan area, which is called Greater Dublin Area, the city's population reaches to almost 2 million people.

The city was founded more tan 1,000 years ago by the vikings. Right after the Norman Invasión, it became Ireland's most important city, experiencing a period of rapid expansion during the 17th century. Following the partition of Ireland in 1922, Dublin became the capital of the Irish Free State, later renamed Ireland.

2- Landmarks

The most famous Street in Dublin is O'Connel Street, a 500 metre-long Street in which there are some of its most representative monuments. From the General Post Officee, to the Spire (a 120 metres high structure with the shape of a needle) and several statues in memory of its most famous citizens.

A monuments which must be visited when going to Dublin, is the Trinity College, a university built in the 16th century which is still working these days. Its library is simply majestic.

 Molly Malone's statue is one of the city's most representative places for tourists to take a souvenir  photo in. But, why does a prostitute have a statue? Click here if you want to know the story.

 Temple Bar, an old church which was turned into a bar has also become an icon of the city.

3- People

Even though the Irish language is still taught at school, it's less and less spoken. English is the oficial language and the communication language between native Irish people and foreigners. Thousands and thousands of young people visit Dublin in the summer to learn English, but those aren't the only foreigners. Dublin hosts several international organizations in which there are workers from any side of the planet. Thus, Dublin has become a global multicultural city in which over a hundred different languages are spoken daily.

4- Food

In Ireland, lunch is usually lighter (a sandwich or similar), whereas dinner is the main meal (contrary to Spain). A delicious dinner for cold days of winter is definitely the Irish Stew. It's a tasty spoon dish made with lamb (it was traditionally made with mutton but these days it isn't usually), potatoes, carrots, onions, butter or olive oil, and some more herbs (each cook use the ones they want).

Irish Stew

If you ever go to Dublín, you can't leave without tasting at least a couple milkshakes: chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, oreo or any other flavour you want. They're simply delicious!

Chocolate milkshakes

5- Films and TV Series

Several films and TV series have been recorded along the Irish countryside.

The films recorded in the capital city aren't so many, but there are some. Most of them, such as My left foot, The Commitments or I went down are from the 80's ans 90's. From the 21st century, one of the most remarkable ones is A film with me in it.

(If you know any other current film set in Dublin, write it in the comments)

6- More information

Dublín is definitely a great city for travelling lovers: they can either choose the wide variety of shops at the city centre or one among the many shopping centres.

If you choose the city centre, you can't miss Penneys (Primark in other countries) and Carrols, a chain of souvenir stores all around the city.

However, the most impressive one is Dundrum Shopping Centre. It isn't only Ireland's largest shopping centre, but it's also one of the largest ones in Europe. At least a whole evening is needed to walk along it and shop calmly. If you want to have a look at all the services it offers, click here.

If you are planning to visit Dublín, have a look first at the  Official Site for News, Informations and Events. Maybe there's a festival or an art exhibition which attracts your attention, so you can plan your trip those days!

Hope you've enjoyed reading this post as much as I've enjoyed writing it. Any suggestion to make? In the comments! See you son!