Dublin – Day 2 can be found here.
Off to the Dublin Zoo!
Our hotel arranged a taxi for us to get to the zoo but warned us it can be challenging to find taxis for the return trip. Since we plan to walk around and explore Phoenix Park after our zoo visit we decided against pre-booking a pickup for the way home. It’s a major city and we have the various uber-equivalent apps so I’m sure it’ll be fine.
Pre-purchasing tickets yesterday turned out to be a great idea as the line-up to buy at the zoo gates was enormous. Thankfully there was a separate line for pass holders and pre-purchased tickets so the entry staff scanned our phone and we were in within minutes.
Map courtesy of the Dublin Zoo
Our plan was to walk up the right side of the zoo, loop around at the top and then travel back towards the entrance on the left side. However, we continually got distracted and kept finding paths that weren’t clearly labelled on the map and wandered off into the unknown.
The Dublin Zoo may be one of the oldest zoos in the world (it opened in 1831) but it’s been recently renovated and the fresh, modern exhibits make the Toronto Zoo (our closest zoo at home) seem quite tired in comparison. The animals have more space and more importantly, lots of places to hide from visitors. In particular, the various monkey and ape groups had multiple climbing structures and lots of outdoor space to roam and play.
Then it was off to explore Phoenix Park. Since the zoo is set within Phoenix Park all we did was head out the gates and start walking. First order of business was lunch and we quickly stumbled upon the Victorian Tea Rooms. The perfect place to grab a sandwich or tasty scone.
Photo courtesy of Phoenix Park
After a lovely lunch we decided to find some walking trails and hopefully spot some of the deer this park is known for. We explored for about an hour and found some beautiful gardens, twisty narrow trails and even a playground but sadly, no deer.
Photo courtesy of Phoenix Park
And then it was time to call a cab. Or find one. We tried using the various apps but without an exact address all rides were declined. So we decided to leave the park and try hailing a taxi the old-fashioned way. It took almost 30 min (and a lot of frustration) but right after we made the decision to give up and walk back to the hotel we finally flagged one down. We got the name of the cab company and their associated app, so hopefully we’re able to prevent this from happening again.
A short ride later we were back at the hotel to quickly refill water bottles and grab rain coats as the weather outside was starting to look stormy. Then we headed back out into the increasingly grey and windy day to tour Dublin Castle.
Photo courtesy of Dublin Castle
Dublin Castle was originally built in 1204 and rebuilt after a fire in 1684 in the Georgian style but you can still see the medieval structure in some sections and there’s even a stone embankment from when the Vikings inhabited the area.
It was a good thing we had pre-booked tickets to tour the state apartments since by the time we arrived for our slot they were completely sold out for the day. Entry was easy but figuring out the locker system to store backpacks and other personal items was complicated. After a few tries we gave up and had to ask for help.
The outside of the castle was thoroughly impressive, but the inside was more of an adult-oriented museum with lots of intricate architectural details and portraits. It was a great way to stay out of the rain but not something we’d do again.
The throne room
By the time we left the rain had let up and it was time to start thinking about dinner. We asked the kids what they were thinking and… Boxty fries won. (Adventurous eaters we are not.)
Then back to the hotel to pack up everything that had exploded from our suitcases and have the hotel book us a ride to the ferry terminal for the next morning – it’s going to be a very early start.
Continue reading Dublin & Wales – Day 4.