Dublin
Though it is the capital of Ireland, Dublin's face is still friendly. It doesn't have the fashion of London, the romance of Paris or the teasing of Rome, so it chooses to entertain you in the most peaceful way. Located in the center of the city, near the north bank of the River Liffey is Europe's largest urban park Phoenix Park (PhoenixPark), which covers a total area said to be twice as large as Central Park in the United States. Because of its size, Phoenix Park also contains the Dublin Zoo, the Deer Park, the President's House and the Wellington Monument. Notable is the Wellington Monument, which honors none other than the Duke of Wellington, the Irishman who inflicted Napoleon's crushing defeat at Waterloo in 1815. As well as some of the regular attractions, Phoenix Park is also seen as a great location for organizing fairs. Every year there are different fairs organized here, such as agricultural trade, horticulture and so on, and the Irish people's love for life is evident. Whenever there's a gardening show, they'll drive out with their families, and when they get there, they'll cheer on their favorite gardeners, and a few of them have become friends as a result.
On the south bank of the river, the secluded atmosphere of Phoenix Park is slowly washed away, and Dublin as a capital city is full of energy. Narrow lanes are filled with cars driving in all directions of the city in a well-organized manner. The historic-looking St. Patrick's Cathedral, St. Stephen's Green, Government Buildings, the National Museum and Trinity College have also been revitalized.
Have to go: Temple BarThe Temple Bar is located in Dublin's city center, just a few steps away from the busiest pedestrian street, gathering a variety of pubs and restaurants.
OliverSt. John Gogarty is the most famous local traditional Irish-style pub. It hosts visitors from all over the world with traditional Irish music, dancing and food. Located on the 3rd floor, the restaurant is simply decorated and you can choose from chicken, fish and steak entrees with different fresh vegetables. The steak is the specialty, and the steak here is gigantic, the portion is so big that you will be surprised that even 3 Asian girls may not be able to finish it off. After a big steak and a cup of Irish coffee, you'll be praised for being "Irish" enough. 1F and 2F is the bar, which is always packed no matter what time of day it is. The daytime in Europe doesn't end until 10:00 p.m., so most Irish people have a penchant for bar-hopping, drinking a glass of Guinness, playing a little Irish song, and just hanging out!
Theorchard Centre Farm is located on the outskirts of Dublin city, and is a farm with beautiful countryside and natural scenery, covering an area of 120,000 square meters. In addition to the beautiful scenery and flowers of the farm, you can also experience the Irish people's mysterious home life. The most special thing is that this farm is one of the partners of the famous Baileys. Owner Michael Hayden is proud to have high quality cows and high quality dairy products. Modern equipment has made farming a fully industrialized process, and the farm is managed by just three people. The milk from Ocharde Farm is completely different from the milk you see every day, it is milky white and so thick that it is almost solid, which made us cry out in wonder. Of course, only milk like this has a chance of making its way into the Baileys liqueur, which then travels across the ocean to the rest of the world.
Delicious recommendations:
Guinness Stout: The world's largest-selling stout, Guinness is made from five ingredients - malt, serrano, water, yeast and hops - and has a mellower, more robust aftertaste than your average beer. Don't forget to try a glass of Guinness when you visit the Guinness Stout Museum.
Chapter One Restaurant: This famous Dublin restaurant is located in the basement of the Writers' Museum, just north of Parnell Square. It was formerly the apartment of Irish whiskey maker John Jameson. The entire design is in the Georgian style and the interior is well preserved. The restaurant focuses on classic French cuisine, with top fat foie gras and rabbit cassoulet being the signature meals at Chapter One. The First Chapter Restaurant has maintained a good reputation over the years.
Cork
Cork is Ireland's second-largest city, and is more typical of the European countryside than the capital, Dublin. In Cork you can see a variety of ancient castles scattered among the fields, most of them are private property, and the owners of the houses can take care of these castles according to their own interests, such as renovating them into ancient castle hotels. The most famous is the Ballymaloe Castle Hotel, with its huge and deep lawns, open-air swimming pool, sun rooms, views of the countryside, and Irish food made from fresh ingredients. The best part is that every room in this hotel is decorated differently, from girly blue and white striped rooms to neutral gray and white rooms, and if you are lucky enough to get a room on the first floor, there is a huge sunroom attached to it! Here, there's no need for mundane distractions, all you have to do is enjoy, enjoy, enjoy.
Must visit:
Ballymaloe Cookery SchoolNot far from Ballymaloe Castle is the Ballymaloe Cookery School. The school's owner, Darina Allen, is one of Ireland's most celebrated chefs, and his philosophy on cooking comes from his Italian celebrity chef masters: use the freshest ingredients, the most seasonal, and grow and care for your food yourself to get the most delicious flavors. That's why at
Ballymaloe Cooking School you'll most often see hens having fun, "weeds"
growing wildly all over the place, and students heading out to their own acreage to pick the freshest ingredients, led by their teachers. If it coincides with lunch, you will find all the students are busy, in this school, there is no such thing as a student cafeteria chef, and there is no uncle or aunt to serve you food, want to eat? Then help yourself. Everyone is a chef, whether it's an appetizer, a main course, or a dessert, it's all prepared by the students. The students come from all over the world, some are rookie cooks, some are established chefs, but all have a passion for cooking.
Jameson Distillery As Ireland's largest and most famous whiskey, Jameson's status is unassailable. So if you go to Ireland, it would be a wasted trip if you don't visit the Jameson distillery. The distillery is now divided into two main parts, the first being the Jameson Whiskey Museum, which still contains the tools used to make the whiskey over 100 years ago. The whole tour is accompanied by professional tour guides, who can not only see the whole process of Irish whiskey making more than 100 years ago, but also listen to the legendary story of the life of Mr. John Jameson, the founder of Jameson Whiskey, as well as the development of Irish whiskey through the vicissitudes of life. After visiting the entire distillery, you can take a break at the exit bar, with the ticket you can taste a glass of long-awaited Jameson Whiskey, the fragrant aroma of the whiskey on the nose is intoxicating, extremely smooth taste without the slightest hint of impurity. The smoothness of the whisky is not at all off-putting, and the richness of the whisky is all the more mesmerizing when you remember the craftsmanship and history of the whisky.
Recommendations:
Traditional breakfast: Ireland is surrounded by sea, so seafood is a must-try. Salmon is a culinary favorite because of its high nutritional value, and the recommended dish - hash browns with smoked salmon, with smoked salmon on each hash brown and cheese spread, is delicious and long-lasting. The traditional Irish breakfast is extremely hearty: it includes Irish sausage, bacon, black pudding, white pudding, 4 eggs, 4 medium and 4 cooked potatoes, Irish beans, white chili, Irish butter, and Dublin cheese. This breakfast is enough to whet your appetite, and although the meal will take a little longer than a normal breakfast, it's definitely worth getting out of bed a little earlier than usual.