Horsing Around

I was strolling through the CHQ Building this morning and it seems that Gulliver has a few mates! The one that caught my eye was this horse which seemed to be folding its arms! Ah the laid back nature of Dubliners – it’s endemic!

 

Live as the graffiti tells you…

Tuesdays are always a little depressing. Too far from the previous weekend and nowhere near the following one, it really is a day to feel down in the dumps. That’s why when I walked past this piece of graffiti in Temple Bar, I had to take the camera out! It’s a little bit of colour to brighten up your Tuesday!

 

Playing the flute

This fountain is based on College Green and ever since the ‘Floozie in the Jacuzzi’ was removed from O’Connell Street, this has been prone to those pesky kids and their washing-up liquid. Yes the foam goes all over the street. No, I’m sure the prominence of Trinity College students has nothing to do with it. Really.

I really like this photo though, as it was taken in really bright sunlight so you can see the water spurting toward the lens!

 

Cobbles, Dublin Style

Cobbles, with puddles, in the city, this morning. Cold, too.

 

The Shelbourne

Time for some style and class on the blog me thinks. This was Dublin’s most premier hotel – The Shelbourne and then the powers that be in the hotel decided to redevelop the hotel which has proven to be controversial as officially, the hotel is stuck at the 4* level when it wants to be so much more. (Indeed it markets itself as 5* luxury) Yet it maintains its appeal and the last time Waffler went in, he found himself rubbing shoulders with newscasters and weather presenters. The fame, the fame!

 

Gulliver arrives!

Well, finally he has arrived! As you can understand, this sand sculpture under the Arch that you saw on Monday was painstaking to produce and I felt sorry for the two guys who worked with what looked like a scalpel! It’s based on the book by Dubliner Jonathan Swift, Gulliver’s Travels and if you look really closely, you’ll see that Gulliver is eyeing up an inhabitant of Lilliput. Enjoy the weekend!

 

Money grows on trees…

Well this is one of the most famous pieces of art in Ireland, though not everyone would know it! It’s based outside Ireland’s Central Bank and part of it is the logo of the Irish Financial Regulator… hence its infamous status! I like it though. It’s based on the idea of leaves although as we all know, money does not grow on trees… not even in Dublin.

 

Signposts as gaeilge

Tourists are always a little bit fascinated by the fact that signposts in Ireland are bilingual and you’ll probably notice that more as more pictures come on line. These signposts I don’t get. They are pointing in the direction of two of the city’s most prime tourist locations but one look and most tourists (and most Dubs) don’t have a clue what they mean.

In case you’re asking, the top one is pointing to the National Museum of Ireland – Archaeology and History on Kildare St and the bottom one is for the Natural History Museum on Merrion St.

 

Seahorses!

There are quite a few seahorses dotted around the city. It seemed that back in the later part of the 18th century those in charge of lighting sought the seahorse as Dublin’s new mascot… kinda.

 

Arc de Triomphe in Dublin?

Well, not quite. But seeing as I’ve been looking at Paris on the television all day, here’s a little bit of France in Dublin. Keep watching the site and you might find something underneath the arch tomorrow…