Travelling Worm

This is the blog of Mark Wordsworm, the travelling worm. I’m a 40-year-old bookmark (give or take a few years) and I proudly boast my own Hallmark serial number, 95 HBM 80-1. You’ll probably want to read all about me and my Travelling Companion (the TC).

Today’s travel notes

Me and the TC spent a couple of days this week strolling the streets of Dublin. Read on to soak up some of the atmosphere of the city.

The book I’m in

Darknet, by Matthew Maher. A rollicking tale of murder and mayhem in the world of high tech.

Travel tips

A hop-on hop-off bus tour is a good option on a rainy day.

The photos

Me taking the DoDublin Hop On Hop Off bus tour:

In the background is the River Liffey, which runs through Dublin. Spanning the river is the Grattan Bridge, built in 1874. It’s named after Daniel Grattan, one of the founders of the Irish Parliament.

This worm enjoyed the warning from our tour guide, Adam, at the start of the trip: “Just a health and safety message before we start: if you see me jumping up and running off the bus, you should probably follow me.”

Next up is the Ha’penny Bridge, probably the best-known of the Dublin bridges. It was constructed in 1816 and is for pedestrians only. Its official name is the Liffey Bridge, but it’s commonly known as Ha’penny Bridge due to the toll of half a penny (a ha’penny) that was originally charged for crossing the bridge:

This view shows the steps at the start of the bridge:

One of our days in Dublin was wet and grey. The other was bright and sunny. Strolling along the Liffey, we noticed that quite a few of the mooring posts had one or two ladybirds in residence. They were always huddled just below the curve of the rounded top of the post. Perhaps they were waiting for a ride:

A striking sight on the river bank in the district of Temple Bar is the Sunlight Chambers building. The panels of colourful, raised figures depict the story of soap. The building was commissioned and built by the company Lever Brothers (now Unilever) in 1900-1910, and named after their best-selling product: Sunlight Soap:

The Snug claims to be the oldest pub in Temple Bar:

The AIB Bank building in Dame Street was designed by Thomas Deane and built in the 1870s:

Ireland’s longest-running pen speciality shop, Pen Corner, opened its doors in 1927 and closed in May 2022. You can still see the shop front at the corner of College Green and Trinity Street:

Continuing with the writing theme, here’s a street outside a school in the area of Portobello, where the traffic posts have been converted to pencils:

The next building that caught the TC’s eye is number 2 Palace Street in Temple Bar, built around 1771. It used to be owned by the Sick and Indigent Roomkeepers Society, which is Dublin’s oldest surviving charity. The building is now owned by the Dublin Corporation, and is protected under a preservation order:

This lovely artwork is in a small park near Dublin Castle. The park is a memorial given by the people of Flanders in remembrance of the Irishmen who gave their lives for the freedom and independence of Belgium in the war of 1914-1918:

Here’s a general street scene in the area of Portobello. One of the buildings proclaims, “We <heart> Dublin”:

A peaceful alleyway strung with lights:

That’s all for today, folks.