We are staying in the Grand Canal Dock District, which in 1796 it was the world’s largest dock area. By 1960, the area had fallen into disrepair. From 2002-2006 the Environmental Protection Agency spent close to 40 million euros to decontaminate the area. This investment has paid off. High tech companies like Google, Facebook, Linked In, Twitter and Ancestry.com have made this area their international headquarters. Now this area is nicknamed “Silicon Docks” and is one of the more prosperous districts of Dublin.

This is the view from our apartment of the Grand Canal.  The gray stone building with the metal roof is where U2, the famous Irish rock group,  has recorded a few of their albums.

A five minute walk north of the Grand Canal will bring you out to the mouth of the River Liffey that flows through Dublin.  When we first arrived, the Italian tall ship training vessel, America Vespucci, was in port and docked near us.  They offered tours of the ship which was fun to see.

America Vespucci

Photos from inside of the ship……

The Wheelhouse

The Bow of the Ship

Do you think these are the life boats? The one on the left must be for the captain!

Can you imagine climbing this mast in a storm?

Finally, you have to love a man in a uniform…especially an Italian man!!!! 🙂

The ship sail out of port a week ago.  Now, there is a cruise ship in its place.

Looking west of the ship, towards the city of Dublin is the Samuel Beckett Bridge.  Samuel Beckett is an Irish writer who won the 1969 Nobel Peace Prize for Literature.  He is considered one of the most influential writers of the 20th Century and one of the key writers for what is known as “Theater of the Absurd.”  One of his best known works is “Waiting for Godot.”  Maybe you have heard of it or even read it!

The building to the right of the bridge is Dublin’s Convention Center.

I have enjoyed the area that we are staying in.  Nearby is the Bord Gais Energy Theater, a great theater that is offering the musical Billy Elliot, which we have seen.

Bord Gais Energy Theater

There are some nice restaurants and an adequate grocery store nearby.  It is about a 25 minute walk to what I consider the “tourist center” of Dublin….Trinity College, Temple Bar and O’Connell Street.  All of which I will share in future post but now, I am off to explore some more in my final days here.