Dublin - As James Joyce Saw It …

On this day, which Joyce chose because on June 16, 1904, he had his first date with Nora Barnacle, the later wife and mother of his children, events unfold in Dublin that Leopold Bloom experienced page after page in the novel. We start the day with a swim at Forty Foot Beach and a visit to the James Joyce Tower.

Today, the tower has been converted into one of the many museums dedicated to Joyce. This is followed by a stop for a burgundy and a sandwich with gorgonzola v the pub Davy Byrne on Duke Street, just as Bloom did, or refreshments with a mug of beer on the quayside Ormond Quay. Of course, today is different from Ireland at the beginning of the twentieth century, and it is impossible to follow the route from the novel in detail. One of the most emblematic places that speak of Bloom's personality is his house at 7 Eccles Street, since it no longer exists. In other parts of the city, such as the red light district or Nighttown, only faint memories remain. On Bloomsday itself or in the days surrounding it, since the celebration lasts for almost a week, many people also dress up in images of characters from the novel Ulysses, that is, clothes from the beginning of the twentieth century. Although the people of Dublin are proud of their famous countryman and organize this unique event for him, it is a one-sided love. Joyce despised Ireland, especially Dublin, and spent most of his life abroad, including in nearby Trieste and for a while even in Pula, which he also disliked and compared to Siberia by the sea. On the other hand, even the Irish did not have positive feelings towards Joyce, and his works were even banned on the green island for a while. He was labeled as a pornographic writer and was not particularly appreciated by his colleagues either. Despite mutual hatred, Joyce always returned to his hometown in his works and described it in detail, so one of the ways to get to know the Irish capital is to take a walk along the paths of James Joyce.

Dublin is famous for its number of pubs.

Walking around Dublin
Anyone who visits Dublin today wonders who Ulysses was. It is difficult to walk around the city without finding a statue or monument dedicated to Joyce, without remembering at least one square mentioned in the novel, or admiring some sculptures dedicated to one of the writer's heroes. Even Joyce himself once said that if the city was destroyed, it could be rebuilt down to the last stone, if only we followed the path from his novel. For some visitors, the only real Dublin is the one that exists in the novel, so they go on a unique pilgrimage full of literary memories and pubs. No one knows the exact number of pubs in Dublin, but the prevailing opinion is that there are more than a thousand. Joyce wrote that it is impossible to get around a city without walking past at least one, so it is best to get to know them in detail. His heroes visit The Oval on Abbey St, Mooney, which has been renamed to Abbey Mooney, cross the river Leffey, personified by the writer and named Anna Livia Plurabelle, and finally reach the street Duke St, a small street with a large number of pubs.

A place of contrasts
Dublin is a city full of contrasts and contradictions. In an instant, we can find ourselves in an elegant market, as for example St. Stephen's Green, and a few meters further we are already in the center of a poor area, surrounded by neglected buildings. The city is bounded by two grand canals and divided by the River Liffey. The northern part of the city is considered to be working-class and the southern to the rich. The truth is different. In the northern part, the center of the action is the street O'Connell St, which is the backbone of the city and where we will find the most memories of the world of James Joyce. In the southern part there are several spacious squares, the bohemian area Temple Bar, pedestrian street Grafton St and most of the most important institutions. Dubliners' love of literature and tradition is also reflected in the many libraries and buildings associated with great writers. Three great sons of Dublin have been awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature: Mr. Bernard Shaw in 1925, WB Yeats in 1938 and Samuel Beckett in 1969. We must not forget Oscar Wilde or Jonathan Swift, the author of Gulliver's Travels. You don't have to become a James Joyce enthusiast to fall in love with Dublin, as you can enjoy the city's many attractions in June or any other month of the year. Literature lovers or not, we must visit Trinity College, a university founded in the 16th century where Oskar Wilde, Jonathan Swift and Samuel Beckett studied. Behind its elegant walls is a library where a famous book is kept Book of Kells, a richly decorated Latin manuscript copied around 800 by Celtic monks. Among the multitude of other museums, the National Museum and the National Gallery should not be left out, the former for learning about Irish history, from prehistory to independence, the latter for the richest galleries in the world, where there are works by Caravaggio, Rubens, Vermeer, Goya and Velazquez. It is under the protection of the Irish national patron St. Patrick's Cathedral, the most important Irish Anglican church, whose history dates back to the 12th century, although a chapel stood on its site even earlier. Jonathan Swift and his beloved Stella are also buried there. Another important Protestant church is Christ Church, also from the 12th century, stands nearby (it's not far in Dublin). Dublin Castle, which is a symbol of English rule, you can also have refreshments nearby Temple Bar, which is in one of the most popular neighborhoods in the city. Locals and foreigners alike love to visit this bohemian quarter full of restaurants and bars. An interesting outdoor festival takes place on its streets during the summer months. We will experience one of the most authentic atmospheres in the area Liberties, which is also one of the oldest inhabited districts. In the local pubs, we will be able to drink a mug of beer and engage in interesting conversations with Irish people. Some pubs are steeped in history, such as Kehoe's, The Long Hall, Neary's, Ryans or Doheny & Nesbitt's. In just about all of them, of course, celebrities offer Guinness, a dark beer that has become one of Ireland's symbols. True fans will not only drink it in pubs, but will even visit the brewery, which celebrated its venerable 250 years last year.