One thing I like to do when I travel is trying to discover the city I’m visiting from many different points of view

So, today, I’m bringing you to discover Dublin “from the water.” Let’s start with a long walk along the Grand Canal, starting from near to Merrion Square to St. Stephen’s Green.
This canal is very long, and it flows for almost the entire Dublin, parallel to the Liffey (the Dublin river). I walked for a relatively short distance, and the thing that immediately caught my eye is the peace of this canal: even if it runs through some bustling part of Dublin, it’s a true oasis in the middle of Dublin traffic. After that walk, I suggest you also to have a cruise along the Liffey river (I’m always intrigued by cruises, in every city where a river flow along the city and a company offers this type of service).
The ticket can be purchased at the box office right on the pier where cruises depart or with the city sightseeing bus ticket (I used these buses as an “alternative transportation service” during a two-day bus strike): personally, I chose the second option! I had just to chose my “favourite” day and time to take the cruise. I showed up one hour before the box office, just to be sure I was in the right place and I was able to change the departure time (I took the prior cruise). I was satisfied by this cruise for two reasons: it gave me an overview of the city itself and, secondly, our guide was very exhaustive and very nice.  Some useful information about the cruise:
– Departure time: 11:30; 12:30; 14:15; 15:15; 16:15 (15 minutes before you must go to the dock and pick up the ticket at the kiosk);
– Departure and arrival pier: it’s located along Bachelor’s Walk. It’s easily identifiable thanks to the small ticket kiosk
– Travelling time: 45 minutes.
One thing that I recommend you absolutely to do is a walk along the Liffey, from the city centre to the city harbour, even if you did (or you will do) the cruise: this is a very well-finished walk,
which offers many photographic opportunities and that can relax the pedestrians who pass this way, even if you are in town and along a road by sliding relatively fast. Just along this promenade, there is the Famine Memorial: this installation aims to remind the Irish people who, during the 19th century, had to emigrate because of the “Great Carestia”. The sculptures are made of bronze and represent emaciated and dehydrated men due to famine, and are located on the Custom House Quay in the Docklands area of Dublin.
Near to this memorial, there is also the World Poverty Stone, a stone commemorating the United Nations World Poverty Day on October 17th of every year. If you arrive up to there, I suggest you have a look at the Dublin port and the estuary of the Liffey river:  Also from the outside, the Dublin Harbour is a place which gave me the feeling of a lived place, a key location for the city. There was a lot of traffic, and in the distance, I was able to spot the harbour entrance, with a lot of cruise ship arriving and leaving.
[NB: I didn’t see any possibility to step in for those who aren’t leaving by (cruise) boat] I suggest you to conclude this tour whit a walk at Grand Canal Dock, maybe at sunset to have a relaxing atmosphere. This area is the most interior area of the Dublin Docklands, the most modern city part and I bumped into this Dublin neighbourhood because it was quite near to the apartment I rented for my stay in Dublin (10 minutes walk). I’ve found a lively area: there were a lot of supermarkets, area to sit down to drink coffee; there were also a lot of guys who had fun skateboarding, a lot of street art and coloured lights that illuminate the area after sunset.
Why do I recommend coming to Docklands at sunset? Because I noticed that Dublin often has a lot of “golden hours” evenings, and if it’s the “right day”, the golden hour is reflected on the palaces and water, with a show that is sure to go to this area of the city. What do you say, have I persuaded you to do this tour to find Dublin somewhat different from a more touristic trip? Let me know; I’m curious to see if you liked it and why (and also did not like it and why)