By Sebidde Kiryowa

MY journey to Dublin, Ireland began at Craydon West train station in London on a lazy wintry afternoon. Since my hosts, British Airways, intended to allow me the opportunity to draw comparisons between London Heathrowâ€™s much hyped British Airwaysâ€™ Terminal 5 and other airports in Europe.

I had to fly through Gatwick Airport to Belfast International Airport, in Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom.

But on this day, I had missed my midday flight to Belfast and had to take the 5:00pm flight instead. Now in winter, that is as dark as 8:00pm in Uganda.

That meant that I would not be able to experience Belfast city when I landed in Northern Ireland because it would be dark. I had to fly to Dublin that evening.

Meanwhile, I mulled over how lovely it would be to see the Irish countryside I had heard so much praise about.
But until then, I would enjoy the friendly banter of the old English lady seated next to me.

She admitted to me that she thought there were a lot of half truths about Africa in the western press. It turned out as a teenager, she had spent some time in Nigeria where her father worked as a diplomat.

She spoke fondly of South Africa. The only thing she knew about Uganda though was Idi Amin. Very flattering!
Finally, we arrived.

For an International European Airport, even by Entebbe standards, Belfast International Airport struck me as painfully basic. As for Terminal 5, I cannot even start to compare. Disembarking the plane, we did not even use a boarding bridge.

Pressed for time, I set my sights on Ireland. We arrived in Dublin, the capital, later that night and I had to endure a two hoursâ€™ drive to Longford City, a peaceful and quiet town in the Irish Midlands.

Driving around the county the next day, it was refreshing to see green and expansive foggy farmlands, much like the English countryside I saw between London and Birmingham in the UK.

Even in the chilling cold, we drove by farmers gathering bales of dry fodder or herds of sheep grazing on the Irish meadows.

The countryside was just as arrestingly stunning as I have seen it the movies. Most of Longford lies in the basin of the River Shannon, much of it in the form of a large lake, Lough Ree.

So, the landscape is mainly low-lying bogland, pastureland and wetland.
The next day we stayed in. It was too icy, I could not feel my toes! But the day after that, we hit Longford city centre.

Unlike other European upcountry cities I have seen, Longford was much smaller with narrower streets and mainly 1940s style cottages. No fancy contemporary architecture.

There are even no trams here and I only saw one train station that goes out. It has a very out-of-the way, old fashioned European ambience.

There are hardly any black people here too. But I was told Dublin had quite a few, many of who are Nigerians. What is in plenty here are sidewalk cafÃ©s, bars and big supermarkets like Tesco and Dunnes.

I noticed that the system in Ireland is different. Rather than regular police, they have something called Gadi, a kind of community police. I also noticed that all the sign posts in English were translated in Irish.

Why I asked? Apparently, I was told, it had something to do with the Irish asserting their autonomy from the English who dominated them for long.

As such, I was told, there is a patriotic move to teach Irish to pupils in school since most young adults cannot speak it.
After a night on the town, it was off to Dublin, early the next morning. It took two hours by train.

If you are looking for awesome modern architecture or awe-inspiring skyscrapers, go to New York. Dublin is not particularly a very big or impressive metroplolis in that sense. They do not even have underground train here.

What Dublin, much like London and most cities in the UK and Europe, has in plenty though is very splendid Georgian style architecture. This adds elegance to the cityâ€™s wide streets and spacious squares.

If you are so hung up on this neo-classical style of building, you can take a guided Dublin Bus Tour, I was told. We only managed to see the City Hall, which, without a doubt is one of Dublinâ€™s finest and most sophisticated 18th century buildings. I missed Dublinâ€™s other landmarks like Dublin Castle and Customs House.

But medieval attractions are not all Dublin has to offer. There is the natural and scenic beauty. The city is spread over the broad valley of the River Liffey.

The Lifey, like the Thames in London, seemed to me like a tourist lifeline here.
It also has the same shopping opportunities as any other city I have seen in Europe.

I visited several shopping districts like Grafton Street, Henry Street, Stephenâ€™s Green Shopping Centre, Jervis Shopping Centre, and the newly refurbished Ilac Shopping Centre.

But you might want to take care if your purse strings are way too loose. Dublin is said to be the worldâ€™s 16th most expensive city (8th most expensive city in Europe). It is also the third most expensive city in the world in which to live!

That was a real problem for a visitor like me but not the guys around here I guess. See, Dublin is also said to have the second highest wages for a city in the world, after Zurich. London and New York come next.

Because of time, I missed seeing the world famous Guinness Brewery. It said that on calm days, you can smell it before you actually see it â€“ thanks to its thick yeasty odor. I also missed seeing Croke Park, the 4th largest stadium in Europe.

As I flew from the impressive Dublin International Airport for London the next day, I looked back at the home of poet William Yeats and wondered no more, whence he drew his poetic inspiration.

TODAY IN HISTORY: Police raid cult compound, arrests 92

TODAY IN HISTORY: Police raid cult compound, arrests 92

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