Prior to leaving for Dublin, I was having a hard time figuring out what my “Dublin on my own” adventure would be. That was until the day before the trip, where I found out our hostel was only a 15 minute walk away from a sprawling park in South Dublin, St. Stephen’s Green Park. I am a huge fan of parks and green spaces in large cities. I frequently go to Fairmount Park in Philly when I can, and when I make trips to New York I always make a point to visit Central Park and admire the public parks in the middle of a concrete jungle.

While visiting the the Little Museum of Dublin, I noticed that St. Stephen’s was directly across the street. I went back to the hostel got into a quick change of clothes, put my headphones on, and made my way back to the park. Needless to say, the experience did not disappoint. In the 1000 plus year old city, it was really cool to see an open green space with kids running around, people relaxing on the various benches, and others just getting some fresh air.

What I really admired were the two ponds placed throughout the middle of the park and getting to see ducks swim across.

The park also featured a number of monuments, such as the Constance Markievicz bust, honoring a woman who was an Irish Revolutionary and the first ever woman elected to the UK Parliament. I also stopped to see The Three Fates Fountain, Fulliser’s Arch, and the WB Yeats Memorial. Overall, I loved the experience of walking through St. Stephen’s Green Park and don’t regret picking it as my Dublin on my own adventure. I make it a point to stop by public parks in the cities I go to and loved that I had the opportunity to do it while in Dublin.