Phoenix Park Travel Notes: Strolling through Dublin’s Green Heart

It was a cool morning in Dublin in May. I took a bus to Phoenix Park, the 707-hectare park that is the largest urban green space in Europe. Entering from the main entrance of Parkgate Street, Chesterfield Avenue stretches straightly, with towering ancient trees on both sides. The sunlight shines through the branches and leaves, casting mottled shadows, and the air is so fresh that it seems to cleanse the soul. After a short walk, the Irish Presidential Palace (Áras an Uachtaráin) came into view. The white Georgian building was elegant and solemn. The rose garden next to it was filled with fragrance, and a few bees were busy among the flowers. I quietly appreciate and feel the fusion of history and nature. Walking along the path, the Phoenix Column appears before your eyes. Although this Corinthian stone column is simple, it is the source of the park's name. In the distance, wild deer are grazing leisurely on the vast grassland, surrounded by morning mist, just like a scene from Irish legend. I carefully kept my distance and captured this tranquility with my camera. At noon, I came to People’s Flower Gardens, where the tea room by the lake served hot Irish tea and sandwiches. I sat on the ground and had a picnic among the colorful tulips and daffodils. Ducks were playing on the lake, and the breeze brought the fragrance of flowers. Time seemed to stand still. In the afternoon, I rented bikes and rode along the trails in Furry Glen. The area is full of beautiful lakes and mountains, and the forest paths are hidden and quiet, with occasional glimpses of wild rabbits running by. Ride to Wellington Monument, a 62-meter-high obelisk, and climb the nearby hills to overlook the park and even the outline of the Wicklow Mountains in the distance. As the sun sets, golden light shines across the grassland, and the deer slowly return to the forest. I walked back along the tree-lined avenue, with soft grass under my feet, my heart filled with the tranquility and emotion brought by this green heart. Phoenix Park is not only the pride of Dublin, but also a poem of nature.