Important mobile phone accessories

As a businesswoman who knows the importance of communication for the success of any business or company, the truth is that I often recommend the managers to offer better communication services to the workers of the company, whenever innovative communication services and gadgets are available.

Keeping this in mind, I am a lover of mobile phone gadgets and mobile phone accessories and I often search for them across the Internet. Still, there are so many websites selling these accessories that I really had to discover the best one selling this type of gadgets. As a matter of fact, I have recently discovered mobilefun.de which is, in my opinion, the best online store for anyone looking for the best Handyzubehör (which are mobile accessories in German) such as Handytaschen (mobile phone cases in German) and Blackberry Zubehör (Blackberry accessories in German). Personally, I think that the enormous variety of accessories, which you can easily buy with PayPal or credit card, will definitely make sure that you will be able to find something that really appeals to you, allowing you to get better communications and add important new features to your mobile phone with the new accessories that you are buying from mobilefun.de online store. Furthermore, as most mobile phone brands are available on the website, I am sure that anyone can find anything for the mobile phone that you own! Moreover, the website is so user-friendly and easy to navigate that I am sure that in a matter of seconds you will be in the section where you can find the accessories that you are looking for.

So, would you like to buy some new important mobile phone accessories and gadgets to enhance your communications? If that’s the case, then you definitely need to take some of your free time to visit the website to which I have linked just above and see with your own eyes how incredibly easy it is to buy vital mobile phone accessories online.

Watch out for hidden airlines fees

Even considering the fact that the current financial downturn is menacing us all and that airlines really have to offer us the best prices, the truth is that we often find some hidden fees that can really surprise us! In fact, as you will discover by reading the msnbc.com article below, that's what happens most of the times:

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MINNEAPOLIS - As if charging $15 to check a bag weren't enough, two airlines are asking for $5 more beginning this summer if you pay at the check-in counter — a fee on top of a fee.

Of course, you could always pay your baggage fee from home. The airlines call it the "online discount."

If airlines can get away with that, what's next? Rather than raise fares in the middle of a recession, they're piling on fees to make money — fees for bags, fees to get through the line faster, even fees for certain seats.

United Airlines alone expects to rake in more than $1 billion this year in fees ranging from baggage to accelerated frequent-flier awards. That's more than 5 percent of its revenue.

The most likely new fees are those that some airline, somewhere, has tried. Fees usually originate with one or two airlines, and competitors watch to see whether passengers accept them or revolt. For instance:

• US Airways and United are hitting passengers up for $5 to pay their baggage fees at the airport instead of online. United implemented the fee June 10, while US Airways will put it into effect July 9.

• If you want to select an exit row seat on AirTran and enjoy the extra legroom, expect to cough up $20.

• Allegiant Air, a smaller national discount airline, charges a $13.50 "convenience fee" for online purchases, even though most other carriers encourage purchases direct from their Web site.

• European discounter Ryanair charges for something everyone has to do if they want to fly: check in. It's 5 euros, or about $6.75, to check in online, double for passengers who pay at the airport. Ryanair plans to eliminate airport check-in desks.

• Spanish airline Vueling charges a fee to pick a seat. Any seat at all. A "basic" seat behind the wing runs 3 euros. For 30 euros, travelers can choose an aisle or window seat and guarantee that the middle seat will remain empty.

"They need to chill out with those," said a frustrated Jim Engineer, a public relations executive waiting for a flight out of New York's LaGuardia. "Charging for a glass of water and seats just translates into unhappy customers."

As recently as last year, most fliers only came across a fee if they checked three bags or sent a minor child across the country. Most people, most of the time, traveled fee-free.

But that began to change last spring. Spiking jet fuel prices and passenger resistances to higher fares started airlines looking around the cabin for things they could charge extra for.

Passengers are finding it's a lot easier for the airlines to add the fees than to take them away.

"They're going to keep nudging them up until they run into market resistance," said Ed Perkins, a contributing editor at the Web site Smarter Travel.

That's what happened at US Airways. It tried for seven months to charge for soda and water but gave up in March after no other airlines took up the idea. And Delta scaled back a plan to charge $50 to check a second bag on all international flights. Instead, the charge will apply only on flights to Europe.

United has been a leader in finding ways to charge passengers separately for things. Some are for perks coach travelers used to get for free, like food. Others are new services altogether, like United's door-to-door luggage service via FedEx.

Airlines say fees are part of "a la carte" pricing that allows them to hold the line on fares. Rather than charge higher fares to everyone, they say, passengers can pick and choose the extras they want to pay for.

Ideas for fees don't come out of thin air. Last month in Miami most of the big U.S. carriers and many overseas airlines attended a conference devoted to a-la-carte pricing and fees. (Motto, next to a cartoon of an airliner: "Discovering the flying store.")

Some fees stretch the imagination: The CEO of European discount carrier Ryanair has floated the idea of charging for lavatory use and sick bags. But even he hasn't gone ahead with what appears to have been a publicity-seeking gambit, and no other carrier has suggested such a charge.

Still, there's no rule against such a fee in the U.S., according to the Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration.

Delta Air Lines Inc. and AirTran Holdings Inc. say they have no plans to tack a fee on to carry-on bags, an idea that would almost certainly annoy passengers just getting used to paying for checked baggage.

It would also put airline workers in the awkward position of deciding whether that bag on your arm is a big purse, presumably free, or a lumpy suitcase. Already, fees for checked bags have made finding space in the overhead bin tougher.

And even if carry-on bags stay free, United is already offering a "Premier Line" check-in for $25. It allows fliers to get through check-in and security faster and board earlier.

That guarantees some of that precious overhead space — so in a way, it's like a carry-on fee, said Jay Sorensen, president of IdeaWorks Co., an airline consultant who has written a guidebook for airlines seeking "ancillary revenue," the industry term for fees and extra services such as airline credit cards.

Matthew J. Bennett, CEO of FirstClassFlyer.com, said he thinks travelers in the front of the plane will remain immune from the nickle-and-dime fees airlines aim at coach passengers.

For those in coach, though, "What they are going to charge for in the future is anything that's not bolted down."

"They've already gotten sufficient revenue from them," Bennett said. "All they're saying to coach-class travelers is 'We really haven't gotten enough from you.'"

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Finding the perfect jewelry

Even considering the fact that I am a woman who plays an important role in the company, the truth is that I am a lover of good music and nice beats! In fact, I love some hip hop songs that my son often shows. Moreover, he often refers to the jewelry that he sees on the video clips, insisting that I should buy some jewelry for him too…

Keeping this in mind, I have already searched the Internet for the best website where I can buy those jewels for the best prices, allowing me to surprise my son with something that he will love! Personally, I have already picked up the spinner that you may see just below:



Would you like to surpise your son with something similar? If you would, then you definitely need to have a look at this Bling Bling Jewelry and I am sure that you will also find something that your son will love. In fact, I am sure that my son will be able to stand out from the crowd with a lot of style!

Grand Canyon may be dangerous

Have you ever considered the possibility of traveling to the Grand Canyon Park and enjoy some relaxing moments there? Would you be prepared to do so? If you don't know which dangers you will find there, then you definitely need to read the msncbc.om article below and discover how you can easily be surprised if you are unprepared:

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GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. - Frank Poole worked out at a gym and hiked around his Mississippi home carrying a weighted pack for months in preparation for his trip to the Grand Canyon.

But it wasn't long after Poole started hiking on a popular Grand Canyon trail that he was struggling to breathe. Several hours later, he was in a northern Arizona hospital, where doctors determined the 75-year-old Poole had suffered a heart attack.

"I never suspected I was having a heart attack," Poole said recently from his home in Oxford, Miss. "I just thought it was the heat and extra exertion, the altitude and things like that. I was just so naive."

At the Flagstaff Medical Center — northern Arizona's only Level I trauma center, and the place where Poole was treated — officials have a name for the spring and summer months when many tourists travel to the canyon. They call it "Grand Canyon Season."

Emergency workers at the park and hospital officials know they'll start seeing more people with injuries or those who, like Poole, didn't know they had underlying health conditions that surfaced during the strenuous hikes at the canyon.

The canyon lures millions of people each year with its colorful landscape, immense size, and awe-inspiring geology. But it presents obstacles that can leave even experienced hikers emerging sore and fatigued, including scorching heat during summer months, an altitude of 7,000 feet, and steep, rocky, winding trails.

"There's a million ways you can hurt yourself down there," said Lon Ayers, who works in the park's backcountry office.

The last few weeks have illustrated that.

In late April, an Ohio man fell 60 feet when he was peering over the edge of the canyon and lost his balance. Two days later, two teenagers and a young man who were swimming in the Colorado River at the bottom of the canyon were swept away and drowned. Another injury occurred when a mule lost its footing on a trail, fell and rolled over the passenger it was carrying.

Falls, fatigue, extreme temperatures and horseplay at national parks around the country lead to nearly 3,600 search and rescue operations each year, according to 2007 figures. The park service also responds to 16,000 emergency medical calls a year for anything from abrasions to twisted ankles, heat stroke and cardiac arrest, said Dean Ross, NPS branch chief of emergency services in Washington, D.C.

Rangers at the Grand Canyon perform more rescues than at any other park, including 300 helicopter rescues a year, said Ross.

People who come prepared, bringing plenty of snacks and water, and who pace themselves and listen to their bodies fare the best.

"Don't be afraid to try it, (but) take it easy," said Dave Florence of Green Bay, Wis., who recently completed a 40-mile, five-day hike at the canyon.

But hikers don't always heed warnings from rangers and on signs posted around the canyon.

Allan Widener of Louisville, Ky., recently took the Bright Angel trail just off the canyon's South Rim. After a park staff member strongly recommended that Widener not head down without water, the hiker quipped that, "I don't drink water, I drink Coke."

On the way back from his 1½ mile hike, leaning against the canyon wall in a shady spot, the 48-year-old said he wished he'd had something to drink.

Park rangers say they generally encounter three types of people hiking in the canyon. There are the strong-headed ones, usually in their teens and 20s who have an invincibility complex and will go against recommendations. Others are excited and unprepared but willing to change plans if needed.

Then there are people like Albert Shank, who are prepared and generally stick to plans they've made, but sometimes get in trouble because of circumstance or because they made a bad decision, said Marc Yeston, deputy chief ranger.

Shank was about 28 miles into what was supposed to be a 42-mile rim-to-rim run in April when his legs started cramping and his body refused to keep down any food or water. He nearly collapsed on a park bench and spent several hours having saline pumped into his body before he was able to walk out of the canyon.

The Arizona State University faculty associate, who often runs distances longer than marathons, had plenty of water, energy bars and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches but not enough electrolytes or salty food.

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Finding the best bank CD rates

As a businesswoman who tends to share important advice based on experience, I would personally say that it is vital that we are always informed about the latest updates on the most important bank rates so that we are prepared to invest our money or take any other important action.

So, would you like to find the best bank CD rates? If that’s the case, then you definitely need to have a look at the website to which I have linked just above. In fact, I personally believe that website is, by far, the best place for you to be informed about the best bank rates.

Kids flying solo

How do you feel about kids flying solo? Would you agree that it is unsafe? Well, even if we consider the recent events, the truth is that there are still many children flying solo and it seems that there isn't much we can do about it... Below is another msnbc.com article showing you how it all works:

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Tension has now faded to laughter, but recently the Drake family “went to war.” Their two-week standoff fueled a covert plot on one side, and a power play on the other — all over plans to jet a little girl alone across the country for vacation.

Battle lines were drawn between KeJuana Drake and her mother, Burnice. Too swamped with work and school to travel, KeJuana wanted to fly her 9-year-old daughter solo from Washington, D.C., direct to the West Coast to visit a favorite aunt. The kid was on cloud nine. But grandma Burnice balked, arguing it’s harmful to send children unescorted on airliners.

Schemes were hatched. KeJuana decided to secretly buy the ticket anyway — “ask for forgiveness later rather than permission up front,” she figured. Burnice countered, purchasing a round-trip ticket for KeJuana to coax her to accompany her granddaughter.

“Mom,” KeJuana later admitted, “trumps all.” KeJuana will sit next to her daughter on June 27 as a Northwest Airlines flight carries both to Los Angeles. The next day, KeJuana will return to Washington. And after hearing how Continental Airlines mistakenly placed two different unaccompanied girls (aged 8 and 10) on the wrong Continental Express flights to the wrong cities last weekend, Burnice is truly savoring her victory.

“Yes, I am!” she said. “I don’t like for children to be put into adult situations and, in my opinion, flying alone puts a 9-year-old in an adult situation. It can be stressful and traumatic for a child to be alone on a plane. Stuff can happen.”

Parents, grandparents reconsider
In the wake of the Continental errors — and on the cusp of summer, when thousands of unattended kids zoom across time zones en route to camps or to see divorced moms and dads — many parents and grandparents are re-thinking how and when children should go it alone.

Every major carrier accepts and offers special attention to unescorted flyers starting at age 5. On United Airlines, solo-flying kids must wear red-and-white buttons so flight crews can identify them. On Southwest Airlines, unattended children are introduced to the flight attendants. Still, parental nerves seem more frayed over the issue, experts say.

At the Family Travel Network, an online magazine and trip-planning hub, many parental e-mails are this week tinged with vapor-trail jitters.

“This is peak season for unaccompanied minors and what happened with Continental is every parent’s nightmare,” said Nancy Schretter, the site’s managing editor. “You know, some parents won’t even let their 5-year-olds play outside alone. And with those two Continental flights, the parents looked like they did all the right things, had everything set up.

“Now a lot of parents are asking: is my child old enough to do this? A lot of parents are re-evaluating that. It’s a critical question,” Schretter said. “Are they mature enough? Can the child ask the right questions (while onboard)? There’s no excuse for these (Continental) situations, no way. But parents should be asking themselves: am I really comfortable with my kids flying alone?”

For New York City-area mom Molly Gordy, Continental would have been “the more convenient choice” on which to transport her 11-year-old daughter, Sophie, alone to Milwaukee to visit her grandparents.

“Instead and fortunately, according to the latest news, we went (with) Midwest Airlines” for her daughter’s June 26 solo flight, Gordy said. And she paid more to do it. She felt a smaller airline and more intimate service would be a better fit for Sophie. “What I care about is a human being who cares about my child.”

Policies differ by airline
At what age do unattended minors still require gate-to-gate handholding? That debate extends well beyond family dinner tables. Even the carriers don’t have a consensus. On Southwest, unaccompanied-child service is available only for passengers between ages 5 and 11.

Asked why the airline deemed age 12 as being old enough to fly alone as an adult, Southwest spokesman Paul Flannigan couldn’t initially provide an answer. He asked around at company headquarters in Dallas and later still couldn’t explain the policy, responding by e-mail: “No one I talked to could tell me why our UM (unaccompanied minor) policy addresses the ages that we currently have. Basically, we follow standards and guidelines that are dictated by the industry.”

Delta Airlines, in contrast, will provide extra attention to riders who are 17 — if parents request it and pay a $100 fee. (All the major airlines charge for the service). However, Delta also leads the U.S airline industry in complaints when it comes to their handling of unaccompanied minors. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, customers have lodged 23 complaints against Delta since 2007 about its treatment of solo-flying kids. (Delta did not respond to an interview request for this story).

US Airways received 19 complaints in that category. Continental has been tagged with seven complaints over that same span regarding its care of unaccompanied minors.

At Continental, spokeswoman Kelly Cripe said Wednesday the carrier’s unaccompanied-minor policies are solid and work well if the employees adhere to them. In a statement earlier this week, Cripe blamed the two weekend mistakes on “miscommunication” among gate staff.

“We are working with employees to reinforce the procedures that we have in place,” Cripe said in an interview. “The established procedures are effective when followed.”

Complaints down this year
So far in 2009, complaints are down against the airlines over their safekeeping of unattended kids — on pace for 22 this year, according to DOT. Last year, there were 53 such complaints, and in 2007 there were 41. But summer has not officially begun. And the airlines are not required to report such incidents to the government.

At the Family Travel Network in McLean, Va., questions are surging and the advice is flowing, Schretter said. Parents are being reminded to have their unescorted kids memorize flight numbers and destination cities, and to have children practice reciting the vital question they should always ask flight attendants upon boarding: “Am I on the right plane?”

Equipping kids with cell phones is another useful tool. And, Schretter suggested, parents might consider sticking to larger carriers when flying children unattended — particularly when a connecting flight is involved. Bigger airlines typically park one plane at each gate vs. smaller airlines which sometimes funnel passengers down a jetway and outside where several planes are waiting.

“With the small, regional jets, they have these cattle chutes where the kids go out,” Schretter said. “There is one door and all these little planes, and it’s sort of like an accident waiting to happen.”

"

The important role played by prepaid debit cards

Credit cards are surely one of the best friends that any person may have but the truth is that there are still loads of people who don’t feel secure when paying with their credit cards. In fact, there are normally fees directly related to the credit cards that sometimes surprise us and it is also a bit unsafe to allow children to use our credit cards when shopping online.

Keeping this in mind, as a woman who is also a mother, I believe that the best option for any mother willing to give a card to a son must consider giving him a Prepaid Debit card which are the safest option for buying on the Internet but also the best way of controlling the expenses of our children. Personally, I would like to recommend NetSpend as the leading provider of these prepaid debit card services in the USA as the company that you can trust when you finally decide to adopt the prepaid debit card concept in your family too, like thousands of other families, just like mine, have already done! In fact, my family tens to use it almost everyday when shopping online!

Taking your kids to a skateboard camp!

When thinking about your summer vacations, would you consider that your kids will love going to the destination that you have picked up already? If you believe that the kids will be bored, then you definitely need to consider the possibility of taking them to the skateboard camp that is being described in the msnbc.com article just below:

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By Eileen Ogintz

Tribune Media Services

Amazing. It's vacation and the teens are awake and ready to roll before 8 a.m.!

That's what happens on those rare occasions when they love the itinerary you've planned. Avid skateboarders 12-year-old Max Weinberg, my cousin, and his 13-year-old buddy, Miles Singer, are not only heading to the world's second-largest skateboard park — Black Pearl in the Cayman Islands — but they're going to get tips from the pros, including professional skateboarder and champion snowboarder Shaun White, instantly recognizable his long mane of curly red hair.

The 22-year-old White has come down to Grand Cayman, his parents and sister in tow, to inaugurate Skate Cayman an 11-week summer program through which top pro skateboarders, including Bucky Lasek, Greg Lutzka, Brian Sumner and Chris Cole, will offer kids tips and demonstrations.

"I hope I'm a positive influence," said White, surrounded by awestruck kids in their bright school uniform shirts.

"He does such good tricks and he doesn't get scared or anything," says John McDonald, 10, who admits he gets "kinda scared," when he tries a new trick.

"He's really nice," adds 9-year-old Zion Coe.

"I had older pros who were really nice to me," explains White, adding he's glad for the opportunity to do the same in return. "This is a reward for me."

Besides, he adds, what could be better than testing his latest tricks at this huge skate park, while sharing an island vacation with his family — snorkeling with the Southern Atlantic stingrays in the crystal-clear water at the island's famous Stingray City, hanging out on Seven Mile Beach's white sand, holding the baby Green Sea Turtles at the Cayman Turtle Farm. "This place is great for parents and for kids," adds Shaun White's mom Cathy. "The kids aren't going to be complaining they're bored!"

Teresa Morse, from Grayson, Ky., said her family chose the Cayman Islands to vacation specifically so 11-year-old Fenner could come to this skate park. "We've been here almost every day," she said, snapping photos with an obliging Shaun White.

Single Dad John Seamons, vacationing with his two boys from Colorado, was just as enthusiastic — both for the opportunity for his 10-year-old and 14-year-old and the chance for some "grown-up" time, confident that they were happily occupied at the skate camp. "When I heard about it, I signed up right away," he said.

Skate Cayman is part of a broader Summer Splash promotion aimed at families. Kids under 12 fly free on Cayman Airways (nonstop from New York, Miami and Tampa) eat free at island restaurants and get free admission to local attractions like the Skate Park in the afternoons and the Turtle Farm. Teens can also dive free while parents get a free night when they book for four.

Douglas Cameron, the Canadian who oversees the camp and manages the park and the surf ride attraction next door, stresses that the skate park is as much for local kids as it is for visitors. The park offers 64,000 square feet of ledges, boxes, v-hips, banks and stairs and half pipes, which gives skateboarders a spectacular opportunity to test their mettle. "I can be challenged and so can beginners," says White.

Just as important, this is a safe place where parents can leave older kids on their own, says local Constable Steve Myers, whose son Sean, 8, an avid skateboarder, is a park regular and has joined the camp. "This is a great environment," he says, adding that kids learn comradeship and teamwork here."

Another plus: the facility provides an informal and safe setting for visiting kids to meet and get to know locals. His son, he adds, has made friends from New York, California and Texas, among other places. "They get to understand and respect each other," he says.

That's obvious. The weekend we spend here, Miles and Max opt for the park and their new friends rather than the chance to hit the beach or even sleep in. And, though our hotel — the Westin Casuarina Resort — is right on Seven Mile Beach and boasts a terrific pool complex, the boys are too busy skating to check them out even once (summer rates are $159 plus tax a night — two thirds off winter rates!)

Kids skate under the lights on Friday nights and when they get hot they take a break at the Surf Park, which simulates real surfing with barrel waves. Adults gather for drinks at the outdoor restaurant as music plays and little kids tumble down the bouncy slides set up nearby. "The kids can skate and you can relax," says Terry Sturtevant, a local nurse and mom of a young skater.

Cameron adds that his staff will customize a package for visiting families. "Just get in touch," he says.

The kids at the Skate Camp, meanwhile, have eyes only for Shaun White and pepper the star athlete with questions.
How old was he when he started? (Six)

Was he ever injured?

He crashed mid-air with another skateboarder, broke several bones and had to go to school on Picture Day when he was 11 with two casts and two black eyes. The kids thought that was hilarious.

Does he get nervous?

"Not really," he says, but his mom Cathy, standing by listening, whispers that she can't stand to watch him for fear that he'll get hurt.

The kids watch as Shaun White struts his stuff in the park-flying high in the air, holding onto his skateboard. He makes it seem effortless.

"You don't see that every day," says 10-year-old Aliyha Nelson. That's an understatement.

When White finally leaves, Max, Miles and the rest of the kids don't miss a beat.

There's another trick to practice.

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The importance of our garage

Even considering the fact that I am a woman, the truth is that I am a lover of a very spacious garage where I can put some exotic cars but I also love to turn my garage into the background of my dinners, when I organize them right in front of the garden!

Keeping this in mind, it is extremely important that my garage always looks an absolute classic which simply adds a lot of beauty to my house. In fact, this is the reason why I tend to remodel my garage doors every now and then so that they can always look great! Moreover, as you probably know from your own experience, we often need to repair those doors, substitute them, paint them, etc and that’s the reason why it is extremely important that we always find the best garage door services in our area. Personally, I would advise all my Austin readers to have a look at these Austin garage doors services which are definitely the ones that provide us with the best work and highest quality. Moreover, these services are extremely affordable and you are given the guarantee that the best and most experienced professionals in your area will do their best in order to provide you with a very satisfying service.

Dublin: one of the best destinations for the summer

When you consider the possibility of taking full advantage of the current financial downturn and the consequences of the swine flu, which are the first destinations that come to your mind as the best ones? Personally, I would say that Dublin and Mexico are definitely some of the best options as you may read on the original msnbc.com article just below:

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By Rick Steves

Tribune Media Services

While Ireland's famed "Celtic Tiger" economy is now more of a sickly kitten these days, the country is still vibrant as can be for travelers. And Dublin offers the best (and many would say only) urban thrills in the Republic of Ireland. Here are a few of my favorite things to do in Ireland's capital.

Trinity College welcomes visitors with student-led tours. With a particularly erudite version of the Emerald Isle's gift of gab, your guide explains how Ireland's top university was started in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I to establish a Protestant way of thinking about God. Originally the student body was limited to rich, Protestant males. Now Catholics and women — even Catholic women — are welcome.

While the 30-minute tour will teach you about the architecture and history of Ireland's most prestigious college campus, it's most enjoyable simply as a chance to hang out with a witty Irish college kid as he talks about his school.

Don't leave Trinity without dropping into the library to see the precious Book of Kells. Written on baby calfskin by monks in the ninth century, this enthusiastically decorated copy of the four gospels is arguably the finest piece of art from what is generally called the Dark Ages.

Ireland's national struggle and its great heroes are still within living memory. And the Kilmainham Jail is a pilgrimage for anyone excited about Irish independence. The British used Kilmainham to house political prisoners. Many of Ireland's George Washingtons and Nathan Hales — patriots who wished they had more then one life to give to their national cause — were held or executed here.

It's compelling to tour the cells and execution sites hearing tales of terrible colonialism and heroic patriotism alongside Irish school kids who know all the names. Don't miss the dimly lit hall off the second floor displaying the stirring last letters patriots sent to loved ones hours before facing the firing squad.

Ireland's struggle against British rule involved the entire society — even sports, as you'll learn at the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) Museum. The GAA was founded in 1884 as an expression of an Irish cultural awakening. While created to foster the development of Gaelic sports — specifically Irish football and hurling (and to discourage English sports such as cricket and rugby) — it was political to the core.

The GAA museum, at Croke Park Stadium, offers a high-tech, interactive introduction to Ireland's favorite games. Relive the greatest moments in hurling and Irish football history. Then get involved. Pick up a stick and a ball and actually try a little hurling.

My wife and I went to a game at Dublin's Croke Park with 50,000 Irish football fans. The sport is fast and rugged — like airborne hockey with no injury time outs. The rules are like soccer, but you can run with the ball as long as you bounce or kick it every three steps. Each fan paid 30 euros (about $40) for a ticket. I was talking to my Irish friend, telling him we went to the Abbey Theater the night before to see a play by Oscar Wilde. He asked me the cost, and I told him 30 euros. He said to his wife, "Imagine paying 30 euros to see a play!" I reminded him that, to a playgoer, spending 30 euros to see this football game would be just as strange.

Save time in Dublin for strolling down Grafton Street, the city's liveliest pedestrian shopping mall. A delightful 10-minute walk past street musicians takes you from Trinity College to St. Stephen's Green (and makes you wonder why American merchants are so terrified of a car-free street). Walking by a buxom statue of "sweet" Molly Malone (known by locals as "the tart with the cart"), you'll pass venerable department stores and a shopping emporium that tastefully fills a converted Georgian mansion. For fun, gather a pile of coins and walk the street, putting each human statue-mime into action with a donation. Stop at a cafe somewhere along the street for coffee with a second-floor view of the action.

Except for the beans at breakfast ... forget "eating Irish" in Dublin. Going local here is going ethnic. I was at a multinational food court and it was confusing: Chinese were cooking Mexican, Poles were running the Old Time American diner, a Spaniard was serving sushi, and Irish were running the Thai. Save your craving for pub grub for the small towns.

Whether in its pubs, in its ancient past, in its struggle for independence, or in its bustling streets — Dublin is the capital of a nation with a rich history and an irrepressible spirit.

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