My Dublin Bay

Life continues to treat us very well and Michael and I are thoroughly enjoying our time in Dublin.  Our weekends are spent exploring the streets, visiting exhibitions and trying different cafes and restaurants.  We keep an eye out for any events and try to get along and see as much as possible.

One of the things that we have wanted to do for some time was a cruise around Dublin Harbour.  The weather has warmed up sufficiently to contemplate such an outing so we caught the train to Howth.  Howth is a lovely seaside town, which is very popular with Dubliners in the summer time.  We had a beautiful seafood lunch and then we boarded the ferry, which was to take us around the bay.  I was so excited when Michael spotted a large seal swimming next to the fishing trawlers.  He seemed unafraid of people and was obviously hoping to score some of the fish that had been caught.  When we returned home, I did some research and discovered that his name is Sammy and that he is a well-known local character.

We cruised around the bay and then continued the ferry ride to the harbour town of Dun Laoghaire.  This is where Michael usually dives from, so it was nice for me to see where he disappears to now and then.  We disembarked the ferry and headed to the famous Teddy’s Ice Cream shop, which has been serving ice cream for the past 65 years.  Delicious!

Whilst on the topic of Irish food, we have discovered a dish, which appears to be unique to Ireland although it is fiercely debated where exactly in Ireland the dish originated – the Spice Bag.  It is a takeaway available from Chinese restaurants and consists of deep fried chicken balls, mixed with vegetables and seasoned chips using a blend of salt and chilli.  It sounds and looks terrible however it is very tasty.

The big news in Ireland has been the passing of the Yes Vote, which will allow gay people to marry.  We had watched with interest the public canvassing of people in the streets with many wearing “Yes” badges and t-shirts.  There were posters both for and against nailed to just about every light pole and there were numerous articles written in the daily newspapers.  Michael and I took a stroll through the city after the results of the vote had come through and there were people everywhere.  It was a giant party with bands playing and people dancing in the street with a general atmosphere of euphoria - a very emotional time for people.  We will now watch with interest what happens in Australia.

Once more the seasons have changed quickly.  The daffodils, tulips and cherry blossoms have given way to the poppies, which seem to be everywhere and are huge in size (no wonder the bumble bees are enormous here).  We haven’t experienced as much wet weather as we did last year, however the winds have been mighty and relentless.  It is certainly a reminder that you are on an island in the middle of the Atlantic.

We have just had another Bank Holiday long weekend.  Michael and I attended the Dublin Port’s Riverfest, which featured tall ships, food and craft markets and many pirates.  Children were encouraged to dress up as pirates and it was astonishing to see how elaborate some of the outfits were (no newspaper pirate hats like I used to have).  The children had a lot of fun and even adults dressed up for the occasion. 

Well, our time in Ireland is once again is drawing to a close.  Michael and I will be leaving here on Friday to explore a little more of Europe.  With any luck we will return in July – I certainly hope so!

Knickerbocker Glory yum