Well, after nearly 13 hours of travel time from Scotland to Belfast via a taxi, a bus and a ferry, then from Belfast to Dublin via another taxi and more buses, I made it to the small seaside town of Dun Laoghaire on Monday night.
On the morning of my departure, I got up at 5 (no alarm) and went for a run along the seaside in Ayr. I was the first to breakfast in my cute little inn and then made it to the train station before most had even awoken. Leaving Ayr at 8:40 or so, I took a lovely coach ride along the coast to the ferry terminal, nearly an hour and a half away. Then once on the ferry, I sat near the window and snoozed (don't tell Mrs. Poole) as we crossed the Irish Sea. When I arrived in Belfast, I taxied from the terminal to the bus station with a very animated driver who professed his love for me, and then, narrowly escaping his advances, I got the Air Coach to Dublin. The major benefit of the Air Coach is that it has wifi, although this must have been the first coach ever used because the interior of the bus was pretty worn, and that's putting it lightly.
I arrived at Dublin airport shortly after 5 pm and took the next Air Coach to my destination of Foxrock, just south of Dublin. My Airbnb hostess picked me up here and drove me to her house. She lives in a cute little cottage just ten minutes walking from Dun Laoghaire. When I moved to Dublin in 2011, I had considered finding a flat in the area. It's a pleasant little town, but at that time, I had decided I needed to be closer to the "action" of Dublin. For this trip, I felt ok being out here because I've done Dublin so many times and this trip was meant to be a little more relaxing.
I was happy Monday night to have a cuppa tea with my hostess before freshening up and then going into town for dinner. She drove me to a place she recommended, a little Italian restaurant called Oliveto. I sat at the bar and thoroughly enjoyed my meal. It was too much to eat so I brought home leftovers, but the pasta was amazing (and that I finished). I wrote a review for them immediately and seriously considered going back last night.
Yesterday was my first full day back in Ireland so I woke up, not so early, and decided to take a walk. I wasn't pressed for time or racing out to see anything...I know this area well as I visited here often when I lived in Dublin. I brought my sister and mother here on their visits and came often to the farmers' market on the weekends (I'll sadly miss it this trip).
I set out yesterday morning just before 11 after having some yummy yogurt with fresh raspberries and a cuppa tea. I walked the 10 minutes downhill towards Dun Laoghaire, turned left to go into the town, walked all the way down the main street, then headed back towards the sea. Along the way, I stopped in several little charity shops (the UK and Ireland are chock full of them and they are great places to find little trinkets as well as cheap books). In one shop, the first book I picked up was The Healer Within, a book using traditional Chinese techniques to release your body's own medicine. I purchased it for a whopping 1 Euro. I guess you can take the girl out of China but you can't take China out of the girl! ;)
I walked down past the yacht club and all the way out to the old light house (which now houses an ice cream shop) at the end of the pier. After walking all the way back up, I headed further down the seaside to an area where I finally sat in the sun to rest a few minutes. I read a few pages of my new book, but my stomach started growling so I headed up towards the little town of Glasthule which borders Dun Laoghaire. There is a darling shop here called 64 Wine in which Mom and I ate before. I went in to have my lunch here, debating what to get, but settling on a caprese ciabatta. Honestly, it probably wasn't the best choice as there was little flavor, but the olives they served along side the sandwich were good and made me, at about 1 o'clock, crave a dirty martini. I resisted the temptation and instead set out walking again.
I stopped in many little shops here: an antique store where I once bought earrings, a few small grocery shops where lots of special items can be found, clothing shops, and a great new art gallery. After passing through this area, I set out uphill again towards Dalkey, another area Mom and I visited. There are lots of little museums and things to do along these walks, including the James Joyce Museum and Tower as well as the Dalkey Castle Historic Center, but I've done most of them before, so this trip was more about just walking.
In Dalkey, I went in every little grocer I could find. There are so many specialty shops here. I could do some serious shopping for dinner planning. I thought about purchasing some things, but I wanted to keep walking and I knew things would spoil if I bought...yesterday was the nicest day Dublin's seen all summer and it was pretty hot for what the city normally gets.
On my way out of Dalkey, I grabbed an Italian ice, pineapple, and walked back towards Sandycove. Getting a little tired again, and wanting to read more of my new book, I found a little marina where I sat and soaked in the sun, listened to the seagulls' music and the waves crashing, and read a bit more about self healing. I think it's a bit ironic as I truly believe the wind and the ocean can heal, so my breathing was deep and purposeful while sitting there taking it all in.
Knowing I had a bit more walking to do before getting "home," I closed my book and headed back towards the cottage. I stopped in a few more shops or peeked in windows along the way, and finally made it back the cottage around 4. It seemed as if I had been walking all day, but really I'd only been out a few hours. Feeling pretty tired though, and wanting to enjoy the sun more, I went out in the back garden and read a bit more of my book. I changed into shorts to try and get sun on my oh so white legs, but my shoulders were so red that I quickly came back inside. Yesterday was absolutely gorgeous and I was outside for most of it, so I don't feel like I missed out on sitting inside a little while.
After a few hours of resting, writing reviews, chatting with friends via text and Facebook, etc., I finally got up and showered for dinner. I had considered making something myself, but sort of wanted to go back in town to eat. I poured a glass of wine (a bottle I bought in Glasgow and have been toting around with me) and then when finished, walked down to the seaside to a place I'd read about called The Hen House. I had considered going back to the Italian place, and honestly, should have done so.
The service at The Hen House was pretty mediocre. The food was ok, but not outstanding, and the atmosphere was much less intimate than Oliveto. I ate a fried brie starter and then had the lamb for my main. Nothing was stellar and with the lack of good service, probably isn't a place I'll ever go again.
After walking back after dinner, I checked my phone for the number of steps I'd taken yesterday. I walked a total of 10.47 miles and took a massive 25,457 steps. Insane. After all that, I came home and did sit-ups because I was feeling so full from dinner!
I watched my fav "Come Dine With Me" on 4 on Demand (a website where you can stream shows from the UK and Ireland) and then went to bed late, around midnight. This morning I woke and decided to take it easy for the beginning half of the day because I'm meeting a friend in the city later this afternoon.
I am so very happy to be back. People often ask me if I'd ever live here again and I have a hard time deciding to be honest. There are parts of this city that I really love. I feel so at home here, but there are also things that I don't care so much for and so I have to weigh out the pros and cons. I do feel I could live in Ireland again, but perhaps somewhere other than Dublin. Who knows. For now, I will enjoy feeling "at home" and in a week, I'll actually be home in Charleston. What a summer!!
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