My plan today, as I don't leave until late this afternoon, was to get up and walk down to the Church of Ireland in Dun Laoghaire, then head over to the People's Park farmer's market for last minute treats to carry home and a yummy, quick lunch. With the intensity of the rain that's falling at the moment, I don't know if either will happen. It's perfectly fitting this morning though, as I feel a bit of sadness as I prepare to leave today.
This week has been exactly what I hoped it'd be. I wanted to come to Dublin and have a low key week with little "touring" and more "at home" happenings. I wanted to visit with friends, to catch up with those that meant the most to me when living here before. I've had a lot of time to do that this week and to reflect on my time here before. I've also had time to ponder what I want the future to hold.
I've been to Dublin a few times since I lived here in 2011. I've seen some of the friends in other parts of the world when we've had the chance to meet, and I've kept in touch with others via Facebook and email. In the past when I've visited Dublin, I've contemplated whether I'd like to live here again. Actually I vividly remember that first trip back when I was sort of disappointed with the state of things here and thought I'd not ever need to live here again. This trip has been better, and I haven't felt quite as much of that disappointment, but I can say that there are things that have lost their magic. For example, I walked by my old flat and saw that it was for sale now, uninhabited, the building up for a mere 1.6 million euro. The street I remember was a beautiful one lined with green trees and lovely houses. This time walking down Leeson Park, I felt it looked neglected. There were buildings in disrepair, shrubbery gone wild, and trash along the road. The road construction in Dublin is a hot mess at the moment too, and that always takes away from a city's attractiveness.
Even with some disappointment, Dublin does still have most of its charm. I didn't go down Grafton Street or to Trinity College this trip, I stayed away from O'Connell Bridge all but one short walk, I didn't even walk through Stephens Green or Merrion Square. I didn't do anything touristy at all really, except for the Skyline at Croke Park which, in all honesty I'd not recommend anyone do unless you're truly a Gaelic football fan and want to see the stadium and museum. The views weren't all that great up there and although it was cool to walk the top of the stadium, wasn't my favorite experience here in Dublin.
I did enjoy going to the park for picnics, walking the seafront, eating at local restaurants and visiting the theatre for the very Irish "Shadow of a Gunman." I spent time with friends at their homes or local spots and really felt connected to being back here. Several of the people with whom I visited suggested, or rather insisted, I come back. One even made the point of offering to put me in contact with those at a few colleges here as I am seriously considering a PhD. I have thought about it a lot in the past few years because I really do love Ireland and I feel very drawn to this country. I know that I am meant to be in China at the moment and that I am serving a purpose there. I have absolutely no idea where I'll go when my time in China is up, but I do feel that I could happily return to Ireland. I did make the comment that perhaps Dublin isn't the city for me though, really, as I love the west coast and small, more quaint towns. I love places further south like Cork and Killarney and then of course Galway is absolutely amazing too. Who knows if I'll return to live permanently or not, but I think that Ireland's a little sad to see me go today. The rain is a peaceful parting gift as the week has been bright and sunny, like my visit, and now it's time to say so long for a short period. It's been two years since I was last here and I hope it won't be another two years before I return, but Ireland knows it's in my heart no matter where I may be, so dry up those tears old friend...I'll be back soon enough.
Short video of rain off the back patio this morning
No comments:
Post a Comment