Ireland, Day 1
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| Doors of Dublin |
It’s 2:30 a.m. Irish time and I should be crashing but I’ve got my second wind.
After a 4 hour delay sitting on a plane in the Chicago aiport due to rain and lightning, we finally made it to Dublin yesterday morning. Ironically, blue skies and sun greeted us in Dublin (opposite of what we expected based on what people say about Ireland). The breezy 70 degree weather felt perfect.
My sister picked us up at the airport from her home in Cavan. She impressed me with her ability to drive on the left side of the road even though I kept panicking each time I saw a car coming. Drew caught on pretty impressively as he drove our rental car with the kids. The sign, “Drive on left” made me chuckle. We were pretty loopy from jet lag, but we decided to go for a sightseeing blitz of Dublin before heading to Cavan which was two hours away.
Dublin is a charming city, with lovely old architecture and history, coupled with the zany modernness of colorful double-decker buses hawking a billboard of the latest sequel to The Transformers. My first thing on the wish list were the famed doors of Dublin. As we passed some in bright enamel primary colors, I thought I had blown my only chance, but they were pretty much all over the place. Red, yellow, pink, purple, cobalt, black. You name it, framed in brilliant white. They are the entry to residences and offices alike, little spots of happiness.
We bought lunches from a salad and Thai place then picnicked at a nearby park. Many were out, eating, too, or strolling, chatting and sunning themselves, a fun place to people watch. We had been warned to not wear shorts nor white sneakers so we didn’t stand out as Americans. Well, if that were the case, half the park visitors that day were Americans, but most likely they were from all over and wanted to just be comfortable. When my kids darted up some stone steps after lunch, giggling, I could relate to their happiness.
Omigosh, we are in Europe. Someone pinch me.
After extending our parking meter (5 euro for 1.5 hours), we stopped at Trinity College which has the Book of Kells (an ancient bible version) on exhibit. We just walked around outside, but it was fun. I sat on sun-warmed cobblestones and soaked up the moment, looking at the old walls and beautiful architecture.
Oh, before that, we went to Grafton Street, a pedestrian only section which is the happening place in Dublin. It had street performers and stores (lots of bookstores!). Sensory overload especially for the jetlagged but it was fun. Hordes of people were coming and going, making me wonder where everyone was from. My sister guessed that many were European visitors here for their summer holiday.
We got back on the road, having had our fill of Dublin (and more doors!). Along the way, we stopped at the rolling Hills of Tara which I’d known previously from Gone with the Wind. Google it because I’m not sure who killed who, but there were kings involved from clear back in the 18th century and now there are mystical legends associated with things like a tree called Fairy Tree where people leave personal trinkets like ribbon, I.D.s, notes and fabric. As we came up to an ancient chapel, I said it looks like it could be the setting for a romantic story. Drew amended that as a gothic love story especially when you took into account the ravens and lichen-covered tombstones in the adjoining graveyard.
As late as 10, which is about when we arrived at my sister’s place in Cavan, it was still light. The house is a pretty two-story on extensive farmland, but we postponed the grand tour in favor of a delicious late dinner of slow-cooked Philippine stew called kaldereta. I hope to have a chance to report more tomorrow. A marvelous ending to a marvelous day.
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