Getting To Know You

We have been walking around and getting familiar with our new neighborhood.      It is very convenient for many things.    We are only a block away from Dublin Castle.    Christ Church is a couple blocks away.       The Temple Bar Square is a few blocks away.    (Did you know that Bar in Ireland means “walk by the water”)     We've found grocery stores, bakeries and lots of helpful friendly people.

Thursday we decided to walk to the Guinness Brewery.       It was set up to accommodate a ton of tourists with no personal interaction as you followed the arrows.     I did enjoy the lesson on pouring a Guinness.  You definitely need the “two minute wait” before topping it off.      I also now know how to drink “under the foam”.     

This handcarved – very tall – wooded sculpture depicts the distinct line between your Guinness and the foam.

We decided to have our free pint on the top floor which is a circular area with incredible views of all of Dublin.    It was hazy out, so my pictures didn’t turn out great, but it was a pleasant place to sit for a while.

Friday we took the train to a seaside town called Howth.      I’d read about it (somewhere) so we decided to check it out.    WOW!     We loved it.    It is a very active fishing community with many great restaurant menus to choose from.       I posted our restaurant choice on FB.     

A couple of items caught my eye:

We did quite a bit of walking around along the piers and the yacht club (every seaside place has one, right?)   Mostly, we looked at the big fishing boats.

We met a couple of gentlemen when we were walking and talked for a while about the economic repercussions of the US banking problems and their ripple effect into Ireland  (okay, RJ did the talking, I just smiled and nodded).      These men are either very very friendly, or one of them is the mayor of this town.      I didn’t ask.      They asked where we had been so far and gave recommendations on what we needed to see.    (all free stuff - they were selling the town not stuff)

A bit later we were walking along the docks where the big fishing boats are moared.     It was quite a ways down to the water, but we were able to clearly see a jellyfish swimming.    Beautiful light red coloring.     This is the first time I wished I had my main camera and bigger lens.     I took some photos anyway.       

 A lady came down to the pier while we were watching and I started talking with her.     She grew up here (and still lives here)   and said that the jellyfish were starting to move out into the open water for the winter.      As a child she swam with them all the time and admits she got bitten a few times.

She said that last year Howth got enough snow (one time) to literally shut down the town for a few days.    (a lot of the town is built into the hills)      Dublin offered to send them a snowplow since they didn’t have one, but residents declined the offer.        Winters are usually fairly mild, but she still chooses to visit her daughters in Arizona for a couple months to enjoy the warmer winter weather.

This photo is for Cheryl - yes, they do have an RV park in Howth.

Back in Dublin, we walked to the Temple Bar Square for dinner.      What a fun area (maybe because it is Friday night)     There were musicians playing on street corners and in almost all the pubs.      Lots of people and families enjoying the music.     We especially loved the music in one Pub.  What fun!     The two young men playing and singing were great and really had the entire crowd energized.     The ages seemed to range from 30-50 (except for us seniors who were the only  apparent  tourists)    Everyone was singing along and cheering and having a great time.    Not rowdy, just happy to be Irish.    I would have joined in, but I had never heard these songs before so I just stood back and enjoyed!   

  

There were also a group of 30 something aged men joining in the celebration (of what, I’m not sure).      They were all wearing kilts.    Each a different plaid.         It definitely added to the atmosphere.        This was all happening at 7 pm,   I have no idea what the place is like later in the evening…………