Dublin Visitors: Round 1

I've been neglecting the blog, I know! We've been traveling through Europe the last few weekends in a row and I haven't found the time, but I'm back in action today and will try to write much more frequently.

I decided to start my posts about all our visitors at the O'Naber B&B. First of all, let me say that we're extremely appreciative of everyone who has come to visit us. As anyone who has moved to a land far far away knows, you get plenty of, "I'm totally coming to visit you"s. As expected, the follow through on this is always pretty poor. 

Believe me, we know how much time, money, and planning it takes to actually take a trip to Ireland, so we understand when it's just not feasible. However, for those that have, kudos to you! It's likely a once-in-a-lifetime chance to visit a friend or family member abroad (and stay for free!) in a country with someone who knows the lay of the land. Best of all, we get super excited to take people around and show them the sights and what our lives are like over here. It's a "stay-cation" for us and we always feel recharged when familiar faces are around :)

Bray to Greystones

Our first familiar faces were those of my parents. They had been to Ireland twice previously, but didn't hesitate to hop on a standby flight over (thanks to my airline captain brother). Per their usual luck, they brought seldom seen sunshine and warm weather with them to the Emerald Isle. They arrived on a Thursday morning and, thanks to my Accidental Housewife status, I was able to play tour guide and design my own walking tour of Dublin and the surrounding areas. 

We had lunch at the Village Market across the street from our apartment, then walked to the centre to hit the tourist spots -- St. Stephen's Green, Grafton Street, Trinity College, Dublin Castle, The Liffey -- then stopped at Oliver St. John Gogarty's in Temple Bar for a pint of Guinness (my Mom actually had Guinness!) and some live music. Jet lag set in pretty hard after a beer, so we made our way back and had a nice, low key evening at home.

Patrick Kavanagh on Grand Canal

On the Liffey

Pints at Gogarty's - proof of Mom with a Guinness

Friday was spent on the Bray to Greystones walk. It was one of the maybe 5 days that we've had 70 (21+ C) degree weather in Ireland, so I was in a t-shirt and loving it. My Mom, however, actually complained that it was a little hot, ha! I think we should really switch climates.

The 4 of us took took a road trip to Northern Ireland for the weekend, then I took a trip around southwest Ireland with them during the week (both of which I'll cover separately), and we capped the final weekend in Dublin with a trip to Howth. It was a jam packed trip, but well worth it!

It was an amazing experience to make memories with my parents in Ireland AND I was able to take a trip the 3 of us around the beautiful countryside. I guess I have the Irish government to thank for the time off ;)

Next, I'll go over our trip to Northern Ireland and the Antrim Coast...

Dublin Day Trips: Bray to Greystones

The other day, B asked me if I could send him my Dublin itinerary to forward to a visitor in town. As I'm writing itineraries for various European cities, you would think I'd have a great itinerary for the city I'm living in, right? Nope! It got me thinking that I need to put more focus back into Dublin and the surrounding areas. 

The city itinerary is a work in progress, but I'm starting a new series: Dublin Day Trips. 

I've gone on several day trips around the Dublin area that I would definitely recommend for visitors. What's great about Dublin being pretty compact is that you get out of the city quickly. You can take a 30 minute train ride or car ride and be in much more rural, picturesque spot for hiking, lounging, etc. The first trip I'll cover is Bray to Greystones.

Boardwalk & Beach in Bray

Bray and Greystones are two separate coastal towns located just across the Dublin county border in Wicklow. Trains first arrived from Dublin in 1854 and Bray became the hot spot for urban holiday goers, so it was developed to resemble an English beachside town. Greystones is a quaint little town named for a stretch of stones on the beachfront, and makes the location where the southbound DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transit) terminates.  

View of Bray Boardwalk from the start of the Cliff Walk

The "Bray to Greystones" trip involves catching the DART to either destination (I prefer Bray) and taking the Cliff Walk from one point to the other. You can walk along the boardwalk in Bray, complete the Cliff Walk, stop for a bite in Greystones, and hop on a train back to the city in 3-5 hours total. It's the perfect half day trip! I've done this 5 times now and have enjoyed it every time!

The Cliff Walk itself is about ~3.5 miles and is not strenuous (I've done it in flip flops a couple times, but I would recommend gym shoes!). The route boasts spectacular coastal scenery -- some that, in my opinion, rivals some of the most beautiful places in Ireland on a sunny day. Even after 5 times, the beauty doesn't get old and I'm still compelled to take pictures each time.

See what I mean? Stunning. The path winds around the edges of the cliffs, showing off views of the train cutting through the hillside, rounds off for a great vista of the beach and Greystones in the distance (below), and brings you through country fields on the decline into town. 

My favorite place to end the walk is at The Beach House in Greystones. It's a bright pink pub/restaurant at the end of the walk with a large back patio (useful if you're lucky enough to get a nice day!). It's the ideal place to refuel with a pint and some good local food before walking through the little town centre and heading back into Dublin. 

You can't miss it!

The Bray to Greystones walk is unquestionably one of my top choices for Dublin Day Trips. It's cheap, relatively quick, close to the city, and gorgeous! I'd suggest this for anyone staying longer than 1 day in Dublin, as the city itself is easy to see in a short amount of time. 

More day trips to come...

Paddy's Day in Ireland... bring your green hat!

After our celebrating our 1 year anniversary, we spent the actual anniversary date celebrating our first St. Patrick's Day in Ireland in a completely different fashion. FYI to my non-Irish readers, I learned that it is PADDY's Day, NOT Patty's Day. The difference: Paddy is short for Patrick, Patty is short for Patricia.

Although St. Patrick's Day is now a more secular holiday associated with Irish stereotypes and heavy drinking, the brief history of St. Patrick's Day goes as follows. Patrick was believed to be born in Scotland or Wales (not in Ireland!) in the end of the 4th century. At the age of 16, Patrick was captured by Irish raiders and taken across the Irish Sea, where he spent 6 years in captivity working as a shepherd. During this time, he found comfort in his religion and became a devout Christian. After the 6 years, he went home and studied to become a priest, then returned to Ireland to spread the Christian faith for 30 years until he passed away on March 17, 460 AD. From then on, March 17th was commemorated as St. Patrick's Day. 

Fun fact: the shamrock was used by St. Patrick to explain the concept of The Holy Trinity - the Father, the Son, and The Holy Spirit - and how they are all separate parts of one entity. 

Myth buster: St. Patrick is said to have banished all the snakes in Ireland; however, this is thought to be an analogy for eliminating the Pagan religion and evidence suggests that post-glacial Ireland never had snakes.

Now, having given you the skinny on the Patron Saint and why we celebrate the day, I have to admit I transformed into another person wanting to be "Irish for the day." We figured we're here for a short time, so we might as well embrace it and behave like tourists! Everyone would assume we were tourists that day anyway, so why not go all out? 

What's cool in Dublin is that St. Patrick's Day festivities go on the entire week around the holiday (live music, Irish dancing tutorials, etc.), AND it's a national holiday, so it's a long weekend. As for the day itself... 

We awoke to a cold, rainy day (typical!) and, despite the temptation to stay in, we donned our mandatory green attire and bundled up to go meet our expat friends in town. St. Paddy's was a Sunday this year, so no pubs in Dublin opened until noon (talk about missing out on some serious revenue!), but our friends shrewdly sniffed out the only place serving booze in the morning. So, we started the day with a breakfast of champions: Irish coffee and crisps ( = chips) made with real bits of Shamrock! Ha, apparently shamrocks taste exactly like onions.

After our coffees, we made our way to a great spot to watch the parade - The Lord Edward, across from Christ Church. As it was too cold to be outside and watch, we found a comfy booth on the second floor of the pub, overlooking the church and the parade. It was ideal! Michelle and I are both mildly obsessed with taking pictures, so we ventured into the cold for a bit to get some good shots. It may look like it is easy to balance on the post below, but it was a small area, slick with rain, and it was humorous to watch people fall off (myself included). 

Standing on the bike posts!

Bring your green hat!

My favorite part of the day was sitting next to a cute, elderly choir. They sat and drank and sang Irish tunes -- it provided the perfect entertainment and they appreciated our applause!

Have to include a picture of Guinness!

When the parade finished, we made the bold decision to walk through the Temple Bar neighborhood to view the true Paddy's insanity. And that it was...

After some much needed Zaytoon's kebabs, we walked around some more, said goodbye to our expat friends, and somehow convinced a couple of our Irish friends to meet us for a pint. I say somehow convinced because mostly everyone in my office made a point to get out of town on St. Patrick's Day, or at least steer clear of the craziness in the city centre. I guess that's a good friend for you!

We ended the day with them at a local spot, listening to live music. It was one long day, but well worth it. We certainly had the "Paddy's Day" experience in Dublin. Interestingly, the celebration itself is bigger in Chicago, but it was an unforgettable experience to spend the day in Ireland, where it all started. Great craic! 

Happy Belated St. Patrick's Day to all!!