Category: Family

The weather was perfect today in Dublin, mild with a light breeze and scattered clouds, with nary a raindrop to be seen. We slept in a little, so had to hustle to catch a bus and get downtown for our first activity of the day: the 1916 Rebellion walking tour.

The anti-tourist in me had a little trepidation about going on a two-hour tour like that, but in the end I was very glad we did…

What made the difference was the fact that it was led by an irascible character named Lorcan Collins. He was a wonderful storyteller, with a booming voice and a quick wit. He was so obviously full of passion for his subject that he really drew you in.

We walked all over City Centre, visiting historic sites and hearing lots of stories, many inspired by statues of the men who led the uprising for Irish independence on Easter of 1916. While the rebellion succumbed a week later, it did eventually lead to independence (in 1922, I believe).

One of the statues, of James Larkin, right across from the General Post Office (which the rebels took over) had a quote on it that really spoke to me: “The great only appear great because we are on our knees; let us rise”.

The tour ended right near Trinity College, where the famous Book of Kells resides. It’s a little disappointing, as there are only two actual pages on display. The exhibition is well put-together, however, with all you could want to know about the background of the manuscript. No photos were allowed anywhere in the Library, so I can’t show you anything here…

What I can show you is a few highlights from Merrion Square, where we went next. It’s a neighborhood not far from City Centre that is known for it’s Georgian architecture, particularly the ornate and colorful doors:

On the way to the square, we had spotted the Porterhouse Pub, which the guidebooks describe as having the best selection of beer in town. So it was there that we found ourselves for dinner, bellied up to the bar in a crowded pub full of World Cup soccer fans. It was really quite fun, and we each had a pint and some decent bar food before heading off to catch another movie…

Tonight’s film was “Please Give”, a quirky comedy with Katherine Keener and Oliver Platt.

Tired but satisfied, we arrived back at the hotel an hour or so ago. Time to rest up for our last day in Dublin tomorrow. We haven’t even been to a museum yet, so I think we’ve got another full day ahead of us!

What a shock it is to find ourselves plunked down in this gritty international capital city, after our idyllic time in Devon… Quite the change of scene!

After a short and uneventful flight from Exeter, we had an easy bus ride into downtown Dublin and found ourselves at the hotel before one o’clock. Minutes later, having ditched our bags, we were on a bus back to “City Centre”. Though it had been drizzling at the airport, thankfully the rain had stopped completely by then.

As you can see, Dublin is quite a colorful city, though we both commented on its noticeably seedy side as well…

Mal and I stumbled around the most touristy part of City Centre (called Temple Bar) for a couple of hours, had tea & scones at a quaint little shop called The Queen of Tarts, before deciding to take in a movie. We saw something called “His & Hers”, which is a documentary of a sort, based on an old Irish proverb: “a man loves his girlfriend the best, his wife the most, and his mother the longest”. It was simply a long string of artfully framed shots of babies, girls, young, middle-aged and elderly women (in that order) from the Irish midlands, talking about the men in their lives. Full of sweet and poignant moments, it was a wonderfully unusual film.

After that, we took in a bit more wandering around and people-watching, including lots of buskers like the two above. Then it was time for a nice dinner!

We looked through our guidebooks and found a place that sounded good called the Winding Stair, which just happened to be right across the street! We got a table looking out on the Ha’Penny bridge, and were even blessed with a little sun and blue sky poking through the clouds as we ate a delicious meal made from fresh local ingredients. After enjoying their famous bread & butter pudding for dessert (with a scoop of homemade ice cream on top, of course) there was a little waddle in my step as we found our way back to the hotel…

And now? Time for bed!

So sad, but we’ve reached the last full day of our spectacular stay at Blackhall Cottage. Though it’s been a relatively quiet day, we had multiple short walks (I did two and Mallory three). First thing, M & I found a nice little rough path, in fact called the Tarka Trail, which we walked over and back before breakfast. Then, right after breakfast, the four of us drove a short distance to the neighboring village of Sticklepath. From there, we headed up a wonderfully wild and wooded trail along the Taw River. The Taw is actually as small as the average Colorado creek, and the trail next to it reminded me of one back home as well. Below is a view of the creek…

After that, Deborah had to get back for her volunteer shift at the church hall next to St. Andrews, where they serve what’s called a “cream tea” a couple of days a week. It’s a long story, but the important point was that she was having to work it alone, when normally it would have been two volunteers working. So, naturally Mallory offered to pitch in. It was a good thing, as there was a steady stream of customers all afternoon!

A cream tea involves tea and a couple of scones, served with Devon clotted cream and your choice of jam. Clotted cream is amazing stuff, thick and sweet, almost like butter-cream frosting! So good…

Peter and I went over for tea at four, and we were joined by a good friend of theirs named Meg who apparently is the local historian. She ended up giving Mal & me a private tour of the church hall. The building, like the church, dates from the late 1400’s, and was extensively renovated in ’05. Like D&P’s cottage, it has a thatched roof, and we were astonished to learn that most of the first layer, that you see from inside the second floor, is original! Rye stalks that are more than 500 years old… And all the renovations, so lovingly carried out, really made the place shine!

Lastly we went out for dinner at their favorite “authentic” local Devon pub, called the Railway Inn, where we had a splendid meal. Bookended by a nice local ale called Pheasant Plucker and a tasty local ‘honeycombe’ ice cream, it really was a perfect ending to a smashing visit! Cheers!!