Lisbon: Day One

I was a bit nervous about leaving Dublin. Dublin is easy. Dublin is an English everywhere kind of city. I knew that once I got off of my flight my comfort zone would be nowhere to be found. It was sink or swim.

Thankfully, my taxi driver knew a few words of English so I didn't feel like I was thrown completely off the deep end right away. That changed once I got to my apartment. My host, Flora, does not speak much English and two people that aren't fluent in a compatible language does not make for a very productive conversation. But we managed. She was able to get me online. She told me to email her if I have any problems. So far that is not the case and since I am very self sufficient I don't think I will be troubling her. 

The apartment itself is beautiful. There are real, wide-planked hardwood floors. It is very well decorated with modern furniture. And it has a great shower. The window in my bedroom opens to the street below and the sounds of the trucks and the cars and people whizzing by down there lets me know I am not in Kansas (Houston) anymore. It is very different here. Despite the activity of the city itself, its people are very laid back and quite warm and welcoming. They even have a lot of patience for an English-only American that only knows the word for thank you (obrigado). 

On my first day I didn't have anything planned except to wander around exploring and trying to keep myself from getting lost enough so that I was able to make my way back to my apartment at the end of the night. I was successful. Lisbon is very well laid out. There aren't confusing zig zags and streets that switch unexpectedly. I am finding everything reasonably quickly and easy using  a Google map I created that has recommendations for cafes and areas I want to visit. It has been pretty handy in finding my way around.

I took a walk down to the water front first. It was so inviting just a few blocks down the street from my apartment. The water is blue and beautiful. There is a clear view of the 25 de Abril Bridge - a replica of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.

I saw my first tram (which I found out on today's food tour were modeled after the trams in San Francisco). Lisbon and San Francisco could be sisters with the things they have in common.

I wandered into Rossio Square which is the center of town.

I grabbed a bite to eat - pork sandwich and a custard tart (pasteis de nata). You can find them on any street. They are usually bought in boxes of six.

I found the most important place for an American that needs to ensure their caffeine levels are maintained - Starbucks - lower right store front.

I saw a castle on a hill.

And went back to the ocean to watch the sunset.

Dublin: Day Three

Day 3 in Dublin was wet and cold. I was limited in what I could see and do so I chose to relax and read for much of the day.

I did, however, walk down to the Grafton Street area and explore a bit. I checked out the George Street Arcade and I was a bit let down. I expected a much grander location. It was rather small and there were cramped stalls that resembled a miniature flea market. I was in and out in less than 5 minutes.

I ate lunch at The Duke pub (Irish stew). The stew meat was tender and was full of hearty chunks of onions, carrots and potatoes.  It came with brown soda bread that I used to sop up the last of the stew broth. And I sat at the bar to eat and read a book.

After lunch I walked over to Wicklow Street and got a scoop of ice cream at Murphy's Ice Cream and let me tell you that it is definitely not overrated in making so many appearances on top food lists for Dublin. I chose the Rum Raisin. The girl behind the counter told me they soak the raisins in rum overnight and it shows. They were plump and loaded with flavor. The ice cream itself was fresh and had a depth to it that I have never experienced in the United States. If you ever get to Dublin you have to try out Murphy's. You will not be disappointed

I know I've written a lot about the Queen of Tarts but I had not yet sampled their tarts or cakes. So I made my way back to my apartment and stopped in to get out of the wet and the cold. It was not quite as busy as my previous two visits so I was able to quickly grab a table. As I sat down they added a new cake to the display. It was loaded with cream and raspberries. I asked the waitress what sort of cake it was and when she said that it was "sponge cake" I was disappointed because I am not much of a fan of that kind of cake. But it looked so good that I went ahead and tried it and it was wonderful. There is nothing processed about this cafe. It is all expertly handmade.   I sat there and read my book and happily ate my cake and drank a couple of cappuccinos. And I ordered a chocolate, pear and almond tart for takeaway. I ate it that night as I rested up for the morning flight to Lisbon. It, too, was rich and flavorful with tons of great textures.

Dublin: Day Two

I slept in this morning until nearly 9AM after spending the entire day yesterday operating on no sleep at all.

After getting some breakfast I headed out for a day of exploring the city. The thing about Dublin is that it is a very small city and as long as you have good shoes and good knees you can traverse it entirely on foot. After a few tries I have finally found a great pair of walking shoes (Puma ballet flats, a size larger to allow for swelling). I walked from one end of this city to the other both ways and my feet never once screamed in pain as they had on previous trips.

I started my walk journeying up north of the river and walked O'Connell to Henry (as major shopping street) and then trekked up the entire length of it, shopping in at a mall and grabbing a latte at Starbucks where I posted about this morning's breakfast, and then circled back to the river

 

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I wanted to visit St. Stephen's Green and Trinity College so I headed down Dame Street and visited the park first. It was a surprisingly beautiful day with intermittent clouds and sunshine. The weather forecast had implied that it was going to be a rather gloomy trip so I was very happy to see the sun today. A sudden shower appeared once about 4:00 but other than that it was a great day. The park was quite serene and, though crowded with tourists and locals alike, it was very peaceful and I spent far longer there than I had intended.

One of the reasons I wanted to see Trinity College was the Book of Kells and the Library but it was far too late in the day for me to do that by the time I arrived. So I simply explored the grounds.

A day trip to see the Giant's Causeway was one of the things I thought I might do on this trip. But knowing I will be leaving for Lisbon on Tuesday I want to spend tomorrow having a relaxed day. I might rent a bike and see the city at a leisurely pace. I know I want to go over to Grafton Street and get some ice cream at Murphy's. It is always on the best of lists for Dublin and I don't want to miss it. I would also like to see Oscar Wilde at Merrion Park. A bike would certainly speed up the day and increase the number of spots I can hit.

I came back to the apartment around 6PM and rested for a few hours while going through the pictures I had taken today and posting some on Instagram. Finishing that up, I realized I was hungry after walking around all day and consulted my map to see where I would like to go for dinner. I chose Zaytoon. It was just down the street and it was one of the first cafes I pinned a few years ago when I knew Dublin was on the list of places to which I would travel. I read a review on a travel blog and the writer said it was one of their favorite places to eat in Dublin. It is a fun place that was packed with people. The only table left was a communal table. It was empty when I sat down to eat and read my book but I was soon joined by a guy that sat at the other end. We were both content to eat in silence, but then the drunk Swede joined us. We knew he was Swede and that he was drunk because the second he sat down at the table he proclaimed "I'm Swedish and I drink too much." You have to love a guy that knows who and what he is. I finished my meal and quickly left when he tried to play matchmaker between strangers at opposite ends of a table. I came back to the apartment because I wanted to do a load of laundry and it was nearly 10PM.

And that ends day two in Dublin. I sit here watching reruns of American television shows while my laundry spins in the washer. Being in Dublin is such a blast. The ebb and the flow are fantastic. You have to move fast or you could get run over but it seems to work. This city feels lived in. It has a soul. And I love that.

Dublin: Queen of Tarts

I went back to The Queen of Tarts for breakfast this morning. I had the hearty breakfast and two large cappuccinos.

The cafe has quite an array of baked goods. I snapped a few shots trying not be be too intrusive in that American tourist sort of way. I can only imagine how annoying that must be to live with on a daily basis. I would not be amused if that were my daily experience.

I need to go back and sample one of their tarts.

Dublin: Day One

I really lucked out in the flight over. I had booked an aisle seat in the middle, four seat, section of the plane. But there were no passengers occupying the middle seats, allowing me two seats for the price of one. The extra room didnt help me sleep though. I haven't yet been able to sleep on a plane. The best I could do was close and rest my eyes.


When I got to Dublin airport I hopped online and messaged my airbnb host and asked about meeting to get the keys for the apartment I had booked. His mother, Betty, was available and already at the apartment getting it ready for my arrival.  I hopped in a taxi and made my way to the city center. Finding the apartment was quite easy, even with a novice taxi driver. She had just started driving and didn't know the city that well. But since I had already been to Dublin I knew the area around Christ Church Cathedral, where the apartment is located, and was able to give her directions pretty easily. The apartment listing didn't provide the unit number so when I arrived I was a) locked out of the building and b) unsure about where to go once I got here. Thankfully I must have a very trustworthy appearance and was able to follow someone else into the building. He allowed me entry into the area where the elevator was located. I heard someone cleaning an apartment upstairs so I went upstairs to see if that was Betty, my host's mother. It  was not, but when I mentioned my host's name a woman popped her head over the railing upstairs and asked "are you Kimberly"? I said "yes" and asked "are you Betty"? She said "no, but I am helping Betty with the apartment." So I took the elevator up one more floor and was greeted and showed the way to the apartment. Betty arrived shortly thereafter. Evidently I had just missed her going down the stairs where she had intended to look for my arrival. It was a rather comedy of errors. Betty then gave me a tour of the apartment. It is small, so not much of tour was required. But it is a bright, clean and lovely unit and it is serving it's purpose.  Betty said Micheal (my host's name) said I had red hair and she said that she and her sisters had red hair but she had died it blonde. I told her that I was a blonde but died my hair red because it suited me better. She agreed, saying "it matches your light skin." After showing me the Wi-Fi name and password, she left me to get settled in. The first thing I did was take a long, hot shower. I was very tired after getting no sleep the night before. The shower helped to give me new life.

My goal for the first day was to stay awake and just enjoy being in Dublin.  I was also hungry because I had only eaten breakfast before getting on the plane and only ate half of my dinner, leaving the bread and dessert alone. They also gave us a scone, jam and raisins with a thimble-full cup of coffee for breakfast an hour before the flight landed.

When I was last in Dublin I had spotted a cafe I had wanted to try but never found the time - The Queen of Tarts. It has two locations and the closest was right around the corner from where I was staying. So after showering and lightly dozing for a few hours I went down to get some food. It was quite busy, which isn't surprising since I am in the heart of the touristy area - Temple Bar. I plan on going back today for breakfast and will take pictures. It is a very cute and charming place. European cafes exude charm that is so very rarely found in Houston. The wait staff are also exceptionally friendly and I felt welcomed, even as a solo diner in a very busy time. I decided to get the Pot Pie, which was a chicken and mushroom pie, with a side salad and a large cappuccino. It was quite delicious. The lack of GMO products in Europe makes a distinct difference in the taste and the quality of food.

After getting some food in me. I did a little exploring and took some pictures. I will post these later today on Instagram. After managing to make it though much of the day on no sleep, I hit a wall at 5PM (or 17:00) and decided it was time to give in and get some sleep. I was hungry again and chose a quick and easy classic - fish and chips from Leo Burdock and came back to the apartment. I ate half of the order (it was huge), turned on the television and lay down on the couch and drifted off to sleep. I awoke some time during the night and got up and went to bed.

And that is the end of day one in Dublin. I feel much more rested and ready to do some exploring. I am going to have another cup of coffee and then get dressed and go out to do day two in Dublin. More to come on Twitter and Instagram after breakfast.

On My Way Home

Waiting for my flight to London ...

Grey Day

Today is the Ireland I had prepared to find when I started this trip. It is a very grey day with nary a bit of sun in sight. It is cold and windy and in my brief walk outdoors I was becoming chilled to the bone. So I will stay inside and read. I've got a well stocked Kindle to keep me entertained. That was the plan for this place - relax and prepare myself to return to real life.

I checked the train schedule and might go into Dublin tomorrow if I feel up to it. It is a pretty short trip and the train station is only 1.5 miles (2500 meters) up the road. I would love to see Merrion Park and the Trinity College area before I go.

But today I'm staying put and allow my well-traveled feet a break. It is so peaceful here. I'm rather enjoying it quite a bit.