…thanks to Sue W and GC for hosting Weekly Prompts https://weeklyprompts.com/2024/02/14/weekly-prompts-wednesday-challenge-streets/
Weekly Prompts Wednesday Challenge – Streets
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Tag Archives: Dublin
Cee’s Black and White Photo Challenge – Music
….Cee’s Black and White photo challenge this week involves anything to do with Music
Share Your World 2014 – Week 48
…..4 more shares and we’re done for 2014
What is your favorite toppings on pizza?
Everything on my husband’s homemade pizza is good but if I have to choose it would be mushrooms, caramelized onion, feta cheese and prosciutto.
I want to learn more about …
That’s tough because there are so many things that I want to know more about. One of them would be learning new art techniques and learning to use different tools and materials. As I get older I’ve also become more interested in history and would like to learn more about ancient civilizations.
What are three places you’ve enjoyed visiting?
I’ve enjoyed visiting the Netherlands and Ireland and the Rocky Mountains in Alberta. When I was a child and later as a teenager I visited Germany three times. I would love to go back and see it from an adult’s point of view.
Do you prefer eating the frosting of the cake or the cupcake first?
I’m a frosting person but I like to make sure that I have a bit of cake with my frosting. It’s all about balance.
Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?
I’m grateful for time spent with my friend L. Her life is rather chaotic at the moment and any time that we spend together outside of school is a bonus. We went to the One of a Kind Show on Friday and the week before we were at the ballet and went out for dinner.
This week I’m looking forward to going to the annual Christmas concert on Tuesday and hosting our United Way Silent Auction on Friday. I’m also looking forward to dinner Friday evening with friends.
Thank you Cee for the questions for this week’s challenge. I hope you get over your cold really quickly so that you can enjoy the upcoming holidays.
Weekly Photo Challenge: Descent
For more wonderful descent photos check out The Daily Post’s weekly photo challenge.
Setting a Running Record on my Birthday
….it would have been so easy to stay in bed
Today is my birthday. My husband brought me my morning coffee and my birthday present. When we were in Ireland we went to a beautiful shop in Dublin that sold hand made articles from local artisans. I left a big hint that anything in the store would make a wonderful birthday or anniversary gift and I promptly left the store. When I returned I noticed that K had made a purchase and some how he’s managed to keep it under wraps all this time. Normally he wants me to open my presents early.
Anyway he bought me a beautiful hand screened scarf. If it wasn’t so warm today I would have worn it right away but I’ll put it away for a cooler day. As I was drinking my coffee, K asked me if I wanted to have a lie in and forgo my run. It was so humid this morning that I decided that lying in bed would have been too uncomfortable so I got up and put on my running shoes.
Even though the humidity was high there was a nice cool breeze coming off the lake which helped make the run bearable. I never plan on how far I will run. I always play it by how my legs feel. K handed me the leash near the end of our normal route so that he could get a good last couple of kilometres in without worrying about the dog.
As he ran off in an alternate route I decided to follow him for part of the way. I realized that I could be setting a personal best if I kept going so I did. The total distance with walking and running wasn’t as far as I had hoped but the running distance was a non stop 5K. I have run 5K before but I’ve never done it without stopping to walk. Yeah me!
What a great way to start my birthday and it’s still only 10:00 in the morning. Time to shower and get up to school. Looking forward to ‘another’ celebratory dinner with the rest of my family tonight.
Highlights of My Trip to Ireland
….my most memorable moments
Time Spent With the Irish Cousins
Checking out Dublin With Our Son
Meeting Our Son’s Beautiful Girlfriend
Our Trip to Westport
Our Day at Howth
The Museums, Art Galleries and Beautiful Gardens
Spending Time With My Wonderful Husband
….and Finally, Finding a Good Cup of ‘Coffee’ in Ireland (something we had a hard time finding 9 years ago)
Malahide….a Seaside Gem
…….our last day trip outside of Dublin
On our second last full day in Ireland we decided to take a bus to the seaside town of Malahide. As with Howth, it was just a city bus ride away. We left our hotel early in the morning, caught the bus to the city centre and then made our connection for the Malahide bus. Unfortunately we missed the bus by a couple of minutes and it was almost an hour before the next bus.
Luckily we were in the centre of town and there was a lot to see and do in the space of that hour. When we finally boarded the bus we found a seat on the upper deck right at the front, so we had a great view of the countryside on our journey. I only wish that the windows had been a little cleaner, so some of the photos might appear to have a smudge or two on them.
The drive took us north of Howth and along some very pretty coastline. When we arrived in Malahide we were greeted by a small town with a very touristy feel. Down the centre of the street a small orange train made its way toward the Malahide Castle Estate, past numerous gift shops, travel centres, restaurants and small businesses.
We quickly got our bearings and started to walk towards the grounds of Malahide Castle. K’s cousin highly recommended going there and paying to see the inside of the castle.
As we walked we noticed a large number of young families with small children and babies in strollers making their way to the same place. Not only is there the castle but as we discovered there is an amazing playground and numerous sports fields around the area that is very popular with the locals.
When we got to the visitors centre we paid for the tour and made our way to the castle’s entrance. We passed the old Abby and cemetery that surrounds it along the path and off in the distance we could see the magnificent grounds that surround the castle. One tree on the grounds is over 500 years old and is quite spectacular. The photo really doesn’t do it justice.
Inside the castle, as we were waiting for the tour to start, we were able to visit the small historical museum that gave us some background on the castle itself and its inhabitants over the centuries. It turned out that this was the only place inside the castle that we were allowed to take photographs.
The tour itself was very informative but a tad short. We were allowed into four rooms.
Malahide castle has been a fortress and a private home for over 800 years. The Talbot family lived here from 1185 to 1973, when the last Talbot died. The house is furnished with beautiful period furniture together with an extensive collection of Irish portrait paintings, mainly from the National Gallery.( This is the reason why we couldn’t take photographs of the interior)
The history of the Talbot family is recorded in the Great Hall, where portraits of generations of the family tell their own story of Ireland’s stormy history. Many additions and alterations have been made to this romantic and beautiful structure, but the contours of the surrounding parklands have changed little in 800 years, retaining a sense of the past.(Copied from http://www.visitdublin.com/Asset/See_and_Do/Malahide_Castle)
After exploring the visitor’s centre, making a few purchases from the sportswear store (located next to the centre) and walking about the 250 acre park that surrounds the castle we made our way back into town and down to the quays looking for a place to have lunch.
Much to our chagrin we discovered that all the seaside restaurants were closed and were only open for dinner. We finally found a pub that my husband had been to on his last visit with the Dublin cousins and we sat down to a delicious meal of seafood entrees. Afterwards we easily found the bus stop that would take us back into Dublin and we enjoyed the scenery going in the opposite direction back into town. 
Getting Back to Normal
….with fitness and eating
We did an incredible amount of walking when we were in Ireland but my eating patterns were out of whack for me. I rarely drink beer so when we went to pubs I would have a pint of cider. I would rarely drink more than one glass and half way into the trip I realized that I could order half pints. With most meals I ordered mineral water but occasionally I enjoyed a glass of wine and one evening my husband and I shared a bottle of wine that came with the meal.
We were hoping we would be able to have a few light meals in our hotel room and only eat out once a day. We quickly discovered, however, that our rooms did not come with bar fridges and we couldn’t keep anything cool. One evening in Westport we went into the local grocery store to buy some vegetables and fruit. We also bought a small bottle of salad dressing and some ham to put into our salad.
Earlier in the evening we stopped at a small cafe and enjoyed a platter of cheese and a few crackers and a glass of wine. After we brought our selection of veggies and fruit back to our room we discovered we weren’t as hungry as we thought we would be. We ate the raw vegetables and hummus.
What were we to do with the salad, ham and dressing that we purchased? I think I’ve mentioned this before but Ireland was going through a heat wave while we were there and the hotels don’t have air conditioning. Well it was a few degrees cooler outside the hotel than in the room so I opened the window on the second story and placed the perishable foods on the window ledge.
The next morning the ham was gone. When I looked down to the street I saw the ’empty’ ham container lying on the sidewalk. We’re not sure what got on the ledge but there were a lot of very large blackbirds in the area. Do they eat meat?
Today, before breakfast, my husband, Frances and I started up our usual 5 k walks again. Frances was in a bit of slump since coming home yesterday. I think she was missing her buddy, Lucy. Going for a walk to the lake was just what the doctor ordered. Frances was in a better mood after she had her swim and K and I were energized for the rest of the day.
Churches, Statues and More Churches and Statues
….there certainly is no scarcity of either structure in Ireland
Ireland offers a myriad of church buildings and statues honouring city founders and heroes. One evening and then again the next day, while waiting for a bus I walked up and down the boulevard on O’Connell Street and took photos of the statues that one sees when coming into the city centre.
The churches in Ireland are old and predominately Catholic but one of the most famous churches in downtown Dublin is Anglican; St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
Built in honour of Ireland’s patron saint, Saint Patrick Cathedral stands adjacent to the famous well where tradition has it Saint Patrick baptized converts on his visit to Dublin.
The parish church of Saint Patrick on this site was granted collegiate status in 1191, and raised to cathedral status in 1224. The present building dates from 1220. The Cathedral is today the National Cathedral of the Church of Ireland (a church of the Anglican communion) and also serves as a popular tourist attraction in Ireland.
I don’t have any photos of the interior. This was the second church today that charged to walk through the doors. The cost to see both churches would have been 18 Euro for each of us or about $25.00. I understand needing the money for renovations but we found the prices were prohibitive, especially when there were three of us. I would have been happy to make a donation but that wasn’t an option. If you check out the website above you can see some interior shots and get some more history about this magnificent building.
The first church we stopped at was the Christ Church Cathedral. It is the oldest medieval church in Dublin and was founded in 1028 by the Norse King, Sitriuc Silkenbeard and associated with many important figures in Irish History, including the infamous Strongbow (Richard de Clare) and Dublin’s own Patron Saint, Laurence O’Toole.
Here are a few more churches that we came across in our travels throughout Dublin and Westport.
I’m Back Home
….after two glorious weeks in Ireland
We just got off the plane a little over two hours ago. I went through all the mail, threw away things in the fridge that I should have tossed before we left (yuck!!!), picked some vegetables from the garden and charged up my laptop. I’ve really missed the laptop. The iPad was okay but it gave me a lot of grief when I tried to keep up with my blog. I think I will write a critique about using an iPad when on vacation.
I’m anxious to upload the photos from my camera. I wasn’t able to do that with the iPad. I’ve a lot of wonderful moments and photos to share. Give me some time to sort myself out here at home (friends to phone, family to visit, and laundry to do) and I need to organize my thoughts and not repeat things that I have already posted.
First thing I need to do is go to the drug store and see if I can get some over the counter medication for pink eye. My poor husband managed to pick up a nasty case of it on his last day in Ireland; how or where he contacted it we’re not sure but I don’t want it. Poor Mr. Burgerhead. Don’t ask. It’s a name his cousin’s sons came up with after we spent some time with them. K actually loves the nickname and we miss the boys already.
Mama Cormier 
