Day 13 - Dublin

After dropping the car off at the airport, we called for a car via uber to take us to city center. It was a formal taxi that responded to our Uber request.. The taxi driver explained that when Uber tried to come into Ireland, the taxi driver unions “would have none of dat!” The deal they struck was that taxis would cater the service at a 10% discount. The cab driver was not a fan of Uber.

We checked into Harrington Hall. It was just down a few blocks off city center by St. Stephen’s Green. The hotel was really nice and our room was very big with it’s own cozy sitting area for tea. What made it even better was that the hotel was free due to some perks I had accumulated. 

We hit the streets of Dublin in full force. I would be giving Matt the full-whirl-wind tour in under 5 hours and here’s where we went:

-       St. Stephen’s Green: I hung out in this park everyday when I lived in Dublin.

-       Graton Street: A few new shops, but my favorite truffle shop was no more.

-       Ireland National Gallery of Art: I introduced Matt to some of my favorite paintings there including “Lady Writing a Letter with her Maid” by Vermeer.

-       Trinity College: I always feel just a tad smarter when I walk through the formal arched entrance.

-       Book of Kells: I’ve seen this exhibit multiple times and it always holds my interest.

-       Long Hall Trinity Library: I could hang out in this place forever, combing through the books. On display were hand written books from the 5^th and 6^th centuries.

-       Dublin Castle

-       Christ Church Cathedral: You now have to pay to go inside and it's a sliding scale. Used to be you only had to pay if you went up the tower or down into the crypt.

-       Leo Berdoff’s chipper: Claims to be the best fish ‘n chips in Dublin, but I would disagree. The rain hit right as we walked out of the shop with our take-away bags. Fortunately we found some shelter from the cloud burst under the trees.

-       HaPenny Bridge

-       O’Connell Street

-    Liffey River

By the time we finished walking around the city, it was 5:15 and time to catch the DART from Tara Station and take it out to Killiney. Dublin Bay was beautiful. Gone were the rain clouds and there was perfect visibility. It was a short 30 minute ride to Killiney. Natasha and her 2-year old daughter, Evie, were there waiting for us. It was so great to see them again! It was also cool for Matt and Natasha to finally meet in person.

Natasha gave Matt a short tour including the homes of Bono and Enya as well as a neighborhood in Dalkey that is considered the “Irish Amalfie Coast.” Visiting fans have taken to inscribing lyrics from U2 songs on the walls and the gates to his house. The gates are copper, and etched into them are lyrics from songs, some translated into other languages. We then went up ti Killiney Hill for a good walk and enjoy the great views. We sat on the wishing steps together. I wished to return again soon. Last year when I was at Killiney Hill with Natasha it snowed.

Back home, Caomhan, Natasha’s husband, was waiting for us. We all visited over some wine and then enjoyed a delicious meal prepared by Coamhan. Evie had grown so much and she is so cute! She took a fancy to Matt and proceeded to show him every one of her dolls. The time went by so fast and before we knew it, it was 11:00 and time to catch DART back to Dublin. I was sad to say goodbye, but I know we will be back.

Upon arrival at Pearce Station, we were faced with a 25 minute walk home, but at 11:30 in the evening, the cab sitting curbside seemed like a much batter option. We told him we only had 10 euro left and he accepted the fare.

When we finally got into bed it was midnight. We had to be up in only 4 hours to catch an early morning flight to Scotland. Matt summed it up pretty good, “This room is really nice. It has more stars than hours we will actually spend in it.”