Lovely Ireland








 After a two-hour plane ride, we landed in Dublin where Mary collected us from the airport. We drove to Dun Laoghaire and checked into the Haddington House  where we had stayed on our last trip. Our room overlooks the sea and is very comfortable. We drove to Mary’s lovely apartment where her friend Francois had prepared a salmon dinner. We shared a bottle of Txotoly we had bought in Getaria, which went great with the fish. We had a wonderful visit.  

Wednesday morning we took showers and decided this room was not nearly as nice as our last one. It is a large step over the tub into the shower and then it feels like the sides are sloped. The water temperature kept cycling from hot to cold. Nick was not in favor of asking to change rooms. But when we come back to Dun Laoghaire after the wedding we will object if they try to give us this one again. 

We had breakfast and then walked out on the breakwater all the way to the lighthouse. It’s a very popular walk. On our way back we noticed the ferry that Mary suggested we take to Howth. We met her at the end of our walk and spent some time visiting. Then we went to the ferry and purchased tickets. The small boat was packed with all manner of travelers. The trip was scenic and took about an hour. The ride was chilly and cloudy but it never rained. We passed the large Irish Ferry heading for England (Nick thought he saw it turning back for Dublin, but I can’t confirm that.)  We saw striking cliffs with lots of hikers and several islands including the “Eye of Ireland”. We landed in the village of Howth, home of lots of fishing vessels and seafood restaurants. We had a nice lunch at Wright’s. We walked around the harbor and then boarded the train back to Dun Laoghaire. It was about an hour train ride hugging the beautiful coastline for the most part. We returned to the hotel for a rest before a pizza party at Mary’s tonight. 

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