Ireland in Retrospect: Dublin Day Three

Dublin Day Three: September 16th

Finally we got some rain today! In the morning it was off and on, but by the afternoon it was a bit more steady. Have I mentioned how much I love Ireland's weather so far? The temperatures have been in the 50s and 60s, and the sun has made itself known more than I'd expected. And since we had anticipated rain like everyday, the drizzling we experienced today was no big deal.

This morning Justin and I walked to another little café down the street from our apartment. This one was called Cowtown Café. I got the mini Irish Breakfast with my coffee. Not quite ready to try the black pudding yet. After breakfast, we walked to the bus stop... By the way, I love the Dublin bus system!

Waiting for the 39A with my honey!

The sign basically says "Don't let your dogs poop here." We got a good laugh.

Terraced houses are very common in Ireland. I think they're so charming!

Our first stop of the day was Merrion Square, a lovely fenced in park. I had read that on Saturdays and Sundays local artists hang up their work along the fence to sell. First we walked through the beautiful park, loving every bit. It's no surprise that the grass and plants are incredibly green, but the flowers are so vibrant too!

After our peaceful stroll through the square, and no sign of any art work, we realized we were on the complete opposite side of where we were supposed to be. So, we walked to the correct location, and finally found the paintings. At first we were disappointed that it looked like only one artist had put work up. But upon further inspection, we quickly learned that we loved his paintings! It didn't take us long to find our favorite one. About that time, the artist came up to us and introduced himself as Simon Meyler, and explained his methods a little. He told us that he is a confectioner by trade, and he uses some of the tricks of that trade in his paintings. He pipes the paint onto glass of the desired outlines. Next he pours in the color between the lines. Then he bakes the glass, and the paint takes on a slightly blended, almost stained glass window look. We thought it was just so cool!

We absolutely loved how friendly and easy to talk to Simon was. After we picked out the painting of the two doors, he talked to us about the history of the terraced houses, which is what doors like that are on. He explained that they used to be owned by wealthy British aristocrats, but during the Great Hunger, they moved away, and the family homes turned into tenement houses. As many as 20-30 people lived in one house. And truth be told, Dublin was kind of a cesspool in the 19th and early 20th centuries. It wasn't until the mid-20th century that these rundown terraced houses finally began to be restored to their present condition. There is a lot more to the story, but that's what he shared. We also talked about Irish politics, the Mayo versus Dublin game tomorrow, and whiskey.

All of a sudden our next stop was the Celtic Whiskey Shop, a renowned Irish whiskey store within walking distance of where we were. (Thanks Simon.) We spent a bit some time in there. Justin was quite excited to get some high quality and exclusive to Ireland whiskey. We tried a few samples (tiny sips for me. Whiskey isn't really my thing), and got a lot of help from John, the employee. He talked Justin into spending too much money, but those bottles will last a very long time. And they're only available for purchase in Ireland, so that makes them pretty special.

We decided to go to a shop to find a gifts for my niece Bella's first birthday and/or souvenirs for the kids. On the way we come upon a restaurant that I'd picked out for us to eat at one day. So obviously we went in. Well, it was a basement restaurant, so we went down in. It was called Hatch and Sons, and everything was fantastic! We both had a blaa, which is a funny name for a type of sandwich roll. I got the Irish beef with some sort of relish. It was very yummy! We also got some tea, which has rather quickly become a favorite daily tradition.

In case you thought I was lying about the name. haha

This blaa was amazing!

It's not everyday this guy smiles when he gets his photo taken.

After lunch we walked on to the Irish Design Store, and almost immediately found an adorable stuffed, knitted cow that we thought would be a perfect gift for Bella. The lady at the store was so friendly, and offered to mail the cow, along with a birthday card that I quickly filled out. I was glad she did that, because it was starting to rain more.

We walked around some more, but like I said, it was raining more, so we really didn't want to stay out in the rain much longer, so we found another café to have another cup of tea at. We sat outside under the awning and did lots of people watching.

After our break from the rain, we decided to take the bus and check out the Ha'Penny flea market. Seven Mile Fair (where weekends mean bargains lol) this was not. It was a small indoor little market where people sold art pieces, jewelry, some clothing, and skincare products. Eh, moving on...

Just a look down a residential street.

Me in the rain standing in front of a brick wall, because Justin thought it looked cool.

We eventually made our way to Paulie's Pizza for dinner. We knew we wanted pizza, and this was the place that Justin picked. When we got in, the host informed us that they had a table for us, but it would only be available for about an hour. Perfect! That gave us more than enough time to share half a 12" pepperoni pie and get dessert.

A plate of greasy perfection right here.

Rich, soft and gooey. Winner!

It had been a pretty full day, so after dinner we went back to the apartment for the rest of the night.

By the way, I love Dublin!!