#581 Europe's small towns

Thinking about the first seven ports of our fall voyage, we discover that we enjoy getting out of the big cities to explore the small towns and the countryside.

From Saint Petersburg, we travel to Vyborg and walk Monrepos Park.

From Hamburg, we travel to Lubeck and marvel at the Holsten gate.

From Antwerp, we travel to Bruges and admire the canals in The Venice of the North.

From Le Havre, we travel to Honfleur and its beautiful harbor.

From Dublin, we travel to Howth and hike the exhilarating cliff walk.

From Lisbon, we travel to Sintra and walk through fog at Pena National Palace.

From Cadiz, we travel to Ronda right up to the edge of its dramatic cliffs.

 

Yours in this small-town girl loving the small-townness of Vyborg, Lubeck, Bruges, Honfleur, Howth, Sintra, and Ronda,
Mary

#578 Dublin food and drink

And what about the Irish food?  Will it live up to favorite city status?

The answer is yes!

Yours in loving the bangers and mash, the Irish stew, the goat cheese salads, the Irish ciders and all the rest,
Kelly

#577 Dublin theater

Another quality of a favorite city is good theater.

So we tour the Abbey Theater, ie National Theater of Ireland, founded by Yeats and Lady Gregory in 1904.

And with some friends from the ship, we return to the Abbey Theater for a terrific production of Major Barbara, written about the same time by the Irish playwright Mr. George Bernard Shaw.

Also on our theatrical list is a walking tour of Once, a charming Irish musical film and one of my favorites.  We find Walton's Music Store, scene of the Falling Slowly song - winner of the Academy Award for best original song.  We learn that shopkeepers now ban the playing of Falling Slowly on store pianos!  So, we're not the only Once fans to find our way here.

Yours in falling quickly for Irish theater,
Mary

#576 Dublin libraries

Of course, if a city is going to be my new favorite, it's going to need some libraries and bookshops.  Dublin has them in spades.

One of my favorites is the National Library of Ireland.  The Emerald Isle has a deep literary history and you'll find many writers' papers here in the NLI catalog.  I especially like the ornate reading room and the bold, artistic 'librarian' sign above the reference desk.

If I had to choose a favorite, though, it has to be the Long Room, the main chamber of the Old Library, Trinity College.   Built in the early 1700s and roof raised in the 1800s, the Long Library now contains about 200,000 of the library's oldest books, the country's oldest harp, and a copy of the 1916 Proclamation of the Irish Republic under a beautiful barrel-vaulted ceiling.  And, oh yes, the Book of Kells is on display just downstairs in a special exhibit room.

Inspired by all these books, we couldn't help but do some shopping in some of Dublin's great bookstores such as Hodges Figgis, mentioned in Mr. Joyce's Ulysses.  

Yours in appreciating the literary Dublin,
Mary

#575 Cliff walking in Howth

Dublin is my new favorite.  Sunny skies all four days.  Mild temperatures.  Beautiful city.  Lovely people.  And no internet service on the ship due to radio interference.  Heaven!

On the day when all of Dublin and many SAS students are consumed with the All-Ireland senior football championship between Dublin and County Mayo, we opt to enjoy some quiet time along the cliffs of Howth, a suburb of Dublin at the end of the DART rail system.  
    

On our way from the harbor up to the cliffs, we pass by the house where Yeats once lived and the beautiful gate protecting Bono's house.   

With our backpack full of kite and snacks, we set off on the cliff walk in hopes of finding stunning views of the coastline, a view of the city and the lighthouse, a breeze to lift the kite, and the ideal picnic spot.  We are not disappointed.  We spend hours walking the coast, flying the kite, and smiling back at the weather gods.

Yours in appreciating all things Irish,

Mary