okay. i’m baaack to the blahggg and for once in my life i’m not posting a selfie goodness post! let’s go back in time a few months and finish off my first trip to europe of the year that i took back in april [click here to get caught up]…
on the afternoon of my full day in dublin, i decided that i would take a half-hour train ride to howth, a gorgeous seaside village northeast of the city, to see a bit of the irish countryside. before i had left for europe, i had stumbled across some info about a picturesque little path along the cliffs in howth and drooled over the pictures which looked like they came straight out of game of thrones and got my wanderlusting, countryside-seeking little heart dead-set on going there, and thankfully the weather was extra kind to this texas girl, at least for springtime in ireland. which meant some spotty sunshine and a sweater, a scarf, and a sometimes-off, sometimes-on wool coat. basically the dead of winter in tejas. but whatever.
aaaaaand whadya know, this little adventure in howth turned out to be the highlight of my whole trip. it was one of the most beautiful places i had ever been – completely dreamy and moody in the best of ways, the little village trimmed in primary colors, teeming with seafood restaurants and smelling gloriously of fish guts. [i love towns that smell like fish guts.] and the cliffs were black and green and towering, the blue-green water frothy and white where it crashed against them, the grassy hills bathed in gold velvety flowers. and i made sure to take a thousand photos so as not to forget anything about it, even though none of them truly do the place justice. the trek took several hours, and it was such a peaceful walk – just me and the sea. i spent a lot of time thinking, reflecting, and just taking it all in. every now and then, people would pass… it was just enough people to put me at ease and yet not enough people to make the path feel crowded or even populated. it sounds silly, but i feel like those few hours walking by myself on the edge of the atlantic – it could have been the edge of the world – were somehow monumental in my twenty-five years of life, something sacred and special. i think i will remember it forever.
[this is the part where i post a million photos and let them do alllllll the rest of the talking.]
{i took many selfies along the way because, well, i was alone. and you know, just to prove that i was here in this gorgeous slice of paradise.}
i followed the path around the hills a long way until i hit the lighthouse at the end of the peninsula, and then i went up and over and inland and walked through the residential areas of the town. by the time i got back to where i started, it was about 3:30 pm, so i stopped in a little gem of a seafood restaurant for a cappuccino first, and a beer + some fish & chips second, because when in ireland…
i took the train back into dublin and went back to the hotel to pack up and relax for a while, and then i just had to experience the dublin nightlife! so temple bar it was. there was an awesome irish band playing at the temple bar pub, and i met some fun people. when that band finished, another group came on, and i listened for a little while and then left to hit a bar just down the street. another live band was playing here – a cover band with just two guys and no band name, and i fell in love with their music. they had such a great sound and i knew every song! i stayed there for the rest of the night. it was awesome.
{roast beef potato chips, anyone? and some yummy focaccia bread covered in goodies.}
and those were my ireland adventures, because the next morning i woke up at o’dark thirty to get on a flight to london and then a flight to DFW. dublin, you were so good to me. i hope i get to come back someday. xoxo