Apartment Living

I've always been the sort that likes a bit of space, some green and some distance between myself and the neighbours. That ideal isn't very practical when inner city living is the most logical thing to do. Having now lived in two different apartments I see more benefits than negatives.

The first place we lived was on the sixth floor and very large by Dublin standards. It faced East/West and I never tired of the view of the Howth lighthouse and ships coming in and out of the harbour when I stepped out of the shower. Having dinner at night with the windows open we would chuckle as a duck on the lake in the park below would quack indignantly!

Now we are in a smaller, brand new apartment which faces the other way, but the sun is currently just peeking in our bedroom window when it rises and floods the living area of an afternoon. We are now on the third floor. We are closer to the station and the gym is just across the road, so no excuses! As you can see from the picture, we get some good views of the weather too.

Advantages seem to be security, views and stairs to exercise on rather than take the lift! Sometimes I feel a bit isolated, but I guess you can feel like that in a house too. Fire doors are a pain, well if the neighbours let them slam they are! We rarely hear neighbours, but the penthouse upstairs must have tiled floors as we do hear footsteps sometimes when lying in bed. Also having an Indian restaurant downstairs is nice, but not at midnight when they seem to tip bin loads of empty bottles into the metal dump bin that sits in the lane out the front!! Also the trucks that collect these skips seem to come somewhere between 5 and 6am, I guess when there is less traffic on the road.

Fortunately the pubs in our 'village' are a bit further up the road, so we don't tend to get woken by late night revellers on their way home, though occasionally some party goers seem to think the louder they talk, the better (even at 4am!)

Oh and Sunday night doesn't have to be 'rubbish' night, like at home, just take it out when going downstairs or out in the car!

Public Transport in Dublin

Dublin is a relatively small city, so it's pretty easy to walk around the main city (we can walk into Grafton Street in 30 minutes from our place) but to travel a few suburbs you do need to use public transport - unless you are driving!

Dublin has a rail network (The Dart); a lightrail (The Luas) and buses. When I say rail network, that is probably used rather loosely. The Dart has two main lines; one travels north/south on the coast and the other travels east/west north of the city. I must say I'm pretty impressed with the trains. Maybe it's because they only have two lines, but they run pretty regularly and generally run on time. (all upcoming stations are announced in English and Gaelic) We are a 4-5 min walk from Lansdowne Road Station which gives us a good chance to keep track of the progress of the new Lansdowne Rd. Stadium being built. Three or four stops and we are right in the city, depending if we want to be north or south of the Liffey River.

The lightrail is called the Luas and it travels from south up to St. Stephens Green on the edge of the city and the other line travels from Connolly Station (the 'Grand Central' of Dublin) west; actually running pretty much parallel with the Dart line. There is talk of extending it to the Docklands but I heard on the news yesterday that the cost is reported to be something like 6mil euro per km! (may be higher, but I can't find a direct quote-anyway, lots of taxpayers money!)

So that leaves a big gap in the middle of south Dublin! There is a bus network, but we have only needed to use it once. I think you would need your Scouts Map Reader's badge; a sat nav system and your Gaelic language translation book to get your way around on the buses, but if you know the hood, then it probably seems easier. London seemed easier! The government has poured a lot of money into improving the public transport and this shows in the buses. None are over 4 years old and they are rather attractive double deckers in navy blue with yellow upper decks. The need to improve public transport is due to the increased number of cars on the road and the streets that were just not designed with cars in mind.

Of course like most places the wonderful new ticketing system has its teething problems - Scott buys a weekly ticket and by about day 3 it won't work in the machines, apparently a problem they are 'working on'.

Now where did I want to get that bus too? Was it Ballyboden, or Ballybruck, no maybe it was Ballintyre, or Ballinteer....

St. Patrick's Day

Monday was St. Patrick's Day. Dublin has the second largest parade in the world (trust New York to be the biggest!) After a very wet Saturday, Monday dawned clear and sunny. That doesn't mean it was warm! The temperature still rarely hits double figures, but if you get out of the wind in the sun it can be pleasant. We drove to the Canal and walked up to Dame Street, right outside Trinity College. The crowd was huge and about 10 deep, some people had been there since 9am to get front row viewing. We were on some steps, but the smart people bring step ladders! We just enjoyed taking in the sights. The Irish have NO inhibitions on this day - wearing the craziest things and not caring what others think. Plenty of the big green hats, the fake beards, scarves in orange, green and white and my favourite, the headbands with 'shamrock antennae'. The more sedate wear a bunch of real shamrocks in their pocket or on their lapel. Unfortunately I couldn't find a pair for myself! My award for 'Most Euro Confused' goes to the guys in the green tops, with green hair, kilts, footy socks and wooden clogs!! We headed down to St. Stephen's Green which is looking splendid and on to the Ceili Mor. It's basically a big Irish dance.

Unfortunately not many younger Irish people are aware that St. Patrick's Day is meant to commemorate St. Patrick bringing Christianity to Ireland. I will let the video tell the rest of the story.

Dublin Canals

Dublin has two canals, the Royal Canal which is north of the River Liffey and the Grand Canal which is to the south.

The Royal Canal was approved in 1790 as a means of transport for freight and passengers across Ireland and was finished in 1817. It starts at the Liffey River in Dublin and travels 145km to the Shannon River at Cloondara. Along the way there are 46 locks. Most of the locks are still in good working order 200 years later. This canal is currently being repaired and will open to small craft next year.

In 1790, a disgruntled director of the Grand Canal Company decided to built another canal through the midlands to the River Shannon, though it was not feasible for the country to support two canals. This became the Grand Canal, south of the river. The last boat sailed on the canal in 1960.

Below are some pictures of the Grand Canal in Dublin 4. This area is about a 15 minute walk from us and is very picturesque. Unfortunately being in such an urban area it has lots of rubbish in it. It is very shallow in parts and many homes back right onto the canal and some are less than a meter from the water level. Its a pretty spot to walk or run along the banks.

The Grand Canal

Churches in Dublin

There are lots of them! We have 3 within about 10 minutes walk from our place. Every town and village seems to have a church spire you can see from a distance.

So far we have been to 4 churches in Dublin. A Church of Ireland with an Australian Vicar; a Baptist Church with an English Pastor and a Presbyterian church with a female minister!! No wonder we are confused!! We have also been to an inner city church in a rather poor area that has a great outreach to street people. Each church was built in the 1800's and some retain all their old features, others have been modernized inside in some ways to make them more practical and useful. Many churches have small congregations of aging people while some are very lively and bible based churches. The Church of Ireland we went to is in a village and was apparently used (or part of it) in the filming of Ballykissangel. Being in a village, it is a very friendly church and someone always is keen to chat to you. The Baptist church was also very welcoming. A friendly church is something you need when you are in a new country and well out of your comfort zone.

National Irish Pastimes

With St. Patricks Day just around the corner I thought I might share my observations of 'national Irish pastimes'

So far:

*Drinking

*Eating sandwiches served with 'crisps' on the side and 3 litres of mayo, in the sandwich

*Eating pork sausages and bacon, preferably boiled (ugh!)

*Sport - Rugby, football (soccer and Gaelic variety), hurling

*Digging up roads.

Now I know this last one doesn't probably fit the normal view of a pastime, but I figure it must be as it isn't an election year and it happens continuously. Even when a road seems perfectly fine, there will be a team of men, one on the digger, the rest watching (nothing new there!) while the road is dug up for some purpose unknown to the casual observer. I guess there is a good reason, I have yet to find out why. Being a cyclist, I can attest to how frequently this is done. In our stretch of road - about 400-500m I have counted 15 different road surfaces and eight levels of road. The road is never replaced with the same surface. Either they invent new ones, have run out of the old surface or are just digging it up to test a new material. Of course they are very polite about it, always putting up signs apologizing for the inconvenience and advising how long the disruption will occur. Usually this is incorrect by about 5 weeks, but the thought is there.

I think on my next ride I will pump my tyres up to 120psi. Just to be sure.

Spring is Coming!

Spring is coming in Ireland and the daffodils are pointing the way! After the dull months of January and February, the drifts of daffodils are a cheery sight everywhere you look.

They are planted in clumps around trees, flower beds in gardens, drifts down major roads and even in flower boxes and can be found outside the shabbiest of cottages.

The pictures below are in the gardens of Merrion Square. This square is located between Trinity College and Leinster House, the home of the Irish Parliament. The square was laid out in 1762 - 1764 and is a great example of Georgian architecture. It is a haven from the busy traffic of Dublin and well protected and calm within the gardens.

The park was originally a refuge for victims of the 19th century famine. It came into the possession of the Catholic Church in the 1920's and the plan to build a cathedral never came to fruition. Archbishop Ryan gave it to the City of Dublin and the gardens were built in 1974. They are a tribute to the literary of Ireland, including the Oscar Wilde Garden, built opposite the house his parents owned.

Blossoms are appearing on the trees, leaves are still to come. Daffodils in many shades and styles abound, their heads bobbing in the wind and grape hyacinths and pink and blue hyacinths, snowdrops and other bulbs are planted throughout the park. Crocus, the harbinger of Spring are so welcome as they remind everyone that better weather is coming. Spring - especially March - is a time of extremely variable weather in Ireland, with gales from the Atlantic and showers, rain and lovely sunshine. That can all happen in one morning! Snow even fell last week!

Friday was Daffodil Day in Ireland, a great chance to support the Cancer Foundation of Ireland and add some cheer to the home as well!

Oh dear, Ireland

Today Ireland suffered defeat at the hand of Wales, who claimed the 'triple crown' - which means they finished top against England, Ireland and Scotland. Well done to them!

The Welsh descended upon Dublin and we saw 'the lads' loading onto the bus and headed on the Dart to Croke Park in their Brains Beer (Wales sponsors) Rugby tops. I kinda though Brains Beer was a bit of an oxymoron in a way....

We headed down to our local pub, Bellamys for the last half of the game. Actually we have 4 'locals' in our little village of Ballsbridge, but Bellamys has the nicest atmosphere. An open fire, comfy seats and its never crowded and the barman sometimes wears a bow tie. A 'G & T' for me and cider for the man and we were set. Actually our screen is bigger and clearer at home, but hey, you have to get into the atmosphere with the locals!

Everyone in the pub was glued to the game and we got into the spirit of it by cheering on the rare occasions it was warranted. We groaned when Ireland gave away a penalty shot with only 5 minutes to go and felt sorry for O'Driscoll when he was dragged off injured. Hopefully he will be back for next week's game against England at Twickenham. We came home and watched Scotland beat England despite Johnny Wilkinson highest score.

But as the barman said, every Irishman will have forgotten the result within and hour!

The 'Beach'

To be fair we have only been to 3 beaches in Ireland so far, but our local beach at Sandymount is a rather interesting place when you have grown up in Australia and had such wonderful beaches.

The sand is grey and the tide seems to be always out and that means you can only see the water as a thin blue line on the horizon. If you are around when in comes in, watch out, it comes in faster than a Nathan Bracken delivery. There are always people out walking on the Strand, walking their dogs on the sandflats and rugged up and straining against the wind. Despite a wide flat path just up from the sand, cyclists are not allowed on this path. Boo hiss!

In summer I was amazed to see families roll up with buckets, spades towels and park on the very narrow strip of dry sand for a session of play and 'find the water'. It is always interesting to watch someone in their boardshorts and goggles hike the few hundred meters to try and get wet. I'm sure they would be half way to Wales before the got up to their waist!

Today after breakfast we drove to The Strand and noticed the tide was in!! They also had sandbags at all the entrances to the Strand walk and metal 'flood barriers' across the carparks!! Maybe its Spring tides or a storm surge is predicted. The next few days there are gales predicted, but we are on the East coast, not the West where the Atlantic weather comes from.

Last Sunday we drove to Wicklow and the beach there was rocks. And I mean rocks. The size of golf balls, tennis balls - but very pretty at the same time. There was an amazing golf course right on the edge of the beach - you wouldn't want to hook your shots!

I doubt I will ever find myself in my bathers at an Irish beach - let alone get wet at one!