A couple of weekends we ago we spent the day in Phoenix Park...a mere train, bus-ride, and walk away. Phoenix park is the largest urban park in Europe and it is truly enormous. We walked around for quite a while and only explored a small corner of it. A month or two ago I biked through it and was staggered by its size plus gorgeous views of the nearby hills (a.k.a. "Dublin mountains" - I still cannot manage to call them "mountains" with a straight face).
We started at the zoo, which was really lovely. The animals appeared healthy and had nicely apportioned habitats. I have mixed feelings about zoos in general, but I do think they serve a good purpose and the responsible ones are providing much more benefit than harm. Here, I felt like you could actually get closer to them than at most of the other zoos we've frequented (SF, Oakland, DC). Highlight - a baby gorilla named "Sally" playing in the trees!
After lunch at a zoo-side tea house, we climbed around out Wellington monument, walked around the old Magazine fort, and saw lots of beautiful fallow deer (especially hiding in the tall grass around the fort).
The next week Sally and each decided to get into "sport" - they are all so into their various sports here, so seemed like a good way to make friends and get to know the area and culture. I joined a new women's rugby team that happens to practice at the fields right next to our neighborhood (so how could I resist?) and had SO much fun. It's been 20 years (!) since I'd played, but it was such a big part of my life for so many college and early grad school years...I'd forgotten how much I loved it!
Sally joined her school's hockey (field hockey, but for boys and girls) class and was quite apprehensive but quickly loved it. It's pretty cute, and also right across the street from our house. Several of her good friends are playing, and conveniently their parents are also my friends, so it works out well!
Last weekend we rented a car and explored Waterford city and county (yes, home to Waterford Crystal, which is sadly closed for tours on weekends, a business plan I do not understand). At first we chose Waterford because there was a direct train. Then the train schedule changed and we ended up renting a car and going anyway. I'm so glad we did! The guidebook unkindly described Waterford as an industrial city not known for its beauty but it is so wrong. Also, just this week (after our trip, coincidentally), the Irish Times declared Waterford the best Irish city to live in.
It's Ireland's oldest city, so full of history. We explored a couple museums downtown (you buy a ticket to access all 5, and the ticket is good for a year! - this time we explored the Medieval museum and the Bishop's palace), learning about all the Viking and Norman invaders. The downtown had a super cute, European charm with narrow streets and cobbled meeting areas. The beautifully carved "Dragon Slayer's sword" stood out near the old Viking ship by the waterfront of the River Suir.
Then, we met up with a friend of a friend, a Swedish woman whose lived in Ireland for almost 20 years, and had a fun lunch at a country pub called "The Sweep Bar." As with almost every Irish person I've met so far, she was warm and welcoming and just a delight to get to know.
Finally, we drove out to the coastline and explored Dunmore East (charming) and Damore. Absolutely stunning. There's yet another coastal cliff trail running along there. I'd like to go back and explore more museum, do the entire cliff trail from town to town, and bike the Waterford Greenway. On the list!
Last but not least, we drove behind a huge truck full of potatoes, which just felt right. :)
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