Dublin - Dubrovnik

Well.....they might have the same first 3 letters in their name, but Dublin and Dubrovnik could not be more different.

It's been a big day. We were up at 430am to get to the airport by 530am, for our 730am flight. Seasoned travellers Neve and Eloise were VERY excited to be starting a new adventure and to be going on another aeroplane flight (that makes 6 this trip).

We left cold Dublin behind (at a chilly 16 degrees) and less than 3 hours later, landed on the other side of Europe an in 32 degree heat!

We got into our apartment in Dubrovnik, amazed (but excited) at how hot it was…and also so grateful that our apartment is right across the road from the closest beach to the ‘old city’ of Dubrovnik! It is very beautiful to look out your bedroom window at yachts and an uninhabited island and the ancient walls of a magnificent city…!!

What we can see out of our apartment...

I don’t even think I had put our bags down before the girls were undressed and ready to put their cossies on and hit the water! It certainly was a far cry from the beach at Sandmount in Dublin.

REAL swimming this time!

Floating in the ocean with a view to the old city...

A great cool off in the ocean cleared the cobwebs and we then headed out for a late lunch at a nice little café overlooking the town.

 Another swim in the afternoon (and those who know me, know that to have even 1 swim in the ocean is pretty rare for me – so have 2 in a day means the water must be pretty warm!) and then we wandered into the ‘old city’ which lies within huge ancient walls.

Inside the walls there are countless little alleyways, enough to get happily lost in for days. It is even better than I had imagined.

Inside the city walls

Gorgeous little alleys

Poor Dublin….it isn’t that it isn’t a fantastic city…I loved Dublin…but the time had come for somewhere warm and a bit more exotic….Dubrovnik has provided the perfect solution!

Dublin - the last hoorah

Today is our last real day in Dublin....tomorrow morning we fly out to Dubrovnik, Croatia. It's been just over 3 weeks and we have had an awesome time - even beginning to feel like 'locals'....but I must admit I am looking forward to warmer weather and swimming in the warm mediterranean.

Yesterday Neve and Eloise had some time apart in the morning. It isn't that they are not getting on - just the opposite really....they have played together SO well and truly are best friends. But just to calm things down a little, Shane took Eloise into town for some father/daughter bonding while Neve and I went for a big walk down to the river to take another look at the tall ships, where Neve had a ride on a pirate ship and then we took part in a music show before walking into town to meet Shane and Eloise for lunch.

The rain started at lunchtime so we did a quick dash around town before heading home to warm up and dry out.

Today started out cold and wet. But (as is typical in Dublin) the rain stopped and the sun came out briefly - before the clouds came back. Since this was our last day, we went into town for a final walk around. We all bought warm jackets in preparation for our time in Switzerland in October - which seems ridiculous since we are about to spend the next few weeks in 30+ degree weather - but who can resist a sale! We then wandered to the Temple Bar area and went to THE Temple Bar, where we enjoyed the true Irish pub experience....

Eloise acting a bit 'fishy' in the Temple Bar

Eloise was highly impressed with the local performer at the Temple Bar...

 She insisted I take a photo of the Mickey Mouse bag....

The whiskey list at the pub

After we were kicked out of the pub for drunken rowdiness (hmmm.....sure) we walked through to another pub where we had lunch. It was pretty quiet (until we got there) but they still had Irish music playing. Neve's Irish blood means that she can't help but tap her feet whenever she hears the fiddle and flute of an Irish band....

So while they were waiting for their lunch Neve and Eloise gave us their rendition of an Irish jig...

I think Neve is going to miss Ireland the most out of all of us....

We walked back home through town....past the statue of Molly Malone (or 'the tart with the cart') and a happy leprechaun.

A quiet drink at Shane's favourite pub and it's farewell to Dublin and Ireland.  Ireland is great, Dublin is fantastic....it's been 'grand'.....

Dublin - viking splash!

So....we went on the Viking Splash bus tour.....finally!

It was actually really great fun - one of the best things we have done in Dublin!

We got there for early for the 10am tour - the girls were SO excited. There were actually so many people booked on the tour they needed 2 buses.

We got on and put on our 'viking helmets' (Eloise STILL insists on calling them 'My Kings') and were ready to go. We were told the rules of Vikings which included the fact that we hate the "celts" and had to roar at them at the best moments as we drove past (including when they were about to sip a coffee at a cafe - cappuccino celts, and those taking pictures of the bus - paparazzi celts....but we were NOT allowed to roar at the 'guarda celts' - the Irish police). We had a few practise roars and we were off...

Our two little Vikings!!

It was great The tour guide was very funny and the girls were VERY excited when we had to stop and put on our life jackets for the 'splash' into the water......

Eloise kept her helmet on the whole time - even though she had to hold it on to stop it falling off!!!!

After the tour was over...we walked back down to the Liffey River to the Tall Ships festival. I tell you - the Irish have turned it on for us...the Horse Show last weekend and the Tall Ships this weekend....

There were at least a dozen tall ships anchored down the river, with food stands and rides and face-painitng amount another things.

The obligatory face painting....why can't they stand that still and quiet for me????

A mermaid princess and a butterfly

A 'turn' on the swinging chairs (or whatever they are called)....










We walked along the river and crossed the bridge the Irish affectionately call 'The Stapler'....

We timed our visit to perfection - with the last of the tall ships - and the biggest - pulling into the river as we were there. We watched as the bridge was raised and the ship glided underneath. A truly spectacular sight. Neve was desperate to go on-board one of the ships but they were not open to the public today (as the first day of the festival)....maybe tomorrow.

We will go and take a further look tomorrow. The adventure continues.

Dublin - fairy goddess Neve

Another 'rest' day yesterday. Shane was working so the girls and I hung together at home - did some homework, walked up to the village and just veged-out. We wandered up the street for dinner (Japanese - just to be different), stopping at a pub for a drink....

Today we had grand plans to go on the Viking Splash bus...but when we got to the bus stop we discovered the buses were totally sold out for the whole day! So booking a ticket for tomorrow morning we headed off towards the Temple Bar area of Dublin and the wax museum.

Eloise loved the wax museum, although she wanted to know how they lit the figures since they were candles.....I had to explain that they were made of wax but you didn't 'burn' them like a candle!!! We made sure we avoided the 'chamber of horrors' with Neve already feeling very nervous around the wax statues - she eventually calmed down and enjoyed it but it took a while.....

Spongebob squarepants - Eloise's favourite

Peppa pig

Two very suave gentlemen....and a photo-bomb by Neve!

Being in Dublin - I also managed to catch up with a few 'friends' and share a few stories










The wax museum also had some good 'folklore' figures...

They even had one about the mystical, fairy Niamh (which is the Irish way to spell 'Neve')....

Fairy Niamh Chinn Oir (Neve of the golden hair - she even looks like 'our Neve') and Oisin (pronounced "Oh-Sheen") with the horse Embarr.












After visiting the museum, we wandered through Temple Bar and came across the favourite shop of every kid (and every sweet tooth!)

Today there were about a dozen periods of rain - it is bizarre - it's sunny and fine, then 10 minutes later its raining and then 10 minutes later its sunny again...

Hopefully the sun is out for our viking tour tomorrow.

The story of Niamh and Oisin is one of the most popular in Irish folklore.....and Niamh (Neve) is still one of the most popular names in Ireland and means 'bright' or 'radiant'. Is it funny when we are out and about and yell out "Neve' (as we seem to have to do every 5 minutes) and there are at least a few women and girls who turn around to look - who probably have the name Niamh!

Here is a longer version of the story of Niamh and Oisin....

The Legend of Tir Na Nog The Land of Youth Long ago, on an isle of emerald green, surrounded by a sea of azure blue, there lived a young man named Oisin.  Oisin liked to explore the moors with the Fianna, ancient warrior-hunters. One day, when Oisin and the Fianna were out hunting, they saw an extraordinary sight.  It was a beautiful young woman with long red hair, riding on a spirited white mare.  The sun glistened off the maiden's hair, casting a magical golden light.  The mare's movements were so fluid that she appeared to float across the ground.  As her rider brought her to a stop before the group, the horse's hooves struck at the field stones impatiently, sending small sparks into the air. "My name is Niamh," the woman said, in a voice that sounded like the music of a harp.  "My father is the king of Tir Na Nog." Oisin stepped forward from the group of hunters to welcome the rider.  As his eyes met Niamh's, they fell in love. "Come with me to Tir Na Nog," Niamh pleaded to her new found love.  After only a moment's hesitation, Oisin swung up behind Niamh onto the white horse. Together, they crossed the sea to Tir Na Nog. Having grown up on the Emerald Isle, Oisin would never have believed that a more beautiful land existed.   But, as he gazed upon Tir Na Nog, he was stunned by the beauty around him. In this magical land, Niamh and Oisin built a life together.  They spent each day exploring Tir Na Nog with the white mare.  Niamh and Oisin's love grew deeper as Niamh shared the beauty of her enchanted homeland. 300 years passed as though it were but a single day.  No one in Tir Na Nog ever grew old or fell sick.  They lived in endless, youthful moments filled with happiness. In spite of the beauty of the land and the deep love that Niamh and Oisin shared for each other, a small part of Oisin's soul knew loneliness. Such feelings were unheard of in Tir Na Nog.  But in spite of her efforts, Niamh was unable to ease Oisin's loneliness. So, when Oisin came to Niamh and told her of his desire to return to Ireland to see his family and the Fianna again, she could not hold him back. "All right," said Niamh.  "Return to Ireland on the back of the white mare.  But my dear, your foot must not touch the soil of Ireland!"  Immediately Oisin rode the white horse back across the sea to the land of his birth.  But, as soon as the mare's hooves touched Ireland's soil, Oisin realized how much the land had changed.  Oisin's family and friends had long passed away.  Their grand castle was over grown with ivy.  Oisin was so caught up in his quest to find his family and his grief at their loss, that he forgot to care for the beautiful white horse.  In spite of her hunger and fatigue she continued to respond to her rider.  Finally, with a sad heart, Oisin turned the mare back toward the sea to return to Tir Na Nog. Approaching the sea, he came upon a group of men working in a field.  As the mare reached the group, her fatigue caused her to stumble.  Her hoof hit a stone.  Oisin bent down to pick up the rock, planning to take it to Tir Na Nog.  He was sure that it would ease his sadness to carry a piece of Ireland back with him.  But as his hand grasped the stone, Oisin lost his balance and fell to the ground.  Within moments, Oisin aged 300 years.  Without her rider, the mare reared up and rushed into the ocean, returning to Tir Na Nog and her beloved Niamh. When the men in the field witnessed this, they were amazed.  Not only had they seen a young man age before their eyes, they had also seen a tired old plow horse transformed into a beautiful silver-white mare, who  raced into the sea. The men went to Oisin's aid and carried him to St. Patrick.  When Oisin met St. Patrick, he told Patrick of the his family and the Fianna, who had disappeared from Ireland almost 300 years before.  Then he told St. Patrick of Niamh and the magical land of Tir Na Nog. As Oisin ended his story, a great weariness swept over him and he closed his eyes in eternal slumber.  Even to this day, the fishermen and lighthouse keepers still tell of foggy nights when the moon is full, and they see a shimmering white horse dancing in the waves along the shores of Ireland.  Some say that the red-haired maiden who rides the horse still searches for Oisin Perhaps that is why Neve loves the beach so much...she is searching for her 'Oisin"....

Dublin - Bray

Yesterday was a true 'rest day'....hanging around the house, out for brunch, play in the park, back home....that was it. Nothing special except that it was all in a city halfway around the world from where we live!!!

Today was another girls adventure day. Shane has 2 more days of 'work' to do in Dublin (today and tomorrow) so the 3 of us headed out reasonably early (before 10 - we are now acclimatised and are getting up at 730am...kids are still not going to sleep until 830pm - it is just too light to even consider sleeping before then - and even then we have to close all the blinds to try and convince them it is getting dark outside!

The day was bright and sunny so I thought we would jump on the dart and head down the coast ('dart' stands for Dublin Area Rapid Transport I learnt the other day - overhead it when one of those Viking Splash buses drove past me in town)....

The Viking Splash bus....I think we will be donning the helmets on Wednesday....

The 'dart' from Landsdowne Rd station



The train/dart ride down to Bray was very scenic. It took about 45 minutes but ran all the way along the coastline. Since we left after peak-hour we had the carriage mostly to ourselves.

The view from the dart as we travelled down the coast....












Once we arrived at Bray we headed straight to the 'beach' and the walkway that runs along it.

The sun was shining intermittently....it is amazing how much the temperature drops when the sun goes behind a cloud - it was jackets on/jackets off/jackets on depending on what the clouds were doing. I was going to take the girls to the sea-life centre but they decided they would rather just play on the 'sand' and collect 'shells' - I am glad they didn't want to make a sandcastle as this would have been pretty difficult!!

The lifeguards were on duty....watching over the seagulls and the 4 people I saw actually IN the water.


I was amused to see that the red and yellow flags basically were at each end of the beach....obviously not a dangerous current today - and I think the lifeguards knew there wouldn't be many people to have to watch over today.

The lifeguard 'tower'.....it's no Baywatch!!!!























One thing I have noticed in Ireland - and this is just because we have come from America where security is EXTREME (I am glad I don't have to take my shoes off in the airport anymore!)...is how trusting the Irish are. In a pub you order at the bar and they bring your drink to your table - but you don't pay until you leave when they ask you "what was it you had?".....it's very tempting to say "just a glass of lemonade"  - the same at restaurants....but my conscience insists I tell the truth. I can't imagine what you'd say at the end of a big night when you can't remember how many drinks you had!!!

In America you couldn't get into ANYTHING without a security screening (x-rays of bags, metal detectors, the lot). I am sure this has all increased due to September 11 but I wonder when it will end. At one point we just wanted to get into a building to let Eloise use the toilet (by this point she was almost hysterical needing to 'go').....but we still had to do the metal detector, bag screening , etc.....

Not sure I can remember anytime my bags or anything were checked since arriving in Ireland.

Dublin - beach babes

Today was one of the warmest we have had in Dublin - and to celebrate we took the girls down the road to Sandymount 'beach'.

Now, normally (well - every time I have ever seen it) the water is almost a kilometre from the actual edge of the sand...but today the water was probably halfway between where is 'normally' is and the sand edge!

The water was MUCH closer than I have ever seen it before!












Eloise was SO excited to be at the beach for a 'swim' (we couldn't convince her that  she might not even be able to 'see' the water and that it might be too cold).....so once we hit the sand she was stripped off and in her cossies ready to go!

Eloise taking off for a 'swim'.....













We made our way to the edge of the water and the girls went splashing in without so much as a squeal that it was too cold - perhaps they went instantly numb after hitting the water.

Ready to 'hit the water'....should we have brought Eloise's back-float?

As we stood there watching them, we only just noticed in time that the tide was literally racing up the beach....my shoes we about to get filled with water!!!

I have never seen a tide moving so quickly! OK - so it isn't one of those spectacular tide changes like they have up in the northern territory where there are huge volumes of water creating rapids.....but I have never been able to watch the water creeping up the sand like that before.

The water went from this.....

To this (almost up to the edge of the sand)...in less than 5 minutes

This didn't faze out kids who enjoyed 'swimming' in water that was a little bit deeper than it had been a few minutes before. We did get a few looks from the 'locals' who I am not sure have seen many people actually 'swimming' at the beach before.....our kids were the only ones (besides a few dogs) in the water!!!

Eloise was SO happy to have FINALLY been able to have a swim in Ireland!















We eventually got them out of the water before they turned blue and dried them off and back into some warm clothes.
I realised that our kids have never been on a 'holiday' that didn't involve swimming of some sort so they just needed to get in the water to cement the fact that they were on a holiday!!!!

So glad they got the chance - not many people will be able to say they went swimming in the sea while on holiday in Ireland!!!