Mid-week was spent in Howth, Portmarnock, and the city center. Mornings consisted of a strong cup of coffee, rashers (Irish bacon, similar to thick ham), eggs, bagels, etc. Then we'd head out to the day's adventures.
Howth is a cute marina-type town about 15 minutes by car, 45 minutes by bus from where we were staying in Portmarnock. Evan and I took the buses to Howth two days in a row, and experienced the sharp Irish Sea wind first hand.
In this photo, we're laughing at how roughly the wind is pushing our hair back...moments ago I had turned the wrong way and got a mouthful of hair and sea spray.
Behind us is what's called Ireland's Eye, an island less than a mile away.
The coast between Portmarnock and Howth was beautiful, during low tide the water was only a few inches deep...there were birds walking in the water scrounging for food. You could easily walk quite a distance, which we actually saw a few people do.
Evan and I stopped in a small tea and scone shop for lunch. Yes, I acted a tourist and took a photo of the food. On the left is the 3-tiered afternoon tea, and on the right is an open faced chicken sandwich, both of which were delicious.
The next day we ate at a seafood restaurant (no pictures, to the relief of Evan). I splurged and ordered lobster and oysters (split with my sister and mom) because I couldn't resist the need to try Irish Sea seafood. The lobster was cut in half and grilled, which was interesting. Still good, but a bit tough on the outside where it rested on the grill. The oysters were saltier than we're used to in Delaware, and were served with a red balsamic vinegar mix, but without any other toppings such as horseradish.
Also in Howth was a splendid abbey ruin and cemetery. In Newgrange yesterday, we learned most Protestant cathedrals were built facing East, in the direction of the rising Christ. The graves in this cemetery were the same way, all facing East.
We explored other parts of Howth, finding some hidden alleys, streets, and side shops.
We used a spare afternoon to visit St. Patrick's Cathedral. Back in the good ol' days, this cathedral was built right outside the Dublin city limits for reasons I can't remember at the moment. Christ Church Cathedral is literally a few blocks away, so I believe there was some feud between the builders or bishops or sponsors or mayors at the time. Jonathan Swift (author of Gulliver's Travels, outspoken social activist during his time, and dean of this cathedral) is also buried at this site. He's actually buried vertically, so (allegedly) he would not be swept away by an underground river.
That night, we ordered take-away (what they call take-out or to-go food) stoneoven pizza from a block away...I know, ordering pizza while in Ireland seems a bit counterintuitive, but I gotta say, it was some of the best pizza I've had.
