We were on our own our last full day in Dublin and mostly wandered around. We checked out the very complete Dubray bookshop, had a lovely wine, cheese and charcuterie lunch, spent some more time in a very populated St. Stephen’s Green Park, and then topped it all off with a superb dinner at Pichet.
Most of the bridges that span the Liffey River are of a more conventional design or delicate like the lacy arched one with lantern lights and the occasional seagull atop it. Bolder and dramatic is the Samuel Beckett Bridge near the convention center. I just loved this bridge when we crossed it coming into town, and this time we walked across it. I photographed it from multiple angles. It was designed by Spanish architect and engineer, Santiago Calatrava, and opened in December 2009.
Speaking of seagulls, Dublin makes me think of Portland, Maine. When walking down a busy street, you can hear the seagulls’ distinctive honk, seemingly no where near the nearby water. Even in the parks, there are few pigeons, but many seagulls. The variety here are plumply white and much more elegant than pigeons.
Several years ago, we watched a legal drama series called Striking Out. We were struck by the opening footage of a tall red poles in front of a contemporary building on the edge of the water. This scene in Dublin was shot at the Grand Canal Dock and the reddish poles are on a plaza in front of Bord Gail’s Energy Theatre. On foot, we set out to find the place and we did!
The poles are not all red now, but slightly faded, yet still stunning. This plaza with poles was designed by Martha Schwartz, an American landscape architect, whose firm of the same name has offices in London, New York, and Shanghai. This whole dock lands area was re-developed in the early 2000’s.
As to food, we had the perfect lunch at Fallon & Byrne’s Wine Cellar. With a food hall on the main floor, the cellar below, and a full restaurant on the upper level, it’s a place for every taste.
Dinner was at Pichet, contemporary Irish cuisine with a French twist. We had two courses each with luscious lamb as the Chief Penguin’s entree and roast cod with sauce verge mine. The presentations were beautiful and each bite delectable. My favorite dish of the meal was the torched heirloom tomatoes on gazpacho.
Given that Dublin is a city known for its famous writers, it seems appropriate to end with this expressive bust of James Joyce.
Note: All photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved).
I’m sorry to say that for some reason your photos are not coming through on email. I wish they were.
Well I hit another button and the pictures are visible now. Don’t know what I did!!
Really enjoyed Dublin. On the big island to the east when you started out. We crossed paths mid Atlantic.