Yesterday we were on our own all day and feeling restored from a good night’s sleep, we walked and walked and explored some of the streets and lanes on both sides of the river, crossing and re-crossing over several bridges.
Our hotel is on the south side of the River Liffey. This area is popular for its smart shops, cafes and restaurants. The north side is less touristy, and parts of it are attracting more visitors. We will probably explore the north side more in depth tomorrow. We did briefly go into the Irish Emigration Museum.
ARCHITECTURE AND PARKS
I love the clean lines of the Georgian buildings that remain and their different colored doors. We walked to Merrion Square Park and admired the Georgian structures that surround it. It’s smaller than St. Stephen’s Green Park and attracts many more locals to the picnic tables, to the wide expanse of lawn (one man’s dog had great fun running after and retrieving a ball, over and over again), and to the few long benches.
Throughout Dublin, there are formal statues to famous and not as famous people, mostly all men. Here on the edge of Merrion Square Park is a casual statue of Oliver Wilde resting against a large boulder. It’s a striking contrast to the other statues we’ve seen.
Doors on the Georgian buildings are often painted shades of blue or red, but I also noted yellow doors, green doors, and even a couple pink ones.
DINING FROM SIMPLE TO SOPHISTICATED
For lunch, we ended up at Peter’s Pub and Snug on South William Street. I think we were actually seated in the snug, a back area a bit away from the front of the establishment. There were small round tables in front of a long banquette with low stools opposite. The three bar men we interacted with were all very pleasant. Between us we ordered the smoked salmon plate (Chief Penguin), ham and cheese sandwich on white toast, and a little cheese plate. The Chief Penguin tried a pint of a local stout. It was simple fare, but easily satisfied us.
Dinner was at The Pig’s Ear, a contemporary Irish restaurant recommended by friends and a guide book. If you were able to climb the steep narrow staircase, you were welcomed at the door and ushered into an airy space with a wood floor and simple wooden tables and black chairs. We had a lovely table by the window, and I could watch the buses and pedestrians on the street below. We ordered two courses each. But first we began with green olives and some brandade with little potato chips (that is, crisps.)
The CP had smoked salmon in a citrus broth while I started with lovely little scallops and a cauliflower floret. Main courses were cod for the gentleman and free range chicken with hen of the woods mushroom and a bit of Bernaise sauce and black garlic on the side for me. Service was friendly and efficient and, it was a tasty dining experience.
Note: All photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved).
