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| Port of Dublin, Ireland - From our Docked Cruise Ship: Celebrity Reflection Copyright Andy Richards 2019 - All Rights Reserved |
IT SEEMS like we had settled into a pattern of every-other-year doing a major cruise-based trip. There were no cruises in 2018. That would change, though, in 2019 (and later, after an almost complete moratorium on travel during the 2019 - 2021 period of the world wide pandemic, our cruising would escalate into multiple cruises nearly every year). I think I have mentioned that we like to cruise! 😁
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| Wright's "Crabby Jo's" Fish & Chips - Howth, Ireland Copyright Andy Richards 2019 - All Rights Reserved |
OUR LAST cruise had been to the Mediterranean on the Celebrity Reflection with Paul and Linda. We didn't do any Caribbean cruises for a few years running, until 2022 when we felt like we had finally emerged from the Covid Pandemic, but we would eventually get back to that, too. In 2019, though, we were ready for another trip to Europe. It turns out we would do 2 Mediterranean Cruises that year.
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| This popular Temple Bar Pub was directly across the street from our Dublin Hotel Dublin, Ireland Copyright Andy Richards 2019 - All Rights Reserved |
COINCIDENTALLY, THE first one would again be the Celebrity Reflection, cruising out of The Port of Dublin, Ireland. This was our 4th time on the Reflection. It was becoming familiar to us. Even though the last time we sailed on her was in 2021, it remains my own personal favorite Cruise Ship. For reasons unknown to me, Celebrity has been keeping the Reflection close, with numerous "short" cruises to Key West and the Bahamas, and a couple over into the Western Caribbean. That is a shame, as I think Reflection is the best of the Solstice Class ships. They seem to be concentrating their newer, larger, Edge class ships more for the longer cruises - in the summer months in the Mediterranean and in the winter months down into the eastern and southern Caribbean. The itinerary for 2019 would be another good one, covering the east coast of Ireland, parts of England, and the English Channel (including a trip to Paris by train). We arrived in Dublin a couple days early, and spent some time touring the city and beyond. Our hotel was right in the center of the popular Temple Bar area of the city.
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| Fishing Harbor - Howth, Ireland Copyright Andy Richards 2019 - All Rights Reserved |
ON ONE of our days in Dublin, we took and excursion out the north side of Dublin Bay, nearly to the Irish Sea, to the charming fishing (and apparently also vacation) village of Howth, stopping on the way, at Malahide Castle. Fish & Chips, of course, are a staple in the United Kingdom, and nowhere more prevalent than in Ireland. We were told that there were two primary "best" fish & chips restaurants in the Dublin area. One of them was Wright's, so when we stopped for lunch in Howth, we availed ourselves of the fish & chips at Wright's "Crabby Jo's" restaurant on the main street near the pier. Walking down along the pier revealed the usual colorful local fishing boats.
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| Malahide Castle - Dublin, Ireland Copyright Andy Richards 2019 - All Rights Reserved |
THE STATELY old Malahide Castle dates back to the 12th Century when King Henry II granted the lands and harbor (adjacent to the Village of Malahide) to the Talbot Family. The grounds include impressive botanical gardens, and are one of 100's of Irish castles that can be visited.
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| Malahide Castle Botanical Garden Dublin, Ireland Copyright Andy Richards 2019 - All Rights Reserved |
IN DUBLIN, there is also plenty to do and see. We had visited there on a 10 - day land - based trip in 2014, and seen many great spots, including the reknowned Trinity College, with its Book of Kells, Phoenix Park, Dublin Castle, The Guiness Storehouse and Jameson's Dublins Distillery. On this trip, we made a point to visit several local pubs. Some were tiny, and some were more of a showplace. All were fun. I found, and developed a kinship with a locally distilled gin back in 2014: Ha'Penny pink gin (after the famous Ha'Penny walking bridge over the River Liffey). On this trip, we discovered the tiny Pearse Lyons Distillery, immediately adjacent to the Guiness Storehouse. An Irish Whiskey Distillery that had been a recommended tour, we were delighted to discover that they were also the makers of my Ha'Penny Gin! The Pearse distillery was set up in the small, abandoned, 12th Century St. James Catholic Church. The distillery re-modeled the interior and it is a beautiful old site.
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| Pearse Lyons Distillery - Dublin, Ireland Copyright Andy Richards 2019 - All Rights Reserved |
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| St. Patrick's Cathedral - Dublin, Ireland Copyright Andy Richards 2019 - All Rights Reserved |
BETWEEN OUR Temple Bar hotel location and St. Patrick's is another immensely impressive cathedral: Christchurch. Originally built by the Vikings in the 11th century, it was re-built in stone during the Norman reign in the 12th century. Christchurch serves as the Diocesan Church of Dublin (St. Patrick's is the national Diocesan Church of the Republic of Ireland).
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| Christchurch - Dublin, Ireland Copyright Andy Richards 2019 - All Rights Reserved |
AS I walked on toward the west side of Dublin and the Guinness Storehouse in the "Liberties" area of the city, I passed another Catholic Church. St. Catherine's is - surprisingly to me - much newer than the foregoing churches. First built in the 18th century, the current structure was built in the 19th century and is still in use today. From the street, through the old stone arch, it appeared much older than that to me. It is actually quite close to the old St. James Church now occupied by the Pearse Lyons Distillery.
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| St. Catherine's Catholic Church - Dublin, Ireland Copyright Andy Richards 2019 - All Rights Reserved |
DUBLIN IS hard not to fall in love with as you walk her streets, meet her people, and hear about her history. And, as is true with many cities, she is not without her quirks. When I see them, I have to photograph them, and the appearance of Superman was not exception.
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| Superman in Dublin - Dublin, Ireland Copyright Andy Richards 2019 - All Rights Reserved |
SOON, WE would depart on our cruise heading next to Northern Ireland, and the port of Belfast. We would not spend much time in Belfast, though as we were bound for the Antrim Coast, and parts north.
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