Day 2 consisted mostly of a trip down memory lane. After a full Irish breakfast - resembling the full English breakfast and full Scottish breakfast - we got in the rental car and went out to Lucan Village, just outside Dublin.
A quick word on the car. We received an Opel Vectra, which we see all the time in Aberdeen as a Vauxhall Vectra. A decently comfortable car with plenty of seating and a massive boot, it took some time to get used to. I think I have it worked out now and I can get on with the job of trying to figure out what is actually going on with the roads. They have lanes that just disappear and oddly positioned lights. The roads, at least in Dublin, are wider than in Scotland and what we saw of London, so I still have to recommend Ireland as a place to "learn" how to drive on the other side of the road.
Lucan was a cute little village and very picturesque. It brought forth a stream of memories from Ethna, who had last been "home" 10 years ago. She still remembered the Wren's Nest and the church, the old, dark lane they used to have to walk down, with the hollow tree where they used to stash their raincoats and the field where she was chased by a cow.
We parked at St. Catherine's Park and took a woodland walk down a nice path, at the end of which are the ruins of the house her father built. There was no trace of the older family home she remembered on the adjoining plot, and the roof was now missing from newer house. The walls were still up, though, and we could wander through what was once a nice, fairly spacious family home. The old fireplace still had some of the original tile on it. We spoke to a Park Ranger who told us he had seen plans regarding the house that would have it rebuilt and transformed into Ranger's quarters. That would be cool.
We took a brief walk through the woods beside the river Liffey and then drove through Leixlip (the original home of Guinness). We had a pub lunch back in Lucan (chicken curry with chips and rice for me, a roast beef dinner for Fiona and soup for Ethna - all superb!). After a trip to see the old church Ethna used to attend, we said goodbye to Lucan.
We decided to take in Dublin's most popular tourist spot next - the Guinness Brewery. While none of us was a particular fan of Guinness, we all would highly recommend the brewery tour. They obviously spent a lot of time setting up the old brewhouse and it is a real treat - so much so that it justifies the 15 pound entry fee. While the first few of the 7 floors are not too different from any brewery/distillery tour, the tasting lounge and the top floor panoramic view are worth the price of admission alone. Fiona and I both had a taster and found it better than any Guinness we had tried before. Still not raving about it, but definitely drinkable.
We spent the evening with an old and dear friend of Ethna's, Ann. We last saw Ann 7 years ago at our wedding, so it was a nice reunion. We went down to Howth Head, a section of land jutting out into the see. The harbor, ringed by restaurants and with a few resident seals, was quite charming. The houses rising on the hills behind would represent quite tolerable places to live, I imagine. Perhaps the slowdown that has a hefty grip on Dublin could bring the prices down to almost affordable?
We had a seafood dinner. The lobster was fabulous - I hadn't had such a good one in quite some time.
No leprechauns on day 2 either. I imagine with the banking problems they taken to guarding their pots o' gold with renewed vigour ...
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