Howth

Landing in Dublin yesterday afternoon was a sea change after Norway. Instead of armed soldiers and QR codes, I was able to use the e-gates through immigration without answering a single question. Had it not been for the masks, I would almost have forgotten about the pandemic as I met up with Ally for a nice Italian dinner down at the River Liffey.

Today, feeling much better in my legs, I went for a short city jog around the Liberties before embarking on a full day of exploration together with Ally, starting in Stoneybatter which, apparently, has been listed as one of the “coolest neighbourhoods in the world” by TimeOut. Though both the flat white and the baguette at Green Door Bakery were magical, neither Ally nor I were particularly impressed by Stoneybatter as such which, if anything, felt more like a typical residential area (maybe we simply walked the wrong streets?). Anyhow, after checking out an exhibition of Japanese prints from the Edo period at Chester Beatty and sand sculptures at Dublin Castle, we took the train out to Howth (rhymes with “both”) for incredible views of the Atlantic, a cold swim, and a long walk around the peninsula with its lighthouse and design houses. All in all, a very normal day as tourists, quite different from our previous trip together.