Howth, Ireland

This week has passed quickly, the second week of our self-quarantine.  We have done some walking in a couple of parks, staying clear of people.  For most of last year Creve Coeur Lake Park was closed due to flooding.   We decided that now was a good time to check it out.  John wanted to explore the upper level of the park,  and we discovered that there is a nice wooded trail in this area, called the Moonshine Trail.   Following the signs( with a whiskey jug on them) kept us from straying from that path.  Many trees and plants are blooming now and warmer weather did a lot toward lifting our spirits and forgetting the nasty Covid virus!

Back to Ireland and our last day in that country.  As we had expressed a desire to get out of Dublin and see the countryside, Finola suggested that we take the DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transit) to the outer suburbs east of Dublin and visit the fishing village of Howth.  Interestingly, we also encountered a cab driver who urged us to go there because of its wonderful seafood restaurants.

Once we got off the train we started to walk toward the area of the village located on the north side of the rocky peninsula.  It was lunchtime and we wanted to find a restaurant before exploring Howth.  Luck was with us, after checking out several dining places, we came upon Crabby Jo’s – menu and prices looked good to us.  Inside there was a delightful décor with shells covering the walls and a blazing fireplace at the end of the one room.  We had a wonderful lunch of sea food chowder (filled with large pieces of salmon, cod. and mussels) and crab cakes.  After our meal we walked toward the harbor.

The monument above is a memorial to those who have lost their lives at sea.  It was an overcast day, windy and cool at the water’s edge.  That is a sea gull on top of the memorial.

This is the Howth Harbor Lighthouse, built in 1814 and automated in 1996.   There is a cliff walk around Howth, which was impossible for us to do because of the weather and time.  The picture below may give you an idea of how the town sits below those cliffs.  Looking up at one point we noticed the ruins of an old church

It was tempting to at least climb up a hill but then, looking at these stairs and the interesting rock overhang, we decided to pass on that adventure.

.We still enjoyed what we were able to see walking through the town, especially a series of statues located alongside a hillside, one of which is pictured below.

 That was all we saw of Howth.  We boarded the DART again to have supper in the town of Dun Laoghaire before riding back to Dublin and our hotel.  On Sunday we joined long lines at the airport to return home.  What little we saw of Ireland was wonderful and spending time with our son Mike certainly made it worthwhile.