As I wrote before, on our third day in Ireland (fittingly
March 13) we boarded a bus to Galway only to learn a few minutes later that the
whole tour was canceled. Globus Tours,
the company responsible for our tour, assured us that they would begin
securing airline tickets for our return home.
John, Michael, and I headed out on foot to further explore Dublin. Fortunately for us, out of all the days we
were there, that was the best day weather-wise for being outside.
Seems the city was a bit ahead of us with spring, and this
was a perfect place to be with all the trees and flowers blooming! Saint Stephens park,Victorian in character, is located in central Dublin. It has statuary of renown persons of Ireland which provide good lessons in
that country's history. It also has a small lake complete with swans, bandstand and arboretum, as well as
numerous flower displays which look like they have been well cared for. We did not cover the entire park.
Located in this green is also a memorial to William Yates as
well as to Oscar Wilde. The park was a
favorite haunt of Yates, unfortunately his memorial was currently removed for
refurbishing. On our way to the Oscar
Wilde statue my attention was suddenly drawn to the playground. Since becoming a grandmother, I check out every playground I encounter. This one was interesting to say the least. Around the play area here were two small
whimsical signs, one noting that this is “your garden now” and the other
announced “ how happy are we here”. The
signs looked very old and weathered. I
was next taken aback by a strange figure lying in the ground. Most of him was buried except for his head,
hands and feet. His eyes were winking at
me. I would have loved to have my
grandchildren with me at that moment to see their reaction to him!
Just a few feet from the playground we came to the figure of
Oscar Wilde reclining on a rock.
Signs near him had some quotes written by him as: “I drink
to keep my soul and body apart”
Speaking of drinking, we did just that! After walking through a portion of the park
we were tired and thirsty. Our guide had
pointed out to us earlier that day the Shelbourne Hotel, the “Grand Dame” of
Dublin since 1824. Over the years it has
always greeted its guests at the door by a man wearing a black top hat. We decided that we had to check it out, and
walked in as though we had a room there. Then we stopped and our questioning looks to
each other gave us away. Fortunately a
kind lady greeted us and escorted us to the watering area, or bar. We ordered drinks, quite oblivious to their
cost. The amaretto sour drink I had,
pictured below, cost fifteen euros. I am
sure it was the most expensive drink I ever sipped! It was yummy, and I enjoyed every swallow. And what pleasure we had sitting in such a luxurious place with crystal chandeliers shining above us and lovely paintings on the wall. It was a good way to end our day which had started on such a sour note!
No comments:
Post a Comment