Dublin, or rather Howth, day 2

Having spent the first evening of our arrival, and the first full day in the city, it was time for a change of air. After yet another sizeable Irish breakfast at the Kingfisher, we took a brief stroll down O'Connell Street to the tram stop. Having got our tickets we were amused to watch the 'a tad' inebriated chap try to help a couple of American tourists work out how to buy tickets, she tipped him whilst her husband walked off! In the end is assistance was useless, they missed their tram, and then she crossed the road to use the machine on our side.

A few minutes later ours arrived and we took the sort trip to Connolly station. Expecting a 45 minute wait for a train to Howth, we were pleasantly surprised to find a train due in about 10, so rushed to the ticket machines; solved the "so how do these work then" conundrum in just a few seconds, grabbed our tickets, strode through the Kings Cross like architecture and layout to the platform (in Kings Cross terms 9 3/4).

The journey was through the suburbs and along the way a group of young lads took the train all of 1 stop (just a few minutes) nothing strange in that - except the pushed their bikes on. Not sure why they didn't use them and ve the fare.

Upon arrival we dived into the small farmers' market just outside and got a bespoke green tea and a coffee at the Doghouse (previously blogged http://corylus.blogspot.com/2011/05/from-recent-trip-doghouse-howth-dublin.html) and then strode off, to find another farmers' market around the corner where it was clear we could get some lunch later.

So we set off through the mighty breeze to the harbour, taking in the view below,



We then came to another Bryant holiday habit - the harbour wall. So off we set. We went for the "on top" options as it seemed just as breezy in the lee of the wall


Passed another view of the boats


And came to end of our mission:


A breezy view over the sea (a lot of wind over tide going on - glad I wasn't sailing out there)


Down below the harbour entrance light, was the lighthouse



Where we found a plaque to Erskine Childers, who I know principally from the book Riddle of the Sands, which I first read many years ago when my dad (a keen sailor) encouraged me. The film's not bad, but only in more recent times (after picking up Robert Kee's worthy, but slightly turgid, three part Irish history on a previous trip to Eire)


In the distance...


We turned back to shore, and a few hundred yards from the end of thew breakwater the skies opened up and we legged it to Ann's. It's a newsagent cum village shop and was crowded with people sheltering from the rain. Feeling it wrong to just go for shelter I paid for a coffee, and was gratified to get a really good one (even better than the Doghouse!).


The squall ended quite quickly and we sauntered back to the markets and lunched on a Pieminster pie, a 60 second pizza from a wood fired oven, ad some chocolate biscuit cake (yum).

A stroll to the fishing harbour where a crowd on the concrete wall revealed there was something up, to find:



A hundred yards further on, was this sign


And Mrs B proving the King had small feet