Weekend in Dublin

I took a short break from my project last weekend to visit Tory in Dublin departing on Thursday evening and returning on Monday afternoon.

Sadly, with increased airport security and having to travel to Gatwick on a slow bus from Oxford the entire journey across a very small stretch of water takes approx 8 hours. Naturally seeing Tory at the end of the trip makes it all worthwhile. Still, it has made me realise that living outside a main city, even one only an hour from London, has its disadvantages.

Tory had to work on Friday so I walked with her to the office going as far as the UCD campus where I stopped to check emails. After an hour or so I returned to the apartment to continue working on the Nokia report. Tory is currently working for one of Dublin's premier hospitality and events management companies and after she finished work I met up with her and her boss at Kiely's Pub for a few pints of Guinness. We then went home for dinner stopping for one drink at an upmarket bar and restaurant called Ashton's.

On Saturday we stirred to grey skies and wet bitumen. Undeterred, we took a bus to Glendalough meaning "The Glen of the Two Lakes". It is situated in County Wicklow which is only about an hour from Dublin. It is a beautiful spot and is the site of an early Christian settlement with plenty of stone ruins to explore. The rain continued on and off all day and when we returned to Dublin that evening we decided to take shelter in the cinema where we watched the latest Jack Black film, 'Nachos Libre' possibly the worst film made in the last 10 years.

Sunday was much sunnier and we went for a long walk down to the water front and soaked up some sea air. The tide was out exposing mudflats far into the distance. It reminded me a bit of the view of Moreton May from Wynnum. Later that evening my old school mate Richard and his Irish girlfriend Hilary came over for roast lamb that Tory cooked. It was a delicious meal and showed just what a good cook my girlfriend is.

The next day I slept in but caught up with Tory near her work on my way to the airport. It was a very relaxing weekend and one that I really needed in preparation for the final presentation to Nokia in Helsinki that we made on Wednesday of this week just passed. I will cover that news with photos once I learn how to download the photos from my Nokia N80.

Cheers,
Doug.