Dublin Friday onwards

A brisk walk along the beach after a delicious breakfast at the Esplanade. Got to be the best hotel breakfast ever - help yourself to as much as you want of everything - only complaint, no mushrooms. Lovely bread and everything else.
Sean came to collect us and drive us back into Dublin, setting out things to do with Phil and us later. In the evening we went to their flat, so near to the Harcourt - an excellent night eating, drinking and singing- well, largely listening to Phil and Sean playing and singing. What could be better than live music in your own sitting room? Pom is so great and it was good to get to know her a bit more - very involved in setting up her own project, with Sean, I think, doing drama with drug addicts and teenagers, anyway that night there wasn't nearly enough time to sing all the songs we wanted to sing, and the night ended all too quickly. Plans for the Saturday included Phil doing some recording with Sean, and a bus ride around Dublin, meeting up with Sean and our nephew Chan in the evening. The only low spot was when I got moody about how we were going to organise our stay at Dad's when we got back home. That passed quickly as I couldn't maintain a grumpy state for long. Off Phil went to record, and Jake and I went for a walk, and we looked forward to the evening.
First we met Chan in the bar at the Harcourt; a long time since I had sat down to chat to him - he is renovating a house in the middle of nowhere on the road to Sligo - how wild and exciting is that?? he had a photo or two on his phone to show us; Sean arrived and off we went for something to eat. After the promise of a table in about an hour at a Japanese place, we found a table at an Italian restaurant, and after a wonderful meal (and wine) we went to a bar called Anseo, I think it means 'it's here'. Very impressed that Jake could stroll in without the big bouncers challenging him as to his age.
All too soon, it was time to go back to the hotel and try to sleep before our journey back. It was wierdly only just around the corner from Anseo, although it felt like we'd walked all over the place.
A lovely moment in the morning when Phil and I popped out to get a coffee while Jake was asleep and we walked back through St Stephen's Green, very romantic.

Dublin again

Ah, we've just come back from Dublin. I got the classic lurgy just as I started to relax, and felt pretty unwell for two days, but enjoyed myself immensely in spite of it all.
We checked into the Harcourt, oh yes, our home from home in Dublin, on Wednesday night, and as I went to reception to ask for something or other, the phone rang there and it was Sean! we arranged a couple of things for us all to do involving music, eating and drinking and went next door for food. Straight to bed dosed up with paracetamol, and off to Bray the next morning. A lovely ride out on the Dart past Black Rock and Dalkey, great evocative names and landscapes. We reach Bray and the Esplanade Hotel. We look at our rooms, and Jake immediately jealous of the sea view from our room, unfortunately I feel too unwell to enjoy it properly.
Bravely we decide to walk along the cliffs to Greystones. Stunning and precarious in parts. People coming in the opposite direction greet us warmly, some stop to chat. Phil tells me that he and the Cute Hoors used to walk that way after a gig in Bray, musical instruments, alcohol, darkness and all. I'm impressed.
A medicinal brandy later in the hotel bar later and I'm revived enough to force down some dinner. We had a lovely time at the Martello, reasonable, too. I went to bed really early and Phil and Jake stayed up to chat and have another drink in the bar. Felt much better on Friday morning, and ready for all that Dublin was to throw at me.