Day 106: Malahide - Dublin - Commons Cross

Last night, in the car park of Malahide estuary, we had an extra show: a group of kids started playing volleyball right next to our camper... at midnight! Between laughs, ball hits and shouts, it seemed they had confused bedtime with Olympic time. Luckily, they eventually packed up and calm returned.

In the morning it was not a question of sleeping in, because by half past nine or ten we were awake. The problem was the pace: we started very slowly. Breakfast, chats, dog stretches, and when we wanted to get going, it was already past midday.

We headed towards the centre of Dublin and the first thing was to face the parking monster. We went round and round until we found a place, and when we found it... bang: paid, four euros an hour, maximum three. A car park with the airs of a luxury hotel.

With the car in its place, we went to explore. We strolled through St. Stephen's Green, that elegant park with ducks and statues.
Then it was time to fill our stomachs. We went to eat at a restaurant near Grafton Street (the same one where we were a couple of weeks ago with Tito Joan and the aunts Nita and Mariola). I recognised the place immediately, although of course, this time nothing fell beyond a bit of French fries.

Then we walked through the Temple Bar district, where even the walls seem to sing. We crossed the River Liffey and saw the famous Ha'penny Bridge from afar, white and curved like an old moustache. We continued to Dublin Castle, which looks more like a collection of mixed buildings than a fairytale castle. Between medieval walls and towers, you can tell that centuries of history have passed here, although it smelled more of tourists than knights to me.

With the clock ticking, we went back to the car before the parking meter ran out of time. We still wanted to see a couple of important places, so we moved it to another place, put in some coins and went out again.

The first stop was St. Patrick's Cathedral, the largest Anglican temple in Ireland. Imposing on the outside, with its high tower and its green park around it, where people were resting. We didn't go in, but it was enough to see it up close to feel its historical weight.

Very close by was Christ Church Cathedral, even older, with a total medieval air and a covered bridge that connects it to another building. I looked at that and thought that if I barked inside, the echo would be so great that they would mistake me for a dragon.

With our legs well used, we went back to the car to leave the city. But of course, Dublin was not going to let us escape without a test. The traffic was slow, Google Maps made us dizzy for a while and, to top it off, sent us through a port tunnel that cost 12 euros! Then came a bridge of more than three and another motorway of four with a peak. In the end it seemed that we were paying tolls at the price of cinema tickets.

We continued north along the motorway until we stopped at an Applegreen service station, almost on the border with Northern Ireland. There was noise from trucks, yes, but at least here there were no kids wanting to play volleyball at midnight.

Papi Edu, faithful to tradition, took his free shower, and then we had dinner in the camper. Well, they had dinner like humans; me, with my usual dog food. And so, with the rumble of the trucks in the background, we prepared to sleep peacefully.