Last night I slept dreadfully. Even though I didn't sleep on my flights over from San Francisco via London, jet lag struck and I was awake just before 2 AM. After finally falling asleep as the sun was rising, Mr. D and I woke up around 11 AM, with just enough time to shower and walk 9 minutes to view a potential permanent apartment.
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| Cute Potential Apartment |
The folks who own the place were a lovely couple, we had a feeling they either work in the tech industry in Dublin, or were used to renting out their apartment to tech workers. The apartment itself was well organized and looked even better than the online photos. It came with secure parking (a rarity!) and as mentioned, is 9 minutes by foot to Mr. D's office. However, we weren't exactly fans of the area. Though completely safe and clean, it was devoid of feeling like a neighborhood. The area reminded me of the newer parts of the Dogpatch neighborhood in San Francisco, very gentrified and catering mostly to the tech workers in the nearby offices.
After viewing the apartment, we decided to make the most of the glorious sunshine (another rarity!) and explore the neighborhoods that we've shortlisted for places to call home. We decided to head to the Liberties, Smithfield, Stoneybatter, Capal Street, and Parnell Street, saving Rathmines, Portobello, and everything in South Dublin for another day.
Since it was on the way to the Liberties, we absolutely had to stop by Leo Burdock for their smoked cod and chips.
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| Leo, I've Missed You! |
The Liberties, as the oldest neighborhood in Dublin, it reminded me a bit of my old neighborhood in San Francisco, North Beach. Both areas are full of history and iconic places mixed with the new and trendy.
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| The Liberties: Iveagh Market, The Liberty Bell Pub, Meath Square, Gray Square |
Smithfield/Stoneybatter tend to blend together. I've heard that Smithfield is up and coming, with a very community focused Smithfield Plaza at its center. As we walked, at some point Smithfield melted into Stoneybatter, known as Dublin's hipster neighborhood.
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| Smithfield |
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| Stoneybatter: Pender's Yard, Mural |
I didn't take pictures at Capal Street or Parnell Street, but we both liked how Capal Street had so many different independent restaurants and shops. Parnell was the opposite with many chain stores and large crowds.
But the biggest surprise we had was when we passed by Mocaland Cafe. The last time we were in Dublin was two years ago as part of the last leg of a family trip we took with my parents, my brothers, sister-in-law, and nieces. We would grab breakfast at Mocaland in the mornings and often muse about how the cafe is exactly the size we'd want if we ran our own. Today Mr. D and I realized that this cafe was exactly the same one we went to in 2012 as an escape from the rain. What a coincidence!
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| How Serendipitous! |
The rest of the day consisted of wandering and making the most of the sunshine, and of course we had to end our roaming with a well deserved pint of plain!
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| Dublin In The Sunshine |
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| Guinness Cures All |
