After a day of being cooped up inside, I’m excited to explore the neighborhood with a Friday walk. Heading down to the canal, I pass by the church of Mary Immaculate and turn right to follow the road opposite the water.
Breathing in the cool air and admiring the colorful trees, I scope out the area for a coffee. The sky is brightly opaque and the buildings are a little more worn in this part of the neighborhood. I like the aged feel and find myself wondering about a particular pink building with a circular logo painted on front wall.
The thought lingers as I continue down the road– watching the locals with their prams and walk pups. Out of worry I’ll become lost if I make too many turns, I decide to swing back around and see what that pink cafe is all about. Intrigued by the purple turf on the patio, I step inside.
Immense warmth immediately overwhelms me and fogs up my glasses. I laugh as I take them off and approach the counter. A friendly young man banters with me about the glasses dilemma and I order a latte. The café is quaint and dimly lit. It’s definitely cozy and the wooden tables sprawled about are more than inviting. A group of friends carrying on at one of the tables makes me smile. The heat is too much though; I decide to sit outside. The patio area is encased with stacks of rocks and vines of greenery. There’s three large grey-painted coffee tables to sit around. A group of young college-age students are discussing gaming at one of them so I take the table closest to the entryway.
I stir some sugar in my latte and enjoy the cold air as I people-watch those on the sidewalk and listen in on the laughter at the table beside me. Being alone amidst the world is such a peaceful experience. And the bright sky and crisp weather only adds to the positive feelings.
After coffee, I head back towards the house. The “Welcome to Ranelagh” sign on the way catches my eye so I snap a picture of it for nostalgia purposes. Still delighted by all the brick housing, I slow my pace to stop and gaze– hoping most people are at work and don’t see me staring at their homes.
When I’m almost back to the main shopping center, I notice a sign for a small park off to the left side of the street. The road leads through a brick arch into a different section of the neighborhood.
All around are small apartments and in the center sits a playground. The path narrows and encircles a small pond just past the play equipment. I stop to read a sign about the ducks and swans before becoming surrounded by pigeons.
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Past the pond sits a statue of Richard Crosbie (the first Irishman to make a manned hydrogen air balloon flight and went from Ranelagh to Clontarf). And up on a little hill is a cross representing the Carmelite Nun monastery that was once where the park is.
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The other entrance to the park leads out to more brick homes decorated for Halloween. I walk through the narrow streets and eventually turn up back in the shopping area by The Natural Bakery.
Having passed by it a few times over the past few days, I decide to pop in and buy some macarons. They’re having a ten for €10 deal I can’t pass up. I get some pistachio, raspberry, and chocolate ones and head to another park where I munch and watch dogs run around before heading back to the house to see Claire.
For dinner, Claire insists I must try Lebanese food. After a worthwhile journey maneuvering through the rainy city, Claire and I step into the Cedar Tree to meet up with Joe. The restaurant has a warm glow about it and we’re instantly greeted by a friendly waiter who seats us and gets us drinks. The chairs have tall wooden backs and the walls are decorated with mosaic art. We’re seated closer to the front but I take a walk to the back to find the bathroom; come to find it’s at the top of a massive wooden flight of stairs. Such an interesting building!
Claire orders a vegetarian mezze and I order a spiced chicken dish. Trying bits of this and that, we don’t wait for Joe to get there to dive in but Claire sets some aside. When he arrives he finishes off the rest of the food. When our tummies are full and happy we head out into the chilly night amidst a discussion with Joe about starting a fire upon returning home.
The sun is beaming through floral fabric that covers the window in my room. I open my eyes and crawl out of my bundle of bedding that matches the flowery theme. I take in my surroundings: a small wooden table on the left holding my phone and an electric strip that feeds the small space heater. A long mirror-covered closet continues the panorama to the chair and window. Bookshelves line the wall and another table sits in the right-hand corner amidst craft supplies and blankets. On the right wall is a fireplace and the white door with its brass handle.
I crawl from the bed, bundled in pajamas and my old gray I.C. sweatshirt and step into my slippers. It’s about 10 on this lovely Friday and although my head’s still a bit blurred, I’m determined to keep moving. So I find my way down to the kitchen and am greeted by the radio and Teddy. I make a bowl of yogurt and granola and pour some coffee while Claire works on her laptop in the sitting room.
Teddy greets me as I come down the stairs.
I decide to take a walk outside to familiarize myself with the neighborhood area. The sun is bright and the air is crisp so I bundle up in layers. This is quite unlike the October I left behind in Arkansas. Eager to stretch my legs, I tell Claire I’ll be back in a few hours and take off out the front door. Deep barks from Teddy echo behind as I force it closed.
At the end of the gravel driveway, I take off in a random direction. Banking on my social skills more than my sense of direction, I pocket the Google map Claire printed out and just start to wander. As long as I know the address and areas I need to trace back to, I’m okay with getting lost for a few hours.
The first thing I really notice is how many of the houses are decorated for Halloween.
Most of the windows are filled with drawings and cut-outs kids have made. Some front gates are covered in fake cobwebs. A lot of porches have jack-o-lanterns and pumpkins out on display. Also, it’s very quiet. It’s a Friday morning so most people are at work and school. It’s peaceful to walk and breathe in the bright feelings.
At the corner there’s a grocery store and a collection of shops all fitting in with the neighborhood. The last time I was in a place like this it was Brooklyn. I love how you can walk to little cafes and stores right in your neighborhood.
As I walk, I admire the bricks and architecture of the homes. They’re all seemingly connected- unlike our neighborhood back home with big yards and walking space between houses. I’m captivated by the colors of the leaves on the trees. Pictures don’t do it justice. They are bright and rich with vibrancy. And I’m in deep like with the vines running up the fronts of homes.
As I weave in and out of different streets, a few cars and bikers pass. I walk by various mothers pushing their babies in prams and think about what side of the sidewalk I should be on. I probably spend too much time contemplating this. At one point I run into some older kids walking their dog and wonder what they’re doing out of school. An older gentleman who seems to be their grandfather follows them down the street.
Now I’m getting Mr. Rogers Neighborhood vibes. I turn right at the corner and wander over to the realization that I’m lost. I find myself by some college and debate following one of the students who seems to cut through campus as a shortcut. With tiredness creeping on my inability to use logic, I turn around instead.
I soon wind up down by a larger section of stores and restaurants and walk down the strip. As I make it to the center of the strip, a British woman (and what looked like her granddaughter) ask me if there are any coffee shops nearby. I tell her about a few I recently saw and send her in the direction behind. Look! I’m already telling people where the coffee is! I laugh when I reach the end of the street and have to duck into a grocery store to ask the cashier how to get home.
I head back down some streets I’ve already explored and wind up by the park Claire had mentioned to me a day earlier. Oh how marvelous it is!
In the center of this rectangular area, there is plenty of grass decorated with trees and fallen leaves. People are playing with their dogs and watching their children on the little playground. A dark cement path spotted with benches frames the park. As I walk around the outline, I see that it rises to an upper level with some stairs sporting a colorful collection of leaves.
After a brief walk through the park, I get a sense of where I am and head back towards home. Near the big church, I spot a brilliant yellow door with the number 26 on it. It’s complete with a matching gate and an archway of greenery. The bright yellow makes me think of my mom. It’s right next to this really cool old house covered in vines that I’m immediately taken away by. (I later find out Claire and the McGuires are a fan of it as well).
a yellow door for momthe house with many vines
Growing off various bushes just above the neighbors’ fences, I notice this pink and purple flower. It’s quite unlike anything I’ve ever seen so I take a picture to ask Claire the Botanist about. She later tells me it’s fuchsia and you can actually eat it. (I would soon learn that just about anything could be eaten on that island).
It’s about noon when I turn back in to the driveway. Teddy’s bark is heard- his paws pressing up against the bay window in the sitting room. I put my key in the lock and turn. The barks grow louder as I walk down the hall and into the kitchen. Evidence that Brian’s band has finished their practice resides on the table in the form of used coffee cups and half a bundle of biscuits.
After a quick sit down, I greet Claire who is ready for a lunch break. We decide to walk down to Morton’s grocery store to collect soup and sandwiches (and chocolate). I finish my sandwich and go upstairs to rest a bit while she finishes up her work for the day.
This is a picture of chocolate sitting on a leaf I collected from the park next to the window in my room.
When Joe returns home for the day, we decide to head to the City Center for the first time on my trip. It’s dark and wet out and my glasses quickly cover with raindrops as we briskly walk from the house down to the tram station. I shove some Euros in the machine and out pops my Luas (metro) ticket. Unlike my experience with Amsterdam or NYC trams, they’re apparently very lax about checking your tickets there. The ride isn’t too long- although it is a little packed with it being Friday night.
After dashing around people up and down the streets of the center, we wind up at the Ramen Bar. It’s extremely toasty inside as we enter and ask for a table for three. Initially they seat us at this awkward bar on the side of the entrance but I ask the waitress if we can wait for another table. I think I frazzle her for a moment but soon a table opens up and we ask to take it. It’s nice to actually face the people you’re dining with.
We order our bowls and enjoy some free dumpling samples that come around. We chat about our day and make plans for the weekend. A discussion about our road trip begins while Joe steps outside for a smoke.
After dinner, the rain lets up a little so we walk around the center. It’s lit with shops and restaurants and live musicians sitting out in the street. Someone yells at the uilleann pipe player as we walk by in search of some ice cream. We make it to a Gino’s for gelato which definitely satisfies.
After gelato, our dampened bodies make it back to the Luas with happy tummies and a plan for our weekend adventures. At the second or so stop, Brian and Marie hop on and join us for the remainder. Claire discusses borrowing the car for tomorrow and they kindly agree. By the time we get home, I’m ready for a shower and bed. Tomorrow is a big day!
In Light of Colleen 