Beach Reads

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School starts tomorrow! I've had a lot of summer reading I was meant to do before my program starts, so I thought I'd share with you my favorite fair-weather study spots so far.

I've been spending lots of time in the various beaches around Dublin. If you have to read, might as well do it by the ocean, right? One of my favorite spots is on Salthill, overlooking the bay between Monkstown and Seapoint. When the tide is in, Seapoint is a great spot to go for a swim. The beaches near Dublin aren't like the beaches you traditionally think of - there aren't really long stretches of sand. When the tide is out the beaches are rocky and full of tide pools (with the requisite toddlers poking at stranded sea life). When the tide is in, you can go right from the edge into water deep enough to swim. At some beaches (like Seapoint), there is a stone stair built in, so at high tide you can just walk down it.

Anyway, after a quick dip (which is absolutely bone-chilling), I head up to Salthill to dry out. Salthill is a grassy hill, dropping sharply down over a seawall into the ocean. Here's the view from Salthill. To the left you can see Seapoint - the tide is about half out. To the right you can see Howth. Dublin would be straight down the middle. The panorama covers about 180 degrees, so the perspective is a bit warped.

If you're ever in the Dublin area, you can take the Dart train about 15 minutes from the city center to Seapoint (it'll cost you around €2). From there, it's a nice seaside walk of about 20 minutes to the port of Dun Laoghaire (pronounced Dune Leary). You'll pass Salthill. On the opposite end of Dun Laoghaire is another of my favorite reading benches, with this view (a bit more urban and cloudy):

Dun Laoghaire is the biggest marina in Ireland. The main marina is surrounded by two giant piers. This view is from the East Pier, looking south towards Scotsmans Bay and the promenade. This area was a popular vacation destination in the Victorian era, thus all of the hotels, and remnants of pathways and baths.

I'm also a big fan of the parks within Dublin. The quieter and smaller of the two main parks is Merrion Square. Like many city parks, especially those in Europe, Merrion Square started as a private park belonging to the various wealthy households surrounding the square. Most of those gorgeous Georgians are still standing, although now they're mainly office space. 

The Catholic Church bought Merrion Square in 1930 with the intention of building a cathedral, but for some reason nothing happened beyond that, so in 1974 the church transferred the land over to the city for use as a public park. For some time, it was known as Archbishop Ryan Park after the bishop who donated the land, but was officially renamed in 2010. The park now contains shaded walking paths, one formal garden, and several statues, including one of Oscar Wilde on lived in No. 1 Merrion Square for 20 years. 

The above photo was taken in the rain, but there's enough tree cover at Merrion Square that you can still spend time there in fouler weather. (Also visible: a Dublin Bike - subject of a future post).

The larger, more popular, city center park is St. Stephen's Green. St. Stephen's Green is smack in the middle of town, and is a popular spot for tourists and locals alike - so it makes for good people watching. The park is 22 acres, and like Boston Common used to be used as grazing land. It was walled in during the 1660s, and reserved as a playground for the wealthy until the 1870s when Arthur Guinness (who I'm quickly learning had his fingers in absolutely everything Dublin related), convinced Parliament to open it to the public and then paid to redesign it. Like with many other spots in Dublin, the Green got involved in the Easter Rising, although both sides did civilly cease fire now and again to let the groundskeeper through to feed the ducks.

I've noticed that the Irish are a big fan of picnics (perfection, as I am a founder of Picnic Tuesday!), and around lunch and dinner times St. Stephen's Green gets packed. I like to sit in the center of the green around the manicured gardens because it gets the most sun. My favorite spot in the center bit is the garden for the visually impaired, which is planted with scented plants that can stand up to being touched a lot, and everything is labeled in Braille. 

Fun fact: the lakes in St. Stephen's Green are fed by my local neighborhood favorite - and final study spot on this post - The Grand Canal at Portobello! (Well, technically, the ducts run from the park to the Leeson Street area of the Canal). There are several benches and dockside edges along the canal where you can cozy up with a book (if you're me) or a pint, a picnic, and a paper (if you're Irish). I like this one just a few blocks from my apartment both because it's local, and because on the weekends I can watch the kayaking tours launch.

I don't know that I'll ever go for the kayaking though. Even the feet dangling gets a bit dangerous - the ickies are very close to the surface in the canal.

And now tomorrow's my first day of school! What's my cutest outfit, you guys?

Kono Kastle

I sent some housing possibilities out to a few of you two weeks ago soliciting advice, but turns out I didn’t go with any of those (more tricks!). I did not send out photos/info on the one I ended up in, because I didn’t think I would get it – as there were several people interested and my bid was 140 euro/month less than the posted price. BUT, I did get it, and that’s where I am now.

First let’s look at my adorable neighborhood. I live in Portobello. The neighborhood originally housed lower to middle class workers, and then became home to artists and politicians. In the early 1900s the neighborhood turned again, and became the center of the Jewish community in Ireland, after so many refugees settled there (I live 2 blocks from the Irish Jewish Museum). The 6th president of Israel grew up 2 doors down. A nice holdover from this time is the Bretzel Bakery – a Kosher bakery – about 3 blocks from my house. Many of the Jewish residents emigrated to the States during and after WWII.

Most importantly, I’ve moved from Shaw, DC to just around the corner from the birthplace of George Bernard Shaw – which all just feels full circle and nice. Other famous former neighborhood residents include Jack B. Yeats, Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh, William Mulholland (of Mulholland Drive), James Joyce’s parents (in childhood, and in marriage pre-James), and of course, the fictional Leopold Bloom.

AND – my house sits on one of the sites where Being For The Benefit of Mr. Kite! once took place!

Here is a typical house on my street, replete with greenery and adorable old car:

The ones that don’t have front yards look like this:

And the cute little cottages look like this:

Here are all the styles in one photo:

I live near the Grand Canal, which is a nice place to sit with a book. It’s also very multimodal: there is a pedestrian-only path along the canal, and then a separated bike lane, and then the car lane. All of these are separated by curbs or trees. Also, as it’s a canal and I see operable locks, I assume my multimodal list could potentially include boats – but I haven’t seen one of those yet.

I don’t know what the submerged cone is cautioning against.

To the main event! I’ve mentioned that I live in a castle, and that’s certainly what it feels like. However, in all honesty, it is a renovated church. St. Kevin’s Church, to be exact. According to the plaque in the lobby (which is the middle of the nave of the church), it was built in the 1800s courtesy of a bequest from Miss Jane Shannon of Rathmines (the next neighborhood south). In the 1990s it was renovated into apartments courtesy of some rich person who lives in the Dublin area (supposition – I have no idea, really, aside from the mid-90s bit).

Anyway, St. Kevins/Kono Kastle looks like this on the outside:

In real life, the steeple is not bendy. I just couldn’t get far enough away to get it all in one shot (the house across the street was very much in my way) so I stitched two together. Also, you can’t see my window in this shot – I live on the other side of the building in the clerestory above the chancel. But, on that side there is a house, and a bike parking lot, and trees, and all this stuff that makes for bad church photography, but for nice things to look at out my window.

Anyway, you go in that side door that says St. Kevin’s and up the stairs. I’m on the 2nd (US) or 1st (EU) floor, depending on your nationality.

To complete the castle theme, my key looks like this:

The other keys open up the building and the bike parking lot. (Yes, protected bike parking. What a civilized country!).

You walk in to a little hallway and pass a bathroom to your right. No photos because it’s not exciting. Straight ahead is the living room. You’ll notice I’ve already got my colors hung, and a basil plant – so I’m basically nested.

If you walk towards that glorious window and turn around, you’ll see my kitchen, framed by fun church/castle archway:

Also featured in that photo is the ugly cardboard box. Inside the ugly cardboard box is the previous tenant’s full guitar hero set. Includes a guitar, a drum set, and the CD. Since I don’t have a TV, or a playstation (or whatever it runs on), I haven’t decided what to do with it.

Turning right, around the big couch, is the entrance to my bedroom. The bedroom has a sloping exposed beam roof with a skylight. The skylight can be opened, which is quite nice. It’s east facing, so I suspect I’ll be grateful for that come winter when the sun is rising as I do, but during these freakishly long summer days (I am so much further north that I realized – the sun sets at 10:30!), I’m going to have to figure out some sort of skylight curtain.

Here’s another angle where I squeezed into the corner in an attempt to show both the skylight and the church/castle arches:

And here’s the view from the bed back towards the living/dining room:

Absolutely the best part of the apartment, and the part that makes it most castley, are the windows. Here they are in all their glory.

Don’t mind the rain you’re seeing through those panes. It is Dublin after all. I took all the photos in this post on the same day. You’ll notice that when I was walking around outside there was nary a cloud to be seen, however, the second I entered the apartment there was a massive drenching downpour. The weather here is fickle.

So, now you’ve seen my place! Kono Kastle is open to visitors at any time. Please come! Also, keep checking back for future posts. I’ll likely be posting about Dublin, struggles with Irish bureaucracy, biking, my obscenely small shower, Trinity, where to get the best Guinness, the trials and tribulations of getting internet access, eating local, the hoards of Italians in Dublin, and my old-man pub friends next.

I’ll be sending out the email with my change of address soon. Let me know if you want to make sure you’re on that list.