If only it could rain like this in California in January. I was ill-prepared for the weather when I stepped out of the Dublin airport late yesterday morning. The rain was coming down in buckets and the cold penetrated my skin underneath my light sweater. I was only wearing a t-shirt under the sweater and my umbrella was packed away in my suitcase. What a difference between the warm, sunny weather I left in Ukiah. The the biggest shock of all was the air temperature — 45 degrees. It literally felt like a cold January rainstorm in Northern California, when it used to rain in California. I expected the rain, but not the cold. I had checked the Dublin weather before I left and it had been in the low sixties.
My flight was uneventful except that they somehow did not have me on the list to receive a vegetarian meal. Luckily, they had an extra one. I sat next to a French lady traveling to her home in Paris who barely spoke the entire trip. I managed to get a few hours sleep which is pretty good for me as I always have trouble sleeping on planes. I still have jet lag today as I only slept about four hours my first night in Dublin.
After arriving, Tony the taxi driver picked me up at the airport and it was good to see him again. He dropped me off at the Kilronan house, a guest house near St. Stephens Green. It’s in the Georgian part of Dublin among row houses with colorfully painted doors. It’s a very pretty part of the city. My room is nice, but it’s as big as a closet.
One of the first things I noticed was the political signs on every corner. Ireland is hold a very important referendum on May 22. They will vote whether or not to let same-sex couples marry. If it prevails, they will be the first country to have voted for the right. From what I’ve read, the polls say the yes votes are slightly ahead. Every corner has both a “vote yes for marriage equality” and “vote now for same sex marriage.” It must be a law or something to have both sides posted in the same area. Some of the no signs are a bit ridiculous — like the ones that say, “every child needs a mother and father.” I am wondering about single mothers raising children on their own. I’m sure that happens here like it does in the US. It would be amazing if the Irish people approve this. If they do, their country will have full marriage rights before the US.
Last night I did manage to get down to the Temple Bar area and have dinner in one of the pubs while listening to traditional Irish music. The Temple Bar area is the most happening place for tourists and locals alike. I thought I would be too old to hang out there, but it turned out I wasn’t even close to the oldest. There were all ages, though the majority of the crowd was in its 20s and 30s. I was the only one who admitted I was from the US when the musicians asked where everyone was from. The rest were from France, England, Canada and Ireland.
Go 4th and enjoy! LOL A bit of Stars Wars levity for you.