It is quite cool, dark, and about to rain any time outside our little stone cottage. Morning broke a few hours ago but on this type of dreary morning, I am not rushing to get out the door, clamoring at the girls to get a move on the day, or even getting ready myself. Instead, I am curled up in the sweet little four poster, snuggled under a fluffy, pinecone print, down-comforter, with the mattress heater set as high as it will go. Even the birds, who normally have a song to sing at this point in the morning, are completely silent. It is strange to hear nothing except the occasional creak of floorboards from inside the cottage, as Kevin is up and about doing yoga and fixing tea. I do not want to move and feel as though I could stay in this spot all day; perhaps, only rising to refill my teacup and grab a biscuit or two when hunger sets in. Yesterday left us tired and a bit overwhelmed and I think I may take today’s weather as a sign to rest. It is enough for me to just be in this place, to marvel at the many wonders I have seen here, dream about the more I will see in upcoming days, and rest. There is plenty of time left and as much as I want to see everything and not stop until I do, rationally, I know, I will not see it all; what I have and will see over the next few days will be enough.

Dublin; The capital and largest city of the Republic of Ireland. There is so much history here I could not even begin to explain, quite frankly, any of it. Not from lack of knowledge or a desire to share its long history, but because I would be writing for days. We rose early yesterday and caught a train from Midleton Station into Cork, grabbing a quick breakfast from a station shop, and from there, to Dublin. The girls were filled with excitement, as both do not have much experience with trains or big cities apart from photographs, Kevin loved not needing to drive and reveled in taking in the sites we saw along the way, and I thought it was ridiculously fun to see our names above our reserved seats on the train. We did not start as early on our journey as anticipated and had about five hours to spend exploring as much of the city as we could in our limited time frame. After a bit of a rocky start determining tram routes, we began on O’Connell St. and admired many monuments beginning with the Daniel O’Connell Monument. After a short perusal of the area, we stopped in for lunch at The Oval Bar on Abbey St. enjoyed a good meal from the third floor, overlooking the crowded streets below and planned out our must-see destinations.

After our meal we walked the short distance to a gift shop, did some shopping, and then moved on to the National Wax Museum. We enjoyed laughs posing with famous wax-made friends, scares with clowns, Freddy Krueger, and a haunted house, and intrigue as we explored Irish history. Audra loved the spooky thrills and Ellery found excitement in her favorite superhero’s. Kevin would have liked to spend more time with the historical recreations, but time was limited, and the girls moved quickly, in intrigue, from display to display. We paused inside the huge doors of Trinity College, took time to photograph the grounds, and marvel at the architecture of the great buildings on campus. I think the girls were more infatuated by the sweet golden retriever at the entrance to the campus but to each, their own. I am almost confident, we completed our gift shopping for friends and family after a stop at the Aran Sweater Market, as the selection here, was much more extensive than the one on Inisheer.

We made our way up the streets and stopped to listen to the various street performers, peek into shop windows, and make our way through the crowds to a toy shop called Cogs The Brain Shop, at Ellery’s request. She finally decided on a puppy plushie, named him Coca-Cola, and Audra picked up a pair of what she has deemed the “perfect” jeans from Jack Wills. We stopped for gelato and watched a street performance finish while we ate. By the time we arrived on the scene, the gentleman was up on a giant unicycle, balancing it with one foot, while juggling knives. It was an impressive show and had all of us in fits of laughter. We slowly made our way up and down the streets and caught the tram that would send us back to the train station to begin the long journey home.

Although our time in Irelands capital was brief and there was a lot we did not have the opportunity to see, Audra fell in love. She is my city girl and Dublin, with all its sounds, sites, fashion, and history, immediately charmed her soul. I may be for the countryside, but her heart longs for the activity and excitement of city life. I know it was her favorite day here thus far and a grand adventure she will not soon forget. Ellery enjoyed Dublin in the same way she enjoys everything. It does not matter what we do or where we go, as long as we are all together, she is delighted. She did, however, walk the city streets with a death grip on Kevin’s hand, so there was a bit of fear mixed in with her delight. Kevin had fun on the train rides and bought the best hat. He had been debating getting one for most of the trip and finally found one in a color he likes. The girls think he looks a bit angry while wearing it and though, I may agree a bit, I find it quite charming when he smiles. It was a fast-paced, overwhelming but exciting adventure; somehow, being both too long and too short at the same time. I think, today will bring a quiet day to the cottage to calm overstimulated minds and some needed rest for the weary. I may wander a bit to try and find the new pasture location of our cow friends because they are dearly missed, but only after I finish my cup of tea.