I just spent four lovely days in Dublin, learning to understand English as spoken by Dubliners and seriously geeking out about books, poetry, plays and just writing and writers in general.

I arrived in the early morning on Monday and I grabbed a short nap before heading out. Over the four days I had delicious meals, amusing moments, and excellent strolls.

One of the great features of Dublin is the close compact nature of literary and modern history. I like a good museum. Heck, I like a not-so-great museum, and I enjoyed both in Dublin. The archeological museum was my first full on museum stop. I am always curious about the way a story is told, and this particular museum was not quite as staid as the Oriental Institute of Chicago, but they did have numerous objects if the same type – torques, arm bands, pins, beads – but still, it was very interesting to see objects found within a mile of the museum. Lots of Viking stuff. Driving through Dublin are these hilarious amphibious Viking tours with adults in silly hats. So the Norse-Hibernian connection is very present.

I was chatted up by a number of men. While waiting at the stop light, sitting at the bar, walking down the street. Good for a girl’s ego, though it seemed clear that folks were just nice. Eating out was easier than here in England. There are lots of places that encourage an early sitting, and most places have a bar with a few seats tended by a barman with the gift of the chat.

My grandmother clearly got her love of petunias genetically. Here are two examples of extreme petunia use:

I’d go back to Dublin in a heartbeat. The history is palpable, the climate perfect for me, and the theatre was great. But that is another post.