Dublin Airport to Wexford

I don’t have much to say about the bustling city of Dublin. I glimpsed it through a bus window as I hurried from the airport to Wexford. I was off to see a castle about a bed.

The flight over Ireland was interesting with sunlit fields, upon fields, surrounded by hedgerows patchworking the ground below. I wasn’t sure, but the stretches of golden fields reminded me of when my husband would fly us in a Cessna over Skagit Valley in Washington State; the mustard fields in the Irish landscape below held similar hues.

I asked the gentleman sitting in the same row as me if he knew what was growing in the fields below. He offered up the daffodil. I remained skeptical, though, as I’ve seen large daffodil fields from the air, and they didn’t look like this.

After we touched down at Dublin Airport, I retrieved my luggage, went through customs, and found my bus stop in no time. The airport bustled with many travelers, but I found my way around easily enough.

The bus rolled through the streets of Dublin, picking up and dropping off passengers around the city. I don’t know what landmarks I looked at, but I found the city a pleasant ride through.

Streets appeared squeaky clean. I saw no trash or homeless people. I hoped that meant Ireland provided its most vulnerable with food, water, and shelter. My brief ride through the city wouldn’t give me enough knowledge to speak confidently on the matter*. I only speculate on what I observed.

I may have saved a young man’s life or prevented serious injury. Nothing heroic, but riding up front, opposite the driver’s side, I watched a young man dart right in front of the bus just as the light changed and the driver pressed forward, eyes fixed on his side view mirror. My loud gasp caught the driver’s attention. He turned back to the road ahead, saw the pedestrian, and slammed on the brakes.
What a relief. My gasp reflex spared us the sight of a man becoming a big splat on the window right in front of me.

I couldn’t get used to being on the opposite side of the road in a vehicle. The traffic roundabouts really messed me up, as my body anticipated going right while the driver went left. I appreciated leaving the driving to those who could navigate on the left side of the road.

A lone hat on a bridge caught my eye and intrigued me enough to photograph it. I could use it as a perfect prompt for a story that could take many twists and turns.

We finally left the city and rolled down the highway, stopping in small towns to pick people up or let them off to continue their lives beyond the bus. More prompts for stories I could write about the people getting off the bus. Especially the one who got kicked off the bus. Nah, that didn’t happen, but where would you go in your imagination with that prompt?

Three hours later, the air brakes on the bus sighed to a full stop at the end of the line in Wexford. I will have to get to the castle by taxi, the final destination. The driver points to the taxi stand where taxis are waiting to take people where they need to go. But first I need to eat.

Across the street from the Dunnes Store, and just a short walk from the designated taxi stand, is a coffee shop called Nosh + Coffee. Did they have a chai latte? I hoped so, as it had been three days since I had one.

I stepped inside, and to my delight, chai lattes were on the menu! They also made sandwiches, so I ordered a sandwich to go. I settled in by the window and watched people walking by. The chai came dusted with cinnamon. I adore the spice, yet never thought to have it served that way before. Happy to sit and sip, anticipating my first glimpse of the castle.

Castle Bound

Lugging my suitcases over to the taxi stand, not one taxi to be found, unlike the line-up of cars when I first arrived. I waited about 15 minutes before one arrived, and on to the castle I went.

As we wound down the long, tree-lined driveway, the tallest tower was the first to greet me. Paul came out and greeted me, taking me around back to the apartment I rented. He demonstrated how to lock the door by pushing up the handle and turning the skeleton key. It took me a bit to get used to this way of locking up, but after a few struggles, I managed.

Inside, I wandered through, taking photos of the quaint apartment. I learned that this part of the building had once been a horse stable and seemed fitting enough, since I live in a converted barn. Clean, cozy, quiet, and comfortable, with views of the welcome tower, I liked it.

I craved places that broke from the norm, and what better place to begin than with a castle—more about my stay in the castle and Wexford in the next few installments.

*Homeless in Ireland: I did a quick search that told me that Dublin has 66% of the homeless population in Ireland. Although I didn’t do a deep dive into their situation, it looks like they are actively working to eliminate homelessness, putting protocols in place to prevent displacement and support people who become homeless.