I have a coffee/walk date with a new guy I met online, N. He lives near Phoenix Park so we agree to meet at a popular cafe that’s run out of a converted shipping container. It takes about 30 minutes on a bus from city centre to get there. The weather is supposed to be dry, but there are some brief showers on the bus ride. I catch glimpses of a couple on rainbows along the way. When I arrive, N has already gotten in the long line / queue. He’s 6’5″ so easy to spot in the crowd. The conversation is easy going and natural. He treats to coffee, then we head into Phoenix Park through a gate in a large stone wall that borders the park. Thankfully there aren’t any more rain showers, although the ground is a bit muddy. Lots of people are out but it’s a very wide open place so social distancing isn’t an issue. We walk by a large memorial cross erected to commemorate the visit of Pope John Paul II to Ireland in the 1970s. There are some great views of the Wicklow mountains to the south of Dublin. We eventually circle around and head back up to where we started, passing by the large Wellington Monument/Testimonial obelisk that was erected in the 1800s to commemorate a British general’s military successes. N drove to the park and offers to drop me off near a bus stop heading back to the city centre. We clocked in more than 10,000 steps on the walk, so I’m glad I got out while the weather was decent — the forecast for next week is calling for more rain and even possibly snow. Back at the apartment, I make some green tea and warm up for a bit, then catch up with a friend back in the U.S. over the phone. The rest of the evening will be spent watching some TV under my warm wool Irish blanket on the couch.
Until next time….
