Daylight savings time ended last night here in Ireland (and the rest of Europe). Even with the extra hour, I ended up sleeping in late, probably still catching up on sleep from staying up for the last U.S. presidential debate. I get up and do my usual routine of coffee, breakfast, reading the news on my iPad, responding to text messages from friends. The weather is still clear and crisp. Behind my building, sounds from a small group of people and the smell of grilled food waft up from a deck in the courtyard below.
Eventually I motivate myself to get out of the apartment for a walk. There are still people out and about despite almost everything being closed. Many bars are offering “take away” cocktails. I stop into one attached to a liquor store where I had purchased some vermouth last week, in hopes of getting some bitters for my Manhattan cocktail project… they’ve already run out of the blood orange flavour, but I buy a bottle of the lemon bitters that will probably work. I also order a hot whiskey to sip as I walk around the chilly streets.
Grafton Street is much quieter than it usually would be on a Sunday, but there are still plenty of pedestrians:
The end of Grafton Street looking towards St. Stephens Green (people are lined up in front of a Butlers Chocolate Café location (one of many in Dublin):
Mercers Medical Centre near St. Stephens Green:
A random scene down a small street/alley:
The Halloween window display of a vintage furniture store:
Circling back to Temple Bar, I head to a small place called Hanley’s Cornish Pasties that serves turnover style savoury pastries, similar to pierogies, and head back to the apartment. It’s already dark, but at least I got out for a little bit. That’s the extent of my adventures today. I’m going to settle in for some TV for the rest of the evening.
