Out & about – U.S. Embassy, shopping, etc.

I took full advantage of my first day of “freedom” to get out and really explore some more of Dublin for the first time since my arrival. Meanwhile, with the daily count of new COVID-19 cases still exceeding 1,000 across the country, the Ireland government has imposed Level 4 restrictions on the counties bordering N. Ireland and, in addition to the Level 3 restrictions already in place for other counties, is placing a ban on any visitors from one household to another. This “enhanced Level 3” is probably just a stepping stone to Level 4 that would further tighten up social distancing. However, outdoor cafes/bars and stores will remain open. I did not notice much difference, if any, when walking around today.

My first destination was to the U.S. Embassy to drop off my ballot. According to their website, they will accept ready-to-mail ballots at no charge for delivery within the United States, although they highly recommended dropping them off before October 2 to ensure delivery. Located in the Ballsbridge area of Dublin to the southeast of city centre, the embassy is about a 30-40 minute walk. The day had started off rainy, so I donned my lightweight rain jacket, but precipitation had finished by the time I headed out. Most people were wearing sweaters and usual clothes, so I felt out of place. I suppose I’ll have to get a better feel for when I need rain gear or not!

It was a lovely walk down idyllic streets with trees in their full autumn colours and Georgian brick row buildings. The stretch along Baggott Street was particularly lovely, quite upscale with private car parks in front of the homes a few other embassies scattered here and there.

Along St. Stephens Green:

Georgian brick buildings with chimneys (not quite sure what the green dome topped building is in the background, I’ll have to find out another day):

The old Royal City of Dublin Hospital building (the hospital closed in 1986 when St. James Hospital opened, and all services were fully vacated in 2019):

Peering through the U.S. Embassy fence:

No one was at the entrance to the embassy, so I immediately stepped up to the thick bullet-glass window where an attendant and a few other guard were stationed. Along with my ballot I was asked to present my ID (I only had my driver’s license with me, which was fine) and was told to read multiple written statements shown to me through the glass about delivery times, etc. The attendant compared my signature on my ID against the one on the back of the ballot envelope, then for a second opinion showed it to one of the others in the guard who nodded with approval. Then the attendant fetched what looked like a small rectangular green metal mailbox and showed me as he placed my ballot inside it. I didn’t expect there would be so much ritual involved.

The embassy building was opened in 1964, which is not surprising given its concrete modernist design. Here’s a snapshot of me across the street after dropping off my ballot:

More Georgian brick houses along Northumberland Road:

In addition to the River Liffey that runs through its centre, Dublin has canals on both its north and south sides encircling the older part of town. Near the U.S. Embassy runs the River Dodder, and on the northside there is also the River Tolka, both of which are tributaries to the Liffey. This system of interconnected waterways remind me of Amsterdam and Strasbourg, on a much smaller scale, but they add a nice effect all the same.

The River Dodder:

On the way back towards the city centre I veered off along the Grand Canal and came across a line of food trucks. I had a very tasty chicken sandwich on ciabatta from this BBQ place:

Although not evident from this next photo, the food trucks were fairly busy since it was the lunch hour. People practiced social distancing in line and wore masks when ordering.

The Grand Canal:

One of the locks on the canal:

Back in the city centre, I popped into a store for a few things then dropped them off at the apartment. I took a quick break but didn’t stay long, as I wanted to track down some more household items. My first destination was Lenehans, a well-known chain of hardware stores (very similar feel to Cole’s Hardware in SF). I picked up a handy broom/dustbin set with long handles, and also found a possible solution for the bathroom lighting situation (more on that later, if it works). They didn’t have much in the way of kitchenwares, so onwards I went. I was also on the hunt for a 16 W power adaptor for my iPhone. Strangely enough, there is not an Apple Store in all of Ireland, despite the company’s presence here for corporate tax purposes. There are, however, Apple authorized resellers that have the same look and feel of an Apple Store. This took me down the pedestrian shopping district of Mary Street which was fairly busy.

Down one of the side streets is a shop called “All Rooms,” of my favorite finds from past visits to Dublin. They have a variety of houseware and kitchen items, and I found most of what was on my list to fill out the basic stuff that came with the apartment — some simple ceramic bowls for soup, a teapot, some metal mixing bowls, a whisk, and a cutting board.

Afterwards, I ran into a friend on the street who I had been texting earlier about meeting for coffee sometime — at first we didn’t recognize each other with our masks on, so we passed each other and kept walking. We both texted “Was that you?” and then agreed to meet up at a cafe after I had finished up my shopping. It was nice to have a conversation in person with someone and to sit for awhile after all the walking. On the way back to the apartment I crossed over the Liffey on the Ha’penny bridge as dusk was just beginning to set in. Not a bad day!

Out & about – U.S. Embassy, shopping, etc.

1 Comment

Cancel reply