Green

Friday, May 15

Yes, 'tis green here indeed.  Of course, that's one of the first things you notice as you fly in.  It all looks just like it should--a patchwork of green

But as we neared the Dublin airport, we could see that a lot had changed since we visited here 28 years ago.  I mean, even from the air, we could see ample evidence of the boom that occurred around the turn of the century.  Lots of suburban housing developments.  Motorways everywhere.  

We took a cab into town (with the friendliest fellow, filled with good humor and lots of advice).  I asked him about the change since the boom.  When we were last here, there was an out migration of Irish people.  That changed during the boom, but he said it is again true because of the economic downturn.  (As we would learn Thursday during a history-based walking tour, the population of Ireland has still not recovered from its numbers before the potato famine of 1840!) The economy must be reasonably robust, if all the road construction is any indication.  Everywhere, roads are being widened and tram lines extended.  Downtown is a maze of construction fencing and constricted traffic.  (We're so glad we're not having to deal with a car while we're in the city.)

Dublin is a good walking city, and we've done a lot of that.  We also used the bus to get a bit further afield and see some sites we hadn't visited before.

Our hotel is about 5 blocks from the SE corner of St. Stephen's Green, while the head of the famous Grafton Street is at the NW corner.  So we've become habitués of the Green.  A nice spot, very popular with locals and visitors alike.  Reminds us of Boston Commons, as the Georgian neighborhood where we're staying reminds us of Beacon Hill.  So too, the juxtaposition of new buildings and old.

This is a thriving city.  Filled with folks bustling every direction.  Lots and lots of buses, and you've never seen more taxis.  I don't believe I'm exaggerating when I say that over half the vehicles on the streets in Dublin are either buses or taxis.

Just to make us feel at home, it's a very bike-friendly place, with special bike lanes and stands of rental bikes everywhere.  There are charging stations for electric vehicles.  Starbuck's is omnipresent.  And there are pro and con signs EVERYWHERE about an upcoming vote on same sex marriage.

We're enjoying our time here and loving the old Georgian mews of our neighborhood.  A couple museums today, ending with a Mark Knopfler concert at the big arena in the Docklands.  That should give us an abrupt change of scene.