EXPAT WITH KIDS IN DUBLIN

Things you can find in Meath: tombs, fairies, disguised UFOs, old castles...

noreply@blogger.com (Expat with kids in Dublin) — Mon, 10 Aug 2020 16:00:00 +0000

As we continue our staycations with one-day trips around Dublin, last week we visited Co. Meath.

So many things to see and do in this area of the island! And being so close to Co. Dublin, where we live, makes it a great destination for one-day trips. This time our destination was Loughcrew (the Lougcrew Cairns and Loughcrew Gardens afterwards to get something to eat).

Everybody knows the super popular Newgrange Passage Tomb, an amazing place to visit. Your brain goes nuts just thinking how old it is and how white it looks 😁😁. Well, the Loughcrew cairns (Irish Sliabh na Cailli, meaning Hill of the Witch) are actually older - OLDER- than Newgrange (older than Stonhenge in UK and older than the Egyptian pyramids!!!).

Also, the passage and inside chamber of one of the cairns, more specifically Cairn T, are illuminated by a beam of light at sunrise on the Spring and Autumn equinoxes (in Newgrange, the inside chamber is illuminated at sunrise on the Winter solstice)

We visited some time ago and I loved the place! It is not as super organised as Newgrange (for tourists, I mean): when you get to the car park, you just go up the hill and that's it, you're there.

Actually, that is to me, what makes the place so special: it is beautiful as it is, and there is no need for anything else. Plus if you are lucky and the weather is nice, the views from the top are phenomenal, and so are the sheep that you see on your way up (and the sheep poop!).

Al these pics were taken when we first visited.

When we went back last week, we wanted to start our day visiting the cairns, but when we got there, it started to rain, so we had to restructure our day and went to Loughcrew Gardens first... It's just "around the corner".

We'll have a coffee and come back to the cairns when it stops raining, we thought

But it turned out to be a great place to visit and we stayed there the whole afternoon! Let me see:

1.- There were fairies, all over the estate... or at least there were fairy houses, lots of them (very professionally built, by the way)

2.- We actually saw one fairy... or at least we think we did

3.- We solved our money problems for the next generations (after a few tries - not easy!)

4.- We found the magical door that takes you to the unknown

5.- We found UFOs disguised as flowers

6.- Kids that were imprisoned inside the stone columns because of a spell casted by a very bad witch

7.- The pot that witches use to make their potions and cook bold children

The gardens have everything... you just need a little bit of imagination to create the stories, more or less harsh, depending on the age of the kids, of course.

At the entrance of the garden there is also a cafe with tables outside and a little playground: if the weather is nice, you can relax for a bit, while you have something to eat.

Before we left, we visited St Oliver Plunkett's church, which is in the gardens. St Oliver Plunkett was born just beside the church and lived in the are the first years of his life, before leaving for Rome.

It was late afternoon before we left Loughcrew Gardens, so we made a last minute decision to go to Trim on our way to Dublin, as it was too late to return to Loughcrew Cairns and go up. We would go for a walk around Trim castle before heading back home.

It was "almost" sunny when we got there and the walk was fantastic. Took a few pictures, enjoyed the scenery, the dog had the chance to get tired and we promised ourselves that we would go back one morning to try one of the fabulous looking cafés we saw.

Back to Dublin just in time to get something to eat, have a well deserved shower and off to bed. Perfect day, rain included!

Wexford Lavender Farm - Different, pretty, near Dublin, fun for everyone ;-)

noreply@blogger.com (Expat with kids in Dublin) — Sun, 02 Aug 2020 12:44:00 +0000

As some of you know, I am always on the look for new places to visit, cafés to try, parks to test... but I have to admit that I had never heard of Wexford Lavender Farm until a couple of weeks ago, when a friend of a friend posted a couple of pictures on social media.... the place seemed perfect for a day out, so earlier this week we decided to pay them a visit.

The place didn't disappoint!

The farm is in County Wexford, only 1.5 hours by car from Dublin, not difficult to find

and the entry price is 3 EUR per car (really affordable!).

When we arrived, at around 11 am, the car park was still almost empty, so I'd say that is a good time to start the visit.

The fields of lavenders are very pretty, as they have different colours, and there are also other flowers around which make you want to take pictures all the time!!!

Even the boys took a few with their phones (if you want to keep them interested, give them a camera or a mobile phone to take pictures during the visit!!).

And there are so many little details...

Once you get to the bottom of the fields, there are a couple of routes you can do (we were given a sheet with instructions when we arrived at the farm). We did the shorter route, which took about 40 mins to finish (it's a loop)

a nice walk to get ready to have a nice cup of tea and a piece of cake in the cafe (that has a terrace with several tables).

There is also a little shop that is worth a visit and a playground for the little ones beside the car park!

On our way back to Dublin we stopped @Brittas Bay so the dog could run around a little bit, so if the weather is nice, don't forget to take your swimming suits and towels - you may need them ;-).

So if you are looking for a plan that is different from the "home-playground-ice cream-home" (that we all do at least once every weekend) but doesn't involve breaking the piggy bank or spending a whole weekend away from home, I would recommend Wexford Lavender Farm: I believe you'll like it!

IRISHTOWN NATURE PARK and POOLBEG BEACH

noreply@blogger.com (Expat with kids in Dublin) — Tue, 21 Jul 2020 18:03:00 +0000

It's been a very long year... especially since lockdown. So summer has been most welcomed! Even if it means staycations for most of us, it is still great news to take a break from homeschooling, remote working, online shopping and non-stop Netflix watching (and I loove Netflix! it's been a life saver in the past months).

So if you are staying in Dublin for part of your holiday and the weather is reasonable, here is an idea of a morning out that won't require much: a visit to Irishtown Nature Park.

To get there, I suggest you take the route from Sandymount Strand: it starts beside the new playground @ Sean Moore Park. There is no way you will miss the path:

You just have to follow it and enjoy the journey

If you take your dog, I'm sure you'll have to stop a couple of times as he'll want to try the water!

In no time, you'll see the sign:

And here you have two options:

-Take the route to the right of the sign, closer to the sea, with lovely views of Sandymount

-Take the route to the left of the sign, a bit wilder and greener

We took the "greener" one to get to Poolbeg beach and the coastal one to come back, so we wouldn't miss anything.

Any route you take, prepare your camera, because you'll want to take pictures of everything!

As you get closer to the chimneys, you'll see Poolbeg beach from the distance. If you are lucky and the sun is shining, the views are stunning!

Go down to the beach because the sand is actually quite good, and it is lovely to sit for a snack or go for a walk closer to the water. The beach is so spacious that every time I go, I experience a rare sensation of freedom.... and so does my dog, who goes crazy playing around.

The way back is as easy and as beautiful!

After you get to the starting point, and if your kids are not tired, you can take them to the new playground in Sean Moore Park or maybe for a bite in Sandymount: so much choice!

When wandering around in Dublin, look up!

noreply@blogger.com (Expat with kids in Dublin) — Sat, 28 Sep 2019 21:01:00 +0000

Saturday at last! Best day of the week.

So just because it's weekend, and because it's not raining now (yet), and because it's almost October and just because I like you very much 😊, I am going to give you a very important and free piece of advice that you will not find in any tourist guide book:

WHEN WANDERING AROUND IN DUBLIN... PLEASE LOOK UP!

I know, I know... now you are thinking: ?????!!!

Well yes! Many of the street lights / lamp posts in this city are just works of art, really.

Yes, we just see them as part of the city's furniture and barely notice them... and we are missing so much!

Some months ago, I was reading in different local websites that DCC had a 12 month plan to upgrade the city's public street lighting. This upgrade would include replacing some modern street lights with "heritage columns/luminaires" (the old-style ornate ones). Fantastic!

I also learnt that some of the most iconic lamp posts even have names – usually the names of the foundries where they were manufactured.

So you have probably seen a few "Large Hammond Lanes" (my favourites!) around the city centre and along the canal:

These were manufactured in Dublin by Hammond Lane

But I am sure you have also noticed a few "Ballantine columns", with a heavier decoration (more shamrocks and tendrils and leaves...) but still really worth a close look:

The double ones are something else, don't you think?

Ballantine columns were manufactured in Scotland.

The lamp posts of the O'Connell bridge are just fantastic

But please do not miss the ones on Grattan bridge with the hippocampus at the base (we should talk further about this bridge... maybe in another post!)

Or, of course, the ones on Ha'penny bridge are difficult to forget

Countless other examples: just thinking about the ones just outside the City Hall on Dame Street

or along the Liffey:

The list is long, very long. So follow my advice: look up and check those lights because they are part of Dublin's beauty.

A trip to the north of Co. Donegal

noreply@blogger.com (Expat with kids in Dublin) — Sat, 14 Sep 2019 13:20:00 +0000

We were looking forward to going on this trip for a long time... so many people had talked to us about the wild beauty of this area that we knew the north of Donegal would be our trip of the summer.

And so it was!!!

And we all loved it!!! The dog included (she made the trip with us, of course!)

As we always do, we planned the trip in advance: checked a few must-see places and a few we'll-do-our-best-to-see places and then some if-we-have-time-to-see places.

Of course, we ended up going to the hadn't-heard-of-it places, because all plans are made to be broken, aren't they?

First things first: the bad stuff: the weather... how can I put it??? mmmh.... It was BAAAAD.

...but we acted as if we were living the perfect summer break - sunbathing and all ;-)))

And now the good part: let's explain the "awesomeness" of the trip. We made up a route that covered some of the gems –some hidden and some others already popular– around the place were we were staying (Derrybeg, on the coast). Let me show you in this video:

PLACES WE LOVED

1) Derrybeg: it was our base, where our Airbnb house/home was.

The village is very little, but Port Arthur beach –walking distance from the village– was just perfect for us. We went there a few evenings to wind down after our long exciting days playing Indiana Jones (or Gene Kelly in I'm singing in the rain, depending on the day). Sometimes the sky was orange, sometimes it was pink. Always superb!

2) Dunfanaghy: a nice coastal village with a lovely holiday atmosphere (at least in the summer). It's full of cozy cafés, lovely little shops, some restaurants and a few sports businesses. It is perfectly located to make the first pit stop, have a cup of coffee and a piece of cake (or a burger and fries, depending on the time of the day) and then go for a walk on the huge (and I mean huge) beach.

3) Horn Head cliffs: located just outside Dunfanaghy, this place is not mentioned in the video, as we will talk about it in a separate post, but OMG! it is impressive. We were not expecting such spectacular views and striking height (approx 180m) in a place that is not popular at all.... only a couple of cars passed by when we were there and barely stopped.

Definitely the hidden gem of our route and one of the best kept secrets of the Wild Atlantic Way (there are a few!)

4) Ards Forest Park: next time we visit this part of Donegal, we will no doubt spend at least one whole day here, if not two or three - what a pleasure! So many different landscapes, endless beaches, trees of all kinds...

We were told that in Ards Forest Park you can still find Irish Native Woodland (rowan trees, yews, birches, ashes, elms...). After we came back home we started digging a little bit more and found out about Brehon Laws and how these trees were highly protected back in Medieval Ireland - so interesting, really!

5) Glenveagh National Park: what can I say that hasn't already been said about Glenveagh? One of the most beautiful National Parks in Ireland. So well maintained, with such a fascinating history (the castle and gardens were built in 1867 and since then have had different owners until 1975 when it was sold to the Office of Public Works). It has it all...

We arrived late in the evening and walked along the lake for a while - such a pleasure! An easy walk, we ran into a deer who was having his dinner and didn't even bother to look at us. Crossed paths with a few dog walkers, some tourists and a couple of "more professional" hikers -you can see this is a place that suits all tastes. The playground was full of kids so even the younger ones enjoy their time here.

6) Dunlewey: Mid way between Glenveagh National Park and the coast, on the R251 we stopped at Dunlewey to admire the Poison Glen. There is a viewpoint that I would recommend 100%.

To one side there is Mount Errigal (those 751m seem much more than that, I can assure you).

To the other side, the Derryveagh Mountains (Errigal is the tallest of them all) or the Seven Sisters, as they are called, guarding Lough Dunlewy and Lough Nacung. Probably they are also guarding the Green Lady, the resident ghost, and all the fairies that have been sighted in the Poison Glen over the years.... is it a legend? is it true?

7) Bunbeg: such a quiet village with such a lovely beach.... visited in the morning and had a very nice coffee in a lovely shop/café: Harbour Road - made our day.

Then, we visited the harbour (looked perfect under the sun!), which happens to be the smallest active harbour in Europe. It is small, I can confirm.

Then a nice walk on the beach. Super plan!

We visited more places outside of this route and I will show you soon. For the moment hope you liked our story, and I also hope you visit Donegal soon ;-)

Beautiful route along the coast of Sligo (part of the Wild Atlantic Way)

noreply@blogger.com (Expat with kids in Dublin) — Wed, 19 Sep 2018 14:54:00 +0000

Happy Monday!

After a long and very warm summer we are back home, back to school and back to discovering this fantastic Emerald Isle and writing about it.

This time, we would like to write about a trip we made to Co. Roscommon, Co. Sligo and Co. Leitrim at the end of August, an area that was still unknown to us...

And more specifically this post is about the route we did along the coast of County Sligo: loved it, in spite of the weather (which wasn't explosively sunny at times...).

First of all, let me show you the summary of the route we made and then I'll tell you what we loved most:

Our starting point was

1) AUGHRIS HEAD where we were hoping to see seals and dolphins, but unfortunately it started to rain and it was very windy so we didn't try the cliff walk, which seems to be very popular and fairly easy for the whole family.

Still, we loved the place! and we also loved the soup at The Beach Bar!

2) Our next stop was STRANDHILL: fantastic beach to go for a walk and also to go for an ice cream, like we did.

Someone had told us to look for a very popular ice cream parlour over there: Mammy Johnston's, and that is exactly what we did

From the "millions" of flavours they have, we chose... VANILLA! Yeah, we are that exotic! But, you know, somebody has to eat the vanilla flavour as well :-)

If you like "adventure" and would fancy trying other flavours, we learnt that the HONEYCOMB flavour ice cream was awarded best in the world back in 2016!!!! I am sure it's worth a try ;-)

3) ROSSES POINT: so nice! This place is soooo nice! Maybe, it's because the sun started shining when we got here and the beaches became wider and "sandier", and the ocean looked so much "bluer"... maybe. But the truth is that we fell in love with Rosses Point <3

Plus we found a lovely cafe where we had, according to the "experts", a fantastic hot chocolate (my cappuccino was also really good). The Little Cottage Cafe, it is called and if you happen to visit the village, do not forget to stop here ;-)

4) STREEDAGH STRAND was our next stop. This stop had a more educational intention, as it was here where three ships from the Spanish Armada ended their glorious days... and, sadly, approx 1,800 sailors also lost their lives here.

One of the survivors was Captain Francisco de Cuéllar, who became popular because he wrote all the adversities he had to face while in Ireland, trying to return to Spain after the wreckage. To be honest, we did not know many details about the Spanish Armada and de Cuéllar's story, but it is very interesting! Found this site where you can read a very general summary and watch a lovely video.

5) MULLAGHMORE: lovely little village. Very quiet when we arrived, but we later learnt that Mullaghmore Head is one of the best Big Wave Surfing Spots in the Atlantic Ocean, where some 15m high waves were recorded back in 2012! We assume that the place must be full of surfers during the summer. Who would have thought, seeing the pictures???

Before we did this route, we were checking the information on the Wild Atlantic Way site and watched the video below by Red Bull... Just couldn't believe how brave the surfers are to face the Atlantic at Mullaghmore. See for yourself:

As in almost of our stops, the beach here is fantastic (when the sea is quiet!) and the views are second to none. Worth a visit for sure.

Hope you liked this amazing corner of the world. Some more "amazing corners" to come very soon ;-)

Hazel House Cafe (Tibradden) - Impossible not to like it!

noreply@blogger.com (Expat with kids in Dublin) — Fri, 13 Jul 2018 17:33:00 +0000

Not a secret for our followers (not many, but very loyal!) that we love finding new cafés for breakfast/brunch in or around Dublin... we have written several posts about some of our favourite options.

Photo taken @ 3fE

Nordic style or more rustic, to relax or to recharge your batteries, to enjoy traditional food or with a super healthy menu, with amazing eclectic decoration or minimalist... The number of different (but beautiful) family friendly cafés and restaurants has grown exponentially in Dublin in the past years - impossible to visit them all!

Some months ago I asked some Spanish mums living in Dublin which were their best choices and, of all their recommendations, there is one that we really, really REALLY liked: The Hazel House Café in Tibradden:

the exact location is indicated in the map below:

The place is a gem:

- The food is good! In the menu you'll find a combination of traditional dishes with healthier options (good enough for my family!)

- The staff is really nice (very much appreciated!)

- The location, in the Dublin mountains, is fantastic (nice to leave the city from time to time, specially when it's sunny and warm!).

...And there are enough parking spaces, so don't have to worry about where you'll park the car!

- For the spring/summer: you can eat outside. They have a lovely terrace, and pets are welcome (BTW, the café is located only a few minutes away from the DSPCA)

Each table is different and the decoration, both outside and inside the café is lovely

- You can celebrate kids birthday parties and there are also woodwork classes for adults and children

Our last visit took place only a few days ago: the sun was shining and we were able to enjoy our breakfast in one of the outdoor tables... loved it!

Hope you pay them a visit: you'll like the place as much as we do!

Aaaand, guess what!? Marlay Park is just a stone's throw away - you can go to Marlay for a lovely walk (the playgrounds are just fantastic!) after your breakfast at Hazel House and, believe me - your day will be complete!

One last thing... I guess you've noticed not all photos were taken with the same camera... but all of them were taken by us! just wanted to show you as clearly as possible how the place looks like, so I hope you now have a good idea of what you'll find! We will get better with the quality of our photography, I promise ;-)

Downpatrick Head (Co. Mayo) on the Wild Atlantic Way - What a place!

noreply@blogger.com (Expat with kids in Dublin) — Fri, 29 Jun 2018 17:49:00 +0000

Yes, it seems like Christmas was ages ago! We spent last Christmas in Co. Mayo - it was cold and windy and wet and... do you remember those feelings??

But I wanted to write about this amazing spot we visited then, that we hadn't heard about: Downpatrick Head, very close to Ballycastle, Co. Mayo.

Downpatrick Head is a spectacular outcrop just a few kilometres north of Ballycastle. It is incredibly beautiful, but the history of this area really makes the visitor want to know it all about every corner of it!!

To help us forget about how cold it was outside, and how bad the wind was, the first thing we saw when we got there was this:

Lovely looking sky, lovely looking ocean... yes, the wind and the cold were bad, but the visit started to look really promising!!

Started walking up the hill, beside the rocks not to miss the views, which were fantastic, by the way:

It's a nice walk, a little bit upwards, but easy to make ;-).

In the distance we could see the famous blowhole:

Not sure if you've heard about this blowhole: it was created naturally by a subterranean sea tunnel. When you are there, looking down at the hole, you can only imagine what it must feel like to live the rage of the ocean channeled upwards through that hole to explode at the top!

Of course, I did not take this picture (the only one in the post that I did not take)... I found it in the fantastic site mayo.ie where you can find loads of information about the county as well as magnificent pictures like this one. So thanks to the people behind the site!

The inside of the blowhole looks like this:

First history lesson: some Irish and French soldiers died right here, inside the blowhole during the 1798 rebellion - they took refuge at the bottom of it and the tide came up before they could get out... sad story for these men!

We continued our walk until we got to St Patrick's statue

You are not going to believe this, but St Patrick WAS HERE!!! Yesssss, and he founded a church - and my kids are using its remains as a playground in the picture!

For this reason this specific spot was a popular pilgrim destination for years... and still pilgrims do gather here on the last Sunday of July (Garland Sunday), where a mass is celebrated to commemorate the occasion (the things we are learning today!!).

Still the views from here are glorious

Moving on... we are getting there, we can almost see the stack from here! But... there is something else first: that little building in the pictures is... a LOOKOUT POST FROM WORLD WAR II

Isn't it amazing??? according to different Irish history sites that we have read, at the beginning of World War II, the Irish government built a number of small buildings like this one along its coasts. They were used to protect Ireland's neutrality in the war and they were placed in strategic spots to lookout for any aggressive activity that could take place in Irish waters.

There were 83 small Lookout Posts (LOPs, that is how they were called) like this one along the coast and they were in use from 1939 to 1945. This is LOP number 64.

And finally.... Dún Briste, (meaning the Broken Fort) the sea-stack close to the edge of the cliffs (approx 50 metres apart), so impressive! The sea-stack is 45 metres high - it looks much higher though!

There is of course a local legend around Dún Briste - we wouldn't be in Ireland if there wasn't! - it explains that there was a druid chieftain living here that wouldn't convert to Christianity. Such was his stubbornness that St Patrick - who was there founding the church, I assume - struck his crozier against the ground with such strength that, with this strike, the stack was separated from mainland with the chieftain on top. He was left to die there...

We, of course, believe this legend, but there is another "more historical" version of what happened: there was a huge overnight storm hitting this area back in 1393. It was so brutal that the ocean broke a piece of the mainland and Dún Briste was created.

After taking a few pictures and admiring the stack and its different coloured layers, we decided to go back to the car. The light was fading, but still the landscape looked magnificent

We absolutely loved Downpatrick head, it is a MUST-SEE, MUST-DISCOVER spot along the Wild Atlantic Way, that we fully recommend if you happen to be in the area this summer.

I am sure you'll enjoy it like we did!

Relaxing walk from Sandymount strand to Poolbeg lighthouse

noreply@blogger.com (Expat with kids in Dublin) — Mon, 04 Jun 2018 19:14:00 +0000

So many years in Dublin, and so many times I had heard that this walk was very nice and relaxing, with beautiful views... but only a couple of weeks ago I decided I would do it. And I loved it!

I had planned to start the walk @ Sean Moore Park, right beside Sandymount strand and then take the path that starts there towards the Poolbeg chimneys (the blue line in the map below):

I had also planned to do it very early in the morning (I was told that during sunrise and sunset the views are fantastic), so I chose one beautiful morning during the mid term break of the boys.

It all started perfectly!: Just before I left home (5:45am) I had a coffee on my terrace, looking at this (not bad to lift the spirit!):

Camera in hand, with my eyes full of sunrise and my heart full of wonder, I started my adventure.

What can I say about the path?:

Very easy (you do not need special footwear: just a pair of runners are perfect);
Suitable for older kids, maybe not for very young children, but I am sure my boys (9 and 11yrs) would do it without problems; There are parts of the trail that are not good for boogies, I am afraid, so if you're taking your little one, use the baby carrier ;-)
Very satisfying (I stopped a million times, to enjoy what I saw. Some of the benches are beautiful!)

The walk is approx 5 kms long and these are some the pictures I took along the way:

At the beginning

Some birds I saw (I believe they are oystercatchers, although I am not 100% sure)

One of the small beaches right before I reached the lighthouse (you can see it in the distance):

The lighthouse looks impressive from this point:

I had never been so close to the chimneys...

Back home before 10am (after a lovely cup of coffee in Sandymount village) to start another beautiful and sunny day :-) I do not want the summer to end!!!!!

The 9 Glens of Antrim. Glenariff Forest Park

noreply@blogger.com (Expat with kids in Dublin) — Thu, 26 Apr 2018 11:32:00 +0000

Coming back on our lovely short trip to Co Antrim during the Easter break (see my previous post about it here), I wanted to write a special post about the Glens of Antrim, designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) back in 1988.

The area comprises 9 glens –or valleys– that radiate from the Antrim Plateau to the coast.

Even their names are special! here is the list:

GLENARM - Glen of the army.
GLENCLOY - Glen of the dykes.
GLENARIFF - Glen of the arable land.
GLENBALLYEMON - Edwardstown Glen.
GLENAAN - Glen of the little fords.
GLENCORP - Glen of the dead.
GLENDUN - Brown Glen.
GLENSHESK - Glen of the sedges (reeds).
GLENTAISIE - Named after Taisie, princess of Rathlin island.
(info extracted from www.discovernorthernireland.com)

It has been an impossible task for me to find a good map that would clearly show just the nine Glens of Antrim with their names and exact locations. The best I could find is the map below, from www.ireland.com, showing the glens (red names) and their approximate locations in the area:

I know...difficult to read! You could enlarge the picture if you want to locate all of them.

In this last visit, we only had time to visit the spectacular Glenariff Forest Park (Glenariff is also known as The Queen of the Glens) and it offers so much to hikers of all levels, professional and amateur photographers, nature lovers, families with or without pets and everybody else! ;-D.

There are several trails you can follow from the car park of the Forest Park... we decided to follow the Waterfall Walk, very popular, that was opened to the public over 80 years ago!

It's an easy to follow path, with stunning views of the river gorge and, of course, the waterfalls....

The kids had an amazing time along the walk, running up and down, taking pictures and enjoying the views

After the fantastic walk and the two or three million pictures we took, we had our sandwiches at one of the few picnic tables that can be found in the park. Feels gooood to have lunch in such an amazing place... even if it was only ham sandwiches, salad and some fruit!

So now that the weather is starting to give us a break and the sun shines... from time to time, do not hesitate to organise a trip to Co Antrim if you can, because I am sure all the family will enjoy it ;-)

A weekend in Co. Antrim / Co. Derry

noreply@blogger.com (Expat with kids in Dublin) — Sun, 15 Apr 2018 16:10:00 +0000

OK! Let’s call it spring… but it really feels like winter, doesn’t it?

Well, if there is one thing we have learnt (the hard way!) since we moved to Ireland, it’s that you cannot wait for the sun to come out if you want to make the most out of your free time with the kids. You have to go out and look for places that will “brighten up” the rainy days. Wellies and raincoats all packed in your suitcases, of course!

Maybe it’s because our boys have lived here most of their lives, but they do not seem to bother about the weather… Just look at the youngest showing us how to do it:

So, following this number 1 rule, a couple of weeks ago (during the Easter break), we decided to visit, the North, Co. Antrim: an amazing part of the island (of the world!), full of things to do and where you can still find pure nature at its best: ocean views and cliffs that will make your jaw drop and landscapes that you would admire for hours.

There are certain things that will never change, one of them being that we always leave the accommodation arrangements till last minute, and this time was no exception. Thanks to a bit of good luck and our life saver Airbnb, we found a place to stay in the coastal village of Castlerock in Co. Derry. Right at our doorstep, a magnificent beach that The Dog and the boys thoroughly enjoyed from the first minute of our stay.

Once we got there, we found out that Castlerock is only one kilometre away from The Downhill Demesne and the Mussenden temple, which was actually one of the first items in our “to do / to see things” list for this short trip. So in the afternoon of our first day, we decided to visit it.

The whole place is perfect for a quiet afternoon / evening stroll. When we arrived, we started wandering around with no specific direction, as we carried no map, and we loved it: easy paths for non experienced hikers like us, perfectly well maintained, and we even found a nice playground and signs with directions to a café (that we did not visit this time, but that may come in handy depending on the time of the visit).

After a while admiring what we were seeing, we found the correct path to what –for us– was the star of the show: the Mussenden Temple, built by Frederick Hervey, 4th Earl of Bristol, in 1785 and inspired by the temple of Vesta, in Rome. The building served as a library and it was dedicated to the memory of Hervey’s cousin, Frideswide Mussenden (we were wondering about the strange name before we visited it… well, now we know where it comes from!)

I read somewhere that it is one of the most photographed buildings in Ireland, and when you see it, you understand why: it has a stunning location, at the edge of the cliffs over Downhill strand, which is lovely, by the way. Over the years, the erosion of the cliffs has brought it even closer to the edge, making it “dangerously beautiful”.

The beginning of our trip couldn't have been better! We slept like angels that night, hearing the sound of the ocean waves, just metres away from us.

For our first full day up North, we decided to follow the Causeway Coastal Route… well, not all of it, because there are so many things to see and do, that it would not be possible to cover it in just one day. We started just a few kilometres away from Castlerock: in Portstewart Strand, also in Co. Derry.

Portstewart Strand is a two-mile long sandy beach owned and managed by The National Trust. It really feels like it’s much longer when you get there and see it from the top of the hill, and it has that automatic attraction that only some very special places have - that “need” to go for a walk on the sand, to touch the water and feel the breeze on your face.

When I first read about the strand, a few days before our trip, I learnt that cars could park directly on the sand, and I thought: “OMG! It’s going to be in very poor conditions” but I was wrong: the beach is so broad and well maintained that, even with a full carpark, cars , pedestrians, pets, kids and local fauna can all do their thing (walking, jumping, excavating, castle building, etc) without disturbing each other - fantastic!

Before leaving the strand, you have to grab a coffee/bite/full lunch at Harry’s Shack, at the very edge of the beach. It is a favourite amongst locals and tourists alike. We arrived mid morning right after breakfast, so it was only coffee and hot chocolate for us, but the menu looked super attractive, so we will make sure we arrive at the perfect time in our next visit: the reviews we have read are very interesting!

Back to the car, we continued our trip towards Portrush. The road is really nice and our “oooh!s” and “woow!s” were constant with every turn of the road. Made a couple of stops to take some pictures.

One of the stops not to be missed is the Rinagree Coastal Park:

My recommendation: Leave the car at the car park and take the path along the coast - the views of the cliffs are simply breathtaking!

We drove past Portrush, another lovely seaside resort with a few fabulous beaches and a top class golf club - I can imagine it must receive a lot of holidaymakers during high season…

And our next stop was Magheracross Viewpoint (had to change the SD card of the camera at this point because my finger had gone crazy clicking and clicking!).

Portrush and Portstewart to one side and Dunluce castle to the other… wherever you look, you like what you see. Unfortunately for us, the day was a bit dark at moments, so the pictures were not as bright as we would have liked them to be, but we still took them because the place is worth it, even when it’s a bit dark… Even The Dog wanted a photo ;-)

Only a couple of kilometres from Magheracross, we reached another big name in our list: Dunluce Castle.

By this time of the day we had already understood that Northern Irish middle age people knew how to choose the best locations for their castles, and Dunluce just confirmed our theory!

The history of this castle since 1500, when it was built, is fantastic, perfect for an adventure movie: sieges and battles for ownership, ghosts, banshees, shipwrecks nearby, imprisoned maids, great storms… Even Churchill was the owner for a while!

Our next stop on this amazing road trip was Giant’s Causeway: we had been there a few years back, when the boys were very young. Back then, we took the shuttle bus from the car park to the rocks, so this time we wanted to walk that short distance and enjoy the views, take a few (more) pictures and get to know the surroundings…. The guy at the entrance of the car park told us that the price for parking was 29 GBP, which we considered incredibly expensive –we just wanted to walk around– so turned the car around and left. We still keep this stunning place in our memories, though :-)

The good thing about getting there, even if we did not make it, is that we found the perfect food truck: Maegden - they are parked just outside Giant’s Causeway and they prepare the best grilled cheese sandwiches ever! The kids had the mac’n’cheese one with sauce and the adults had the plain one. Both of them were absolutely delicious.

Back to the road, the "ooh!s" and "woow!s" kept on coming: beaches, villages, even the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge that we did not walk (as one of the kids is afraid of heights) but that we saw from the distance.

When we reached Ballycastle, we decided to turn around and drove back home.

I believe the distance is perfect for one day if you –like us– like to stop every now and then to see, take pictures, stretch your legs and have something to eat or drink.

The second part of our short trip was amazing... but will write in my next post ;-)

The things you can do/see/eat/enjoy along the DART line (part II)

noreply@blogger.com (Expat with kids in Dublin) — Fri, 12 Jan 2018 21:32:00 +0000

Hi again - following from my last post about the DART line here, our next station southwards is Booterstown:

You would consider BOOTERSTOWN STATION as convenient only for all the residents of this lovely and quiet area... well, I would advise you to hop off the train here as well.

First of all because the views from the station are just perfect (even when the day is not so bright, as was the case when I took the pics below):

And then for two other important reasons:

- There is a nature reserve here, so if you or your kids like birds, I'm sure you would like to sit down here and take a break from the "city" for a few minutes. Just observe the birds.

I am not a bird expert myself, but the other day we were passing by and sat on the benches for some time, and I really enjoyed it.

Forgot our binoculars though, so we could not identify any of the species indicated on the sign from a distance :-( . We need to go back and we'll be equipped this time!

- Second reason is the beautiful park located between the DART stations of Booterstown and BLACKROCK: it is called Blackrock Park (difficult to remember, I know ;-)), and it is really worth a visit. Actually, it'll take you around half and hour to cross the park from one station to the other, so you could easily walk the distance with the kids and enjoy all the corners of the park.

To explore this green space, just go out of Booterstown station and head south, and you'll just see it there, impossible to miss! Actually the first thing you'll see is a lovely well maintained playground that will keep your kids entertained for as long as you want:

You can see how close the DART line is from the park... so convenient!

Once the kids are tired of running up and down, you only need to follow the well signed path (both for cyclists and pedestrians) that will take you to the other side of the park.

You will walk beside the DART line at all times, and you'll see how pleasant the park is:

The pond is really nice. Of course, kids love to sit there... and put their feet in the water!!!!! What can I say? Did not teach them that, for sure!

After the lake, just walk a little bit further and you'll arrive at Blackrock Station:

Blackrock is a lovely village, with lots of little shops (and also a couple of shopping centres) and many cafés, all of them worth exploring ;-)

I have to say I have a soft spot for The Mellow Fig to stop for lunch, or just a cup of tea/coffee and a pastry: I love the "vibes" of the place!

Actually I wrote a post about this café some time ago... you can read it here.

Back to the DART after a nice meal and a look around, next stop would be SEAPOINT STATION. Hop off if you would like to go for a swim (you can see people swimming here almost every day of the year)

Again, like in the rest of the stations going South on the DART, the views of Dublin Bay are just stunning...

Back on the DART, our next stop is SALTHILL & MONKSTOWN STATION, and once more, before you leave the station, turn around and enjoy the views....

Monkstown is a lovely little village, that we have always considered our favourite "breakfast stop" as it's full of cafés: from Avoca (who doesn't know/like Avoca??) to Cinnamon (same as in Ranelagh) or Café du Journal, to name but a few. List is long and good. It also has some very popular restaurants

Our next stop on the DART line is DUN LAOGHAIRE. Hop off and enjoy!

To start your visit: an ice cream - go to Scrumdiddly's. You only live once, so forget about calories for a day and treat yourselves...

With that perfect customised ice cream in your hand, you can think of planning your visit:

- If you like walking and you like the sea, this is just the perfect place for you!

- You could also just take a stroll around the town with all its shops and cafés.

- A perfect alternative would be a visit to their brand new library: it will not deceive you, promise! It is a fantastic new building, with lots of natural light and super views. Once you're in, you feel like sitting down, taking a book and start reading!

- If your kids are asking you to look for a park / playground, then head to People's Park: a beautiful green space with a little but very complete playground and a Fallon & Byrne café-restaurant at the top with fantastic views of the whole park and the sea beyond. I love this place: going with the kids and a ball and watch them play while you enjoy a fresh cappuccino.

My advise would be at this point to walk towards the next stop which is SANDYCOVE STATION

Sandycove is very popular, mainly because of the James Joyce Tower and museum located in the Martello Tower by the sea. In this Martello Tower is where the first chapter of Joyce's masterpiece, Ulysses, takes place

But apart from being a must-stop for those who love literature - not only Irish, as Ulysses is considered one of the best novels of all times - I love Sandycove as it is always so nice (no matter the weather) so tidy and so full of good vibes that it is a pleasure to take a stroll and fill your body with positive energy ;-)

So here we are, stomachs full of lovely food, hearts full of fantastic memories, brains full of amazing facts... and the day is almost over - I know: only a few DART stops have filled our day: it's the "awesomeness" of Dublin: every corner is worth visiting! Stay tuned for our next DART post where we will talk about the end of the DART line (southside), and you'll fall in love with what you'll see1

Christmas @ Farmleigh

noreply@blogger.com (Expat with kids in Dublin) — Fri, 08 Dec 2017 14:36:00 +0000

Christmas is only around the corner!

I guess all families have their own Christmas traditions: those things you do every year when Christmas spirit starts invading us all....

Well, we also have a few traditions, and one of them is going to Farmleigh:

Farmleigh is a special corner of Dublin all year round, but in Christmas.... that special something becomes magic!

The lovely paths, the trees, the stalls, the house, the café, Santa himself!!! I could go on and on because the list is long :-)

Our routine is always the same when we visit Farmleigh for Christmas: First we head to the Christmas Market (impossible to miss!):

we look around, buy some bread, or a lovely wreath, a cup of coffee or a hot chocolate...

Then we explore: walk around with no specific direction, just enjoying the festive atmosphere. Usually kids take the ball and play around a little bit while we go for a longer walk.

Then, when the cold temperatures start "acting" from our feet up, we go to the Boathouse café, sit outside (yes, traditions need to be followed!) and order some soup, sandwiches, tea... whatever makes us feel warmer.

(these are the kids in 2012!, also outside)

We eat and feed the ducks at the same time ;-)

Some years ago we even had the chance to listen to Christmas carols while having lunch and meet Santa in person!!!

Once we are happy and warm, we slowly walk towards the car: I love it when the daylight starts slipping away, and the street lamps are lit: this even gives the place a more Christmassy feel.

At around 4:30 our day @ Farmleigh is finished.

You see? Very simple, but there are many activities organised for kids here: Story telling, puppet shows, Christmas Carols singing, guided tours of the house.... You can check all events here.

Nice morning walk along Burrow Beach (Sutton)

noreply@blogger.com (Expat with kids in Dublin) — Sat, 25 Nov 2017 18:25:00 +0000

Burrow Beach is just fantastic.

We had not heard of it until a few weeks ago that we found it... by accident.

Huge space for the kids and the dogs to run around and amazing views. We do not require more than that for our weekend walks...

Some crazy people -like my kid- even decide to take some sun..."because we are on the beach, mum!"

Plus it could not be easier to get there by DART (Sutton station)

And after your walk, you can always go to Howth (only a couple of miles down the road, or the next DART station) where there is a great choice of restaurants and cafés. Today we chose Fish and Chips from Beshoff

(no leftovers, but seagulls were waiting nearby, just in case....)

Coming back to Dublin in the afternoon, the light was stunning and the views breathtaking

The perfect end of a perfect day out for all the family!

Things you can do/see/eat/enjoy along the DART line (part I)

noreply@blogger.com (Expat with kids in Dublin) — Fri, 24 Nov 2017 17:22:00 +0000

Hello again!

I have been meaning to write this post for quite some time now....

I would like to tell you about some of the fantastic things that can be done, seen, eaten... and more! along the DART line because, believe me: you do NOT need a car to enjoy a SPECTACULAR DAY OUT - DART offers you so many things you'll be amazed!

First thing: the tickets - you can get a 1 Day Family Ticket for 2 adults and up to 4 kids for just 20 EUR* and start the fun...

Now, the itinerary:

I took the picture from the Irish Rail site and then cropped it so you could see the the DART line (the green one) a little bit clearer... please visit the site if you want to see the full picture.

As it is a very long line, full of attractions and fun things to do and see, I'm going to write several posts covering different parts of the line, so you do not get overwhelmed with information in one single post.

First we'll go SOUTHWARDS

and let's start with CONNOLLY STATION: this is the station to choose if you want to explore the city center.

Just go out of the building - which is beautiful, by the way - and take Talbot Street all the way to the Spire.

From then on, it is basically up to you and your budget as Talbot Street becomes Henry Street, one of the busiest shopping areas in the city, where you'll find all kind of stores, cafés, restaurants.... suitable to all shopping tastes. I will not mention any of them as the choice is so great, I am sure you'll find exactly what you like.

If you have decided to stay within a low budget, you can very well dig into Ireland's exciting history by taking the kids to visit the General Post Office (GPO), right beside the Spire.

This building was a key element in the Easter Rising and there is an exhibition inside that explains it in much more detail.

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Back to the DART, our next station southwards is TARA STREET, and it is also worth a stop:

TARA STREET DART station is located by the Liffey river... nothing very special you would initially think, but just go round the corner and you will see a piece of street art that is worth checking: this giant squirrel made with street junk by Portuguese artist Artur Bordalo.

It is impressive!

Kids love to get close and find out what materials the artist used to do the squirrel, but if you see it from a distance, you'll be amazed....

They filmed themselves the other day trying to identify individual objects that together make this spectacular squirrel (I apologise in advance for the quality of the video, but they did it all....)

I had not heard of Artur Bordalo until he came to Dublin in April, but you can check his work here. Isn't it fantastic?

There is another place you may like to check here: the Custom House, at the other side of the river. Hard to miss, because the building is impressive! You can of course pay a visit to their Visitor Centre and learn the importance of the building over the last century.

And last but not least, also at the other side of the river, very close to Customs House, you'll be able to admire the Famine Memorial and the World Poverty Stone: both full of meaning and worth the visit.

The Famine Memorial is a popular stop for tourists, The statues are so realistic and heartbreaking that it is difficult not to stop every time you pass by, even if you've seen them more than once. They do take you back to the Famine years, to the pain, the hunger, the fear...

The World Poverty Stone is not so popular but it is as well full of meaning: it was unveiled 17 October 2008 - you may know that 17 October is International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. The Stone has the following engraving: "Whenever men and women are condemned to live in poverty, human rights are violated. To come together to ensure that these rights are respected is our solemn duty". These same words have been used in some other commemorative stones around the world with the same purpose.

Both Famine Memorial and the World Poverty Stone are obviously connected and they are very close to each other (a few metres apart). Reading the words on the stone while looking at the Famine Memorial has a very powerful effect. Do not miss them before going back to the DART.

On your way back to TARA STREET station, maybe you would like to have a cup of coffee? Let me tell you that you are just where you need to be: literally opposite the squirrel, you'll see the Shoe Lane café: a perfect spot for coffee lovers, even more perfect for those who - like me- like to try non-dairy milk with their coffee from time to time: they offer five different non-dairy milks!

Actually the café is really nice, warm and welcoming and their pastries are fantastic, so here's an idea: you could make it a first family stop to get some energy in preparation for what's coming along the DART line ;-)

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Next station on the line: PEARSE STATION. A must-stop... for different reasons:

a) Donuts in the station building... just before you reach the street, there is an Off-Beat Donut store that is completely recommendable, specially if you talk to my kids, who are madly in love with the place! (Dad and I also like it ;-) )

b) Science Gallery, right opposite the main entrance of the station building. Highly interesting space where there is always an exhibition that is worth visiting.

Been there a few times and in some occasions the kids would ask us to stay "just a bit longer, mum... this is cool!", and those are the magic words for parents. There is a café inside and also a little shop, where we buy many of the birthday presents for the birthday parties that the kids are invited to.

c) Only a stroll away from the station, Trinity College is a must to visit, full of historic charm and so many things to see that you could spend a whole morning wandering around! By the way, you can access through the same entrance as the Science Gallery.

Along your stroll through campus, don't miss the Book of Kells, the Trinity College famous library (jaw-dropping!) and basically every corner of the place that has that capacity of taking you back in time just by setting your foot in it, so packed with history and knowledge. So nice! I never get tired of this part of the city

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Next station southwards is GRAND CANAL DOCK STATION: located beside Google's European Headquarters (four impressive buildings, three of which are connected by a bridge). If you are lucky enough to know a Google employee (a "googler"), ask him/her to show you inside... interesting experience.

Besides this "techie" stop, you could also visit Grand Canal Square, just a stroll away from the station. Nice atmosphere and lovely view on a sunny day.

You could also grab a coffee (Il Valentino, in one of the corners of the square is a perfect spot)

Or have a full meal in one of the restaurants around: Milanos, Herb Street, HQ, the restaurant at the Marker hotel.... the choice is great.

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Next stop is LANSDOWNE ROAD STATION, and if you are a sports lover, I will not need to say anything else for you to know what you can expect here:

of course - the Aviva Stadium, traditionally called Lansdowne Road Stadium, where both the Ireland rugby and soccer teams play their home matches. It is possible to take a tour of the Stadium - there are tours everyday, except when there is a match so don't miss the opportunity to see a landmark of international sport and learn about its history.

Besides, the stadium is beautiful from whatever angle you look at it at any given time of the day!

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Next station is one of my favourites: SANDYMOUNT STATION: Sandymount village is definitely worth a visit. Lovely coastal village with a fabulous strand, perfect to go for a breezy walk and enjoy the views and also a bunch of lovely cafés and restaurants to go for a meal if the walk along the strand has left a hole in your stomachs.

There are also many other shops that I am sure you will like, most of them around the locally popular Sandymount Green.

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Back on the DART line we arrive at SYDNEY PARADE STATION, in the heart of Dublin's Embassy-land and mansion-land ;-). Nice area to go for a walk and decide what type of mansion you would buy if you won the lottery!

Also Sydney Parade station is very close to Sandymount strand, if you just want to go for a walk and enjoy the sea breeze, this would be your stop.

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Next stop, BOOTERSTOWN STATION is full of surprises, even if you could initially think it is not interesting... I will tell you all about it in Part II of this "along-the-DART-line" series

* Price valid when this post was written November 2017

County Meath - so many things to see and do...

noreply@blogger.com (Expat with kids in Dublin) — Mon, 06 Nov 2017 13:26:00 +0000

Not sure why... maybe because it's so close to Dublin, we had never properly visited County Meath.

Yes, we had seen some of the most popular places there, but never stayed overnight, so last weekend we decided to pack our things and get to know Meath a bit better.

And let me tell you: WE WILL BE BACK!

Places I wouldn't miss if I were you:

- Slane Castle: Impressive.

That is what all of us thought when we saw the castle from the road.... It was late in the afternoon and we did not go for the guided tour, but I would recommend you to go inside, to the bar and have a drink.

...and if you're lucky enough to have good weather, the terrace is waiting for you:

Only heard good comments about the restaurant as well (Gandom Room Restaurant), so we've added a Sunday lunch @ Slane Castle to our "End of 2017 to-do-list"

- We also visited the Hill of Slane.

If you do not know why Slane Hill is famous for, this is my son explaning it to you ;-)

So, basically "St Patrick read a proclamation or something to say that Ireland would be Catholic instead of non-Catholic". What a summary!!!

- Loughcrew Cairns: a surprise! A huge surprise

For those of you who have not heard about Loughcrew - in Irish Sliabh na Cailli - meaning Hill of the Witch - and on surrounding hills, it is a passage tomb site (one of the four main ones in Ireland), located near Oldcastle, in Co. Meath. It dates back to approx 3300 BC, so a bit older than Newgrange, which is located only a few kilometres away.

We had heard about Loughcrew, but what we did not know is that one of these passage tombs - called Cairn T - is aligned with the Equinox sunrise: it is directed to receive the beams of the rising sun in the mornings around the Spring and Autumn equinoxes (21 March and 21 September) - during those mornings, the light from the sun shines down the passage and illuminates the art on the backstone of the chamber... Stunning, isn't it?

Very similar to what happens in Newgrange for the Winter solstice. Loughcrew is not so popular though, but I would say it is also spectacular to be in the chamber during those mornings in March and September.

We really enjoyed our walk up to the top of the Cairn T ....

and the views from there - stunning.

plus we had great company all the way up and down which made the day even better!

Tried to imagine how the tombs were built with such a precision so long ago and the kids were simply amazed trying to imagine it (they were actually inclined to believe the local legend - that the tombs were actually built by witch Garavogue who jumped from hill to hill, dropping stones from her apron on her way. Those stones formed the cairns that can be admired today! )

If you feel hungry on your way down - like we were - I would strongly recommend the cafe in the Loughcrew Gardens only a couple of kilometres away (we did not visit the gardens, another point for our to-do-list as it seems like the prefect place for "active" kids): the hot chocolate is sooo good, and I loved their vegetable soup.

- Last but not least, I would also recommend Fore Abbey - the location is just perfect, and the ruins are so special.

And, of course, if you add that little bit of magic (the tree that does not burn, or the water that flows uphill, the water that doesn't boil... are three of the 7 Wonders of the place that you can read here), then you have the perfect combination to attract the kids' attention for a while.

Actually it is a miracle that we can still see some ruins of the place as it was burnt up to 12 times between 771 and 1162.

So many things we saw, so many castles, good cafés, lovely restaurants that we will for sure come back very soon to explore more in depth.

In the meantime, we will enjoy with our memories and our pictures.

If you want to spend a weekend packed with adventure, "wow" moments, history on site lessons and fantastic food, Co. Meath is the place for you and yours!

Nice walk for the whole family... and very close to Dublin - Ticknock Forest

noreply@blogger.com (Expat with kids in Dublin) — Mon, 30 Oct 2017 09:13:00 +0000

Ticknock Forest is without a doubt one of the best places in Dublin to go for a family walk, specially during this time of the year!

- Firstly because it's really close to Dublin

- Also because there are loop walks starting at the car park that are perfectly suitable for young kids (and small dogs), well signed and easy to follow. Everyone will get back to the car with a huge smile of satisfaction and still a bit of strength in their muscles to fully enjoy the moment. And the best part: they'll sleep like babies later on!!!!

- And, of course, because the colours are just amazing and the views from the top are so rewarding that you will forget about the little effort you have to make to get there, I assure you ;-)

Given that the weather has been kind this weekend, yesterday we decided to go to Ticknock Forest with some friends to walk the Fairy Castle Loop, which is approx 5.5km long and starts and ends in the Car Park (Green Trail waymarking).

The first part of the walk is a road, so even though you go up, your feet do not suffer because of the terrain. Not as fun as going through the woods, but easier, specially if the kids are very young

After a while you get to the fist view point: lots of "oooooh!"s and "aaaaah!"s, as well as dropped jaws when people arrive and see. The views never disappoint!

A family pic taken and we continue the walk. Pavement is gone and now the path gets more rocky, but still easy to follow for the youngest of the family. Also a bit steeper than before.

We stop once to eat some fruit and drink a little bit of water and continue our walk up. In no time we reach the top: we have finally arrived at the Fairy Castle.

I know, it is not that high - a bit more than 500m - but when you get to the top, you have the amazing feeling that you have conquered Mount Everest, I swear. The temperature is a bit lower, the wind blows a bit harder and the trees disappear creating a more "alpine" atmosphere.... OK, still lots of people around, babies crying and dogs barking, but that instant of I MADE IT! is fantastic.

And then the pictures on top of the stone cairn to remember that moment forever.

By the way, only today I have learnt that this cairn is a collapsed passage tomb that dates back to the Bronze Age - one of several similar tombs that can be found in the area, so if you are interested in archeology, maybe this is the place to visit!

Back to the car the walk seems even easier.

We finished the loop in approx 2 1/2 hours, including our stops to take pictures and eat some fruit and had kids and dogs with us, so not bad at all.

Totally recommend Ticknock Forest and the the Fairy Castle Looped Walk. Why don't you try it today?

Discovering "another" Wicklow... Baltinglass

noreply@blogger.com (Expat with kids in Dublin) — Tue, 24 Oct 2017 17:39:00 +0000

It's been a while since my last post... and I apologise. I have been working on the blog these last weeks though: collecting some material for future posts and making tons of pics.

But mostly I have been busy taking care of the new member of the family: a puppy that we have just adopted! And believe me when I say it is a lot of work!

Meet "TheDog"

After a few weeks living together, things seem to be going back to normal, or at least not so hectic as during the first days, but our routines have changed a little bit: we have always liked packing a few pieces of fruit, and a few sandwiches and going away to explore the "unknown", but now it has become almost a must to go out so "TheDog" can have her share of fresh air and burn as much energy as the kids if not more... so we can all sleep well at night.

With that in mind, last weekend we went to discover the west side of County Wicklow and ended up in Baltinglass.

I have to say -and I apologise in advance to all locals- that for us Wicklow was basically Bray, Greystones, the Wicklow Mountains, Glendalough and that was it.... but I was wrong! There is more Wicklow beyond the popular areas of the Wicklow Mountains and it is worth exploring it.

My kids had been to Baltinglass Outdoor Education Centre just before the summer and they liked the area so we went for a walk with TheDog on Sunday.

This is what we found:

Fantastic Baltinglass Abbey, beside the river Slaney. Founded in 1148 by Dermot McMurrogh, King of Leinster, who brought Cistercian monks from Mellifont Abbey, located close to Drogheda in Co. Louth.

The views of the remains of the abbey are stunning from every angle.

We also liked St Mary's church, right beside the abbey.

But apart from the history lesson we learnt, we would also recommend a short walk towards river Slaney, where you'll find a couple of benches where you can relax and have something to it while your children/pet can play around (there is a nice spacious lawn out there).

The weather did not help much, but we took the most out of it! You know what they say: there is no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothing.

A stroll around the village is also nice ;-)

Do come and visit this part of County Wicklow... it will not deceive you

Tasting the best donuts in Dublin (with the best donutology experts!)

noreply@blogger.com (Expat with kids in Dublin) — Thu, 29 Jun 2017 09:52:00 +0000

Some weeks ago I wrote a blog post about our favourite spots in Dublin to have a cup of coffee... because in the past couple of years the number of nice new independent cafés in and around the city has grown exponentially - there always seems to be a new one around the corner, which is fantastic: the more, the merrier!

(3fE Dublin)

I see a similar increasing tendency in other areas... one of them is clearly the amount of spots where you can buy donuts in town.

We have a hugely recognised DONUTOLOGY expert in the family (donutology: the science/art of actively and willingly searching, finding, tasting and testing donuts with an objective mind and a neutral point of view) . He's 10 years old but he knows almost everything there is to know about these round treasures and is always asking us to take him to any new donut shop that opens in town.

Based on his input, and on that of his brother, who is training hard to acquire his older brother's well worked expertise, we have made a list of the best donuts in Dublin (that we know of!) which includes:

- Off- Beat Donuts: hard to beat! The choice is outstanding - they seem to have a donut for every single taste, no matter how specific. Always fresh! Not expensive. Can be bought in different stores in Dublin (not only their own stores but also in some Fresh supermarkets), which is very convenient when you're moving around with kids

- Krüst Bakery: perfect location on George's street - comes very handy when you're doing some family shopping with the kids in the city centre and they get tired after... two and a half minutes (and that is when they are patient!). Donuts are very good according to the "experts" who also strongly recommend trying the cronuts from Krüst (half croissant, half donut - who wouldn't want to try????)

- The Rolling Donut: again so many flavours to try, it's hard to make up your mind when the shop attendant is waiting and you need to pick just three jewels from the whole treasure chest in a matter of seconds... the pressure is high, I can assure you! Also in this case, they sell in three different locations (see here). The one from the picture is the store located opposite St Stephen's Green shopping center, beside Gaiety Theatre.

- Aungier Danger: Open everyday in two different locations in Dublin - Big donuts (in size and taste!) with super attractive names that make you think that if a chocolate donut filled with custard cream is called "the Dublin death trap" -which makes it sooo much more attractive- why couldn't I call a dish of grilled cod with spinach on side... "the inflatable bed lost in the jungle" or a dish of runner beans "the radioactive alien worms" which sound so much fun to eat... and and save the world!

The other day we decided to try them all "blindly" and see which one we really liked the most... We bought donuts from these four super-favourite stores

The kids did not know where the donuts on each plate came from and prepared their tools: a glass of milk, a pen and a notebook to write their evaluation (they took the test very seriously!)

All the donuts were warmly applauded! This is how it went and the winners:

Happy to hear your thoughts about your favourite ones!

Father's day again.... a few present suggestions you may want to consider!

noreply@blogger.com (Expat with kids in Dublin) — Mon, 12 Jun 2017 18:18:00 +0000

Father's Day next weekend... again!!!

For us it's always rather difficult to find the right present for Dad. It has to adjust to our budget and still be special enough, so he feels he's as important to us as he really is!

This year we celebrated Father's Day a bit earlier than the on official day (in Spain, Father's Day is celebrated in March and Dad's birthday was in April so we chose to celebrate everything last weekend).

And only this time, Dad received a few more presents than usual - he loved them all! and I believe each one of them is a great present by itself, that is why I would like to talk to you about them:

- If there is NO budget, but a bit of work for the kids:

A family picture hand made by the boys

This year they made the picture with rocks they collected at the beach and the lid of a shoe box, and put a lot of imagination and effort... The end result was perfect!

Keep looking at it and I think my head is a bit to the left? and my hair looks weird... but the boys say I look exactly as in the pic (OMG, should I be concerned?????). Anyway, this kind of presents is always very well received and Dad was super happy with it!

- If the kids decide to open their piggy banks and spend their own money in the present for Dad (so LOW BUDGET, but fantastic results expected):

A personalised hand made gift is what you are looking for.

This time the present chosen were two luggage tags from makeitwithwords.com, beautifully presented and personalised with the names of the boys and the year when Dad became a Father... fantastic present for a very affordable price that Dad really appreciated. Total success!!

We chose the luggage tags this time, but there are fantastic items to choose from at their site, and every single one of them is very special, perfectly finalised to the highest standards by the team at makeitwithwords.com

If you decide to buy any of their products through their website, do not forget to provide the discount code MAKEITFORDAD17 and a 20% discount will be applied to your purchase (code expires Tuesday 13th June at midnight, so you still have some time!!!)

- Higher budget required, so the kids would need help from mum:

Dad received one present of this kind as well this year: a Dublin helicopter scenic tour from giftexperienceireland.ie

Not as affordable as the first two presents I recommended, it is still not critically expensive and for sure a winner: don't fully understand what it is with men and vehicles of any kind, but any present that is related to a tour in any vehicle has many chances of success, and this case was not different. Dad was super happy and is already planning the tour day ;-)

- Once-in-a-decade-budget type of present:

An Airbike Ali5 electric scooter.

It is not the usual yearly present... It's something more special. But Dad was very good this year and it was the prefect time to spend the money

Light and fast, no physical effort needed and no fuel required. He can forget abut parking spaces and he won't contaminate the atmosphere. When folded, the thing becomes very compact and light, easy to carry around...

So here are the 4 presents I am recommending to you. I believe you could find at least one that suits both your needs and your budget.... let me know if you do and how it goes!

And remember: if you want to avail of the 20% discount in makeitwithwords.com, using the code MAKEITFORDAD17, place your orders before Tuesday 13th June!

And I hope you really enjoy next Father's Day!

Bray Head - Nice exercise and rewarding views from the top!

noreply@blogger.com (Expat with kids in Dublin) — Sun, 04 Jun 2017 19:22:00 +0000

Bray is ALWAYS a great idea!

No matter if you only want to go for short walk, or for lunch, to get some sun or enjoy the sea, it seems that this town easily adapts to all tastes.

One Saturday morning, some months ago we got up with that "I'd-love-to-go-hiking" feeling and decided we would go to Bray.

Plan was simple: go for a nice walk in the area and then have something to eat in the town before heading back home. With this super complicated plan in mind, Bray Head seemed like the perfect destination.

Bray Head is a hill located in Bray, at the end of the seafront promenade. It's only 241m high, but the views of the Wicklow Mountains and the Irish Sea from the top are truly outstanding.

At the very top, the Cross, a huge concrete cross that was erected in 1950. I recently learnt that every year, on Good Friday, a group of people climb the hill from the town in procession to mark the stations of the Cross....

So Dad drove to the Raheen Park car park (see starting point with a little yellow car in the map below), which is also the starting point for the so popular Bray to Greystones Cliff Walk (that I will explain in a later post, of course) and we started our climb.

Actually the views from the car park are already pretty cool, aren't they?

We were not sure how hard the day would be so we were prepared for an Everest-type of climb and ready to make history by reaching the top...

but it turned out to be a bit easier than expected (thank God!) so we had the chance to enjoy the walk, take pictures, make jokes, have fun and still climb up.

Before we even started to think we were tired, we were reaching the top...

For the kids, to get to the top was a fantastic reward, after their climbing effort. They were delighted!

The walk down was easier and we could enjoy the views a little bit more than when we were climbing up, so in no time we were back at the car park.

For lunch... no negotiations required: went to our number 1 place: Campo de'Fiori Bistro-Market: they always have everyone's favourite pizza!

Actually, I never have the chance to take a proper picture of any of the pizzas before the boys (and Dad!) start eating them... A good sign I guess ;-)

I'd fully recommend this plan if your kids like a bit of adventure and good pizzas/pasta, specially now that the summer seems to be knocking on our doors. It is of course pouring down with rain the moment I am writing this, but I sincerely hope the summer will knock on our doors any time soon!!!

If you do not have a car, you can of course still get to Bray by DART. You can check the timetables here.

Legoland Windsor (UK) - so much fun!

noreply@blogger.com (Expat with kids in Dublin) — Fri, 26 May 2017 13:08:00 +0000

We did it again! We went back to Legoland Windsor for our pre-summer mini-break.

Believe me when I say we gave the boys the opportunity to pick any other park in any other country (actually I was so looking forward to hear them say they wanted to visit Eurodisney, for a change...), but they were clear: we want to go to Legoland in UK.

OK then, off we went... for the third time in 5 years! And listen: on our way back, on the plane, both boys were already planning another visit next year!! Can you believe it? seriously, Legoland Windsor Resort Management Team: shouldn't we be considered VIP visitors by now? Maybe get free coffees when we visit?? Just leaving it there ;-)

The good thing about having been there before is that you learn from past experiences, so this time we decided to go for a 2 day stay. Chose Friday and Saturday, because the number of visitors on weekdays is considerably lower, so on Friday the kids could try all the attractions they wanted without having to bother about long and boring queues (the pic below was taken midday on Friday... nobody around!)

that is why we hopped on the Dragon rollercoaster maybe fifteen times during the day: the exercise you do going up all those stairs is extraordinary!

Also gave them the opportunity to take most of the pictures and videos (using our brand new GoPro) - much of the work you see in this post is theirs!, like this video that they filmed and helped edit:

Also good things is that the kids planned the visit themselves: what we had to see and in which order.... easy-peasy for the grown-ups! Amazing to swap roles from time to time ;-)

In between Dragon rides, we could see more things (thank God they let us see more things, because I have discovered that 10+ non-stop rollercoaster rides are too much for me!). Amongst many others:

- Star Wars model display @ The Beginning: the place still amazes us after all our visits.

The level of detail, the number of bricks used in each scene, the sounds, the movements of the figures... it's something that cannot be described: you need to see it, even if you are not a crazy Star War fan.

I know: having a Star War savvy beside you during the visit helps... a lot ("mum: this is from movie nr XX", "mum: this is the battle in planet XXXX", "mum: this is when XXX fights against XXX"...) But still, the work done there to recreate different scenes of the movie saga is absolutely outstanding

- Mia's riding adventure: were shocked when we tried this new (for us) attraction @ Heartlake City area because from the outside it looks sooo innocent...

well, let me tell you that it is thrilling!

I am sure the staff still remembers us shouting like crazy hugged to our horses as if there was no tomorrow when going round and round and up and down: a very intense experience, available to everybody at least 1.2m tall.

- The Vikings River Splash @ The Land of Vikings is a "wet" attraction, fun, but it doesn't turn your stomach upside down and even the people from outside who are not on the boats enjoy it. One of my boys had the time of his life shooting water to all the boats from the outside... we had to drag him out of the shooting spot after at least half an hour of pulling the trigger!

- We released adrenaline at the Laser Raiders attraction @ Land of the Pharaohs : super attraction to become Indiana Jones, shooting like crazy for a few minutes

- Had the chance to watch the Pirates of Skeleton Bay stunt show,

and of course we got veeery wet! And we cannot say we were not warned... they told the public at the very beginning: you will get wet, and we laughed (probably they were laughing louder, thinking "poor innocents"!). Well, it happened: we got wet. Still, the show is superb, very entertaining for kids of all ages!!

And they did amazing things! See the last part of the show:

- Atlantis voyage @ Adventure Land is also a must. It is a journey underwater inside a fantastic Octonaut-like submarine. My kids always love it and are literally glued to the big submarine windows from beginning to end, because sharks will always be sharks...

There are of course many more attractions and things to do, but what I enjoy most is the "street art" of the resort.

The building possibilities of the Lego bricks are endless and what you see in Legoland Resort is just a proof. One could spend hours on end admiring each and every figure dispersed along the walking paths, outside each attraction, even beside the restaurants! They are works of art!

Take the example of this "little Iron Man"

that is made of 595,000 Lego pieces!

What I have noticed over the years is that my kids appreciate this now much more than when they were younger... and they stop looking at the figures and think out loud: how many bricks do you think they've needed to build this? or how long can it take to do this other? or is this built just with standard pieces? or how is it moving? could we build this with our pieces at home?

Our 2 day trip came to an end incredibly fast...now we have the pictures and we have started working on the wish-list for our nest mini break @Windsor Legoland resort. This list includes very high up staying at one of the 2 hotels of the resort, that we have not tried yet. Hopefully next year!

Jump Zone @ Sandyford (Dublin)

noreply@blogger.com (Expat with kids in Dublin) — Tue, 02 May 2017 22:48:00 +0000

...And last weekend we HAD TO continue looking for fun activities for those rainy days (it was pouring down with rain and we did not want to stay home and get bored!)

We ended up @ Jump Zone, in Sandyford, that the kids already knew because they had been invited to a couple of birthdays there. See below how they spent the afternoon!:

This time, I do not have much more to write... It is said that an image is worth a thousand words, so I really hope that after watching the video you'll have a clear idea of how much kids (and adults!) enjoy @ Jump Zone. My boys couldn't stop talking about the experience on our way back home.

Just a few things not explained in the video:

the place has a cafe with some tables so relaxed mums and dads can happily have a cup of tea and wait while the kids are improving their mortal jumps for next Olympics - no worries: they still have three years to practise! My advise would be to take a big bottle of water for the kids, because they are constantly moving and ask for water all the time.

we payed 12 EUR per kid per hour, but you can see a detailed price list in their site (the price depends on the day, the time and whether you have grip socks or you need to buy them there). Money well spent...

only kids older than 5 years can access.

best of all: there are trampoline fitness classes for adults and they sound like a lot of FUN (in capitals). Besides, I was reading that an hour of jumping on a trampoline burns over 1,000 calories (three zeros!), so I think I am up for the challenge! See days, times and prices of the classes here

If you do not know the place and your little monsters are older than 5, I do recommend you take them one day. You will not regret it

Our favourite spots to have a cup of coffee in and around Dublin

noreply@blogger.com (Expat with kids in Dublin) — Fri, 28 Apr 2017 19:29:00 +0000

It is true - I can confirm it: the streets of Dublin have become the perfect stage for a wave of fantastic new actors looking to come in first in the ongoing contest "WHO SERVES THE BEST CUP OF COFFEE IN TOWN?"

Just navigate in Internet and you'll find quite a few expert bloggers and sites commenting about their favourite contestants to achieve this award and I mostly agree with their choices

Thing is... I am a mum, mainly and firstly I am a mum so when I think of my perfect cup of coffee in Dublin, I am not only considering the quality of the coffee (which still is -of course- the main point) but also other family-related factors, because if these are not taken into account, my best cup of coffee would not exist, in spite of the quality of the beans:

- Apart from the best cup of coffee, is the place offering anything that the kids can have? (they're still too young for coffee). In that "anything" I would include nice milkshakes, amazing slices of homemade cake, pastries... and

- Is the place nice enough for the kids to sit down and be entertained until I finish my superb cup of coffee

- Or maybe, the spot is located in an area where the kids can run around so they do not have to be waiting for me at the table (always difficult for them to keep still for more than 5 mins... I'm sure you know what I mean!)

With that in mind these would be our winners (not in order of preference, but in order of seniority - first one we know for longer and last one is quite new to us):

- Terrace at the Avoca Cafe in Kilmacanogue

Picture this: you and your partner having a very nice cup of coffee in the lovely terrace, newspaper in hand, chocolate gingerbread man waiting to be beheaded beside your coffee mug -other fellow gingernbread men had already been "murdered" by the boys-, morning sun shining down on you, providing the sooo necessary and so comforting natural warmth (or maybe the sun is not shining...), birds are singing.

The kids??? Well, the kids killed their gingerbread men in cold blood and then left... they are now over there, in the garden, running around playing hide and seek, or rolling down the hill; you can see them, and you can check what they're doing, but you do not need to suffer the: "are you done mum? can we go? what's taking you that long??!!! your coffee will go cold if you do not hurry up, mum!".

Priceless, believe me!

I wrote a post about the place and how to get there some years ago, but everything I wrote back then is still valid for us (we visit quite often), so please feel free to read it if you want to feel this unique experience :-)

- Union Cafe, beside Deer Park.

Would definitely recommend it for those lazy summer mornings/afternoons when you just cannot face the idea of running around chasing mini people, because your inner self is begging you not to do any physical activity but to indulge yourself... go to Union Cafe, get a nice table at the terrace, directly looking at the Deer Park playground which is located literally opposite the cafe,

sit down ask for a coffee and one of their pastries (which look unreal and taste delicious) and see how your kids fall in love with the state of the art playground only a stone throw away

If your children are not that young, you will be able to control them from the comfort of your table, coffee and pastry paradise... Isn't it a dream come true?

Read my post for more details about Union Cafe and Deer Park to get the feeling of what I mean.

- Lolly and Cooks @ Herbert Park.

Herbert Park is one of our favourite city parks. Always full of kids running around. There are tennis courts, soccer grounds, a lawn bowling club, a magnificent playground (not big, but great fun for kids of all ages), the pond with all the ducks that attract curious toddlers like magnets. And for the last year or so, there's the cafe.

Lolly and Cooks serves very good coffee, offers nice cakes and cookies and it's located in an unbeatable location. Get a cup of coffee and a slice of cake (my sons' favourite is red velvet cake but I tend to order a muffin), sit at a table in their terrace so the kids can sit down with you but still have the feeling that they're in the park. Once they finish their cake, they'll start playing beside the table and you'll be able to enjoy your coffee while you also enjoy their company (win-win!)

- Scoop Ranelagh

If you just do not have the time to sit down and enjoy, but you still want/need a real good quality cup of coffee and are determined to find a place where all members of the family are happy to go... well in our family Scoop would be the place: just look at their faces, gelato in hand!

Amazing gelatos and smoothies, supreme crepes and waffles and lovely cups of coffee to go, or to sit there for a few minutes. I can assure you, your kids will be delighted to hear you say you want to go somewhere for a coffee to go, and they will no doubt "kindly suggest" to head in that direction. You know they can be very persuasive...

I know: this list is not similar to the ones I was referring to at the beginning of the post: this is different, exclusive for parents who do not want to give up the pleasure of a good cup of coffee just because they happen to be with their kids...

Looking for a good plan with the kids no matter the weather

noreply@blogger.com (Expat with kids in Dublin) — Sat, 22 Apr 2017 08:00:00 +0000

Finally weekend is here! Now we have two long days ahead of us to relax enjoy and look for adventure :-)

My Friday evening routine is always the same: check met.ie and any other weather forecast site in order to know if we will have a lovely and sunny weekend to enjoy outdoors or a rainy (and also lovely!) couple of days ahead.

But (thank God there is a but!) there are some weeks that we do not worry so much, because there are excellent weekend plans that can go ahead no matter the weather, and this is the case of Rainforest Adventure Golf at the Dundrum Town Center

The place ticks many boxes (some of them are mandatory for our standards!):

It's close to Dublin
Easy to reach even if we're using public transport (LUAS is the perfect way to get there)
We can use the Dundrum Town Center parking if we decide to take the car
Keeps them entertained for a good couple of hours
There is a cafe in the premises, so we can relax afterwards (normally everybody gets very excited when we reach the last holes....) with a nice cup of tea, an ice cream or a snack

So if you do not feel like playing and you are letting Dad deal with them solo just this once, you can relax for a while...

The two courses available are easy enough for the kids to have the chance to win, even if their skills are not... "fully developed" yet so they do not get frustrated when they play

and the decoration is great - as you go along you have the feeling that you are walking deep into the jungle: all the noises, the animals (they look real!), the colours...

One thing I liked compared to other similar places is that the balls have different colours so nobody fights over whose ball is the one closest to the hole (haven't you had that argument when you play crazy golf with he family or is it only that my kids are a bit too competitive and have a lousy memory???).

Regarding the price: if you want to play both courses, the price is a bit high, but get there before noon and you'll be able to avail of the 2 for 1 offer: play the 2 courses for the price of one (offer available on the date this post has been written - April 2017). There are some other offers available in their website - check them out!

So if you look up at the sky this morning and you're unsure about the surprises that Irish weather will bring today, maybe you could give Rainforest Adventure Golf a try - I'm sure the kids (and the adults!) will love it!