After two days of bustling city living, it was time to get out into the country a little bit. We boarded our bus at 9:00 this morning, and Captain Lee charted a course westward, about an hour up the M3 to Causey Farm in Fordstown. (http://www.causey.ie)
We started the day with a lesson in making traditional Irish brown bread, and our kids worked in teams to bake their very own loaves from scratch, later to be devoured as lunch. From the baking room we learned some traditional Irish dancing (not at all like
Riverdance!) and then moved into Girley Bog to learn a bit about the importance of peat to Irish peasant life. Among the trees of the bog, a few students tried a couple of low ropes type obstacles (rope bridge and tire—ahem! tyre—swings) to, mostly, smiles and success. One of our kids, who will remain unnamed but answers to something that sounds suspiciously like “Bosh Moresky,”found the tyres more difficult than expected, and his efforts just may go down in Causey Farm lore for years to come. Of course, what is a farm without animals? Our group had a chance to hold a day old lamb, and they played with puppies, sheep, and cows before heading back into Dublin for one more afternoon.
Some reflections on Dublin:
-It is a city trying to rediscover its architectural identity, and after years of centuries old buildings being bulldozed for 1960s, 70s, and 80s offices and apartment complexes, there is a renewed effort to save the oldest buildings, walls, and character of an ancient city.
-At the same time, it is in the midst of a dramatic building phase, and construction is found around every corner. Cranes soar high above rooftops as new buildings are put up, roads are torn up to make way for a brand new light rail system, and some of the oldest parts of the city are blanketed in scaffolding as rescue efforts are underway to protect and refurbish all that is worth keeping.
-Dubliners seem to love, love, love doughnuts! There are doughnut shops—quite fancy ones reminiscent of the cupcake craze in the U.S. a few years ago—all over the city, and all of them seem to be doing quite well. Our favorite: Boston Donuts in the Temple Bar area.
-Young (under 30) Dublin women love, love, love makeup! The more the better, it often seems, and much of it appears to be used to create the impression of a tan. Although we had a second day with lots of sunshine, the normal weather might make a natural tan difficult, so maybe the artificial bronzing is understandable.
-The people we’ve met have been wonderfully friendly and welcoming. Sure, just as you’ll find in any city anywhere, crowded sidewalks can create some tension, but the people we’ve talked to on the farm and in the city have offered help, advice, smiles, and warmth.
Tomorrow we head north in a day filled with travel to Scotland, so it is unlikely that we’ll be able to update the blog for about 48 hours.
ceceliapan 