Today is a travel and a wandering by foot day. If you're only interested in the cycling parts of my trip, stop reading now!
My room at the Malone Guest House had a phone, and I tried to access the Internet last night, but for some reason I couldn't connect. I woke up early today, and - success! I was able to upload five days worth of journal entries, and check my guestbook entries. Thanks to everyone who wrote. I'll send replies later, no time this morning - it's time for breakfast and then I'll be off to the train station to catch my train to Dublin.
I had a breakfast conversation with woman from Dublin. She's in Belfast for 10 weeks for training for her job. She grew up in Dublin, and went to university in the south - and this is the first time she's been in Northern Ireland. I guess it's not just people from foreign countries who unnecessarily stay away from here.
There was a card for a cab company in my room: "fonaCAB - BELFAST & BANGOR". That struck me as funny. Am I in Ireland? Or am I in Maine?
I asked Ruby this morning how long it would take to get to Belfast Central rail station, and how far in advance I should call a cab. She asked me the train time, then called a cab to pick me up at 9:30. That was easy. And it turned out that my cab driver is also a cyclist, so we had a good time talking on the way to the train station. He said it was a pleasure to meet a real tourist. It seems that many of the people who visit Ireland do so to trace their family roots as opposed to explore the country. And that's one of the first times I've heard "tourist" used in a positive sense! While I was in the waiting area, I noticed a sign on the wall that to me is very telling of the acceptance of bicycles here: "For your safety, please do not cycle on the station concourse or platforms". As I was walking to the platform to board my train, I saw 4 people pushing bicycles out of the concourse. No problem with getting bikes on trains here - just roll them aboard. There is a fee, but I thought it was very reasonable. The conductor was right about the Dublin train - it's much newer, with much more comfortable seats. I guess this is really more of a long distance train, as opposed to an inter-city commuting train. And by the way, Rover said that he likes this train better too - it's so much smoother!
The only bad thing about traveling with a bike is hauling it back home again. It's so much easier to travel with my bike when it's a bike and the case is a trailer. Even with my Bike Friday folding into a normal sized suitcase, it's still a heavy item to haul about. Actually, it's not the bike that bothers me since the case rolls - it's all of my other stuff. I've been using a very lightweight duffle bag that folds into a very small space when not in use. That works - I just wish it had backpack straps on it. That would make it much easier to handle the two pieces of luggage. As it is, I just try to minimize the amount of walking I have to do with my luggage. It probably means that I will take a taxi to the airport in Dublin tomorrow morning instead of taking the much more reasonably priced bus.
I spent about half of the train trip talking with the couple who sat opposite me. The seats in the train were a mixture of forward-facing and backward-facing seats. I was sitting facing forward of course - my tendency to get motion sickness seems to be worse when I face backwards. There was a nice couple from Belfast sitting facing me across a table. We all stayed to ourselves initially, mostly reading, but we started talking after an attendant came around with a cart selling coffee, tea, and snacks. My seatmates were headed to Dublin for the weekend to visit relatives who just returned from Australia. He was telling me how he used to cycle in Dublin many, many years ago - when it was still a reasonable place to cycle. After I arrived in Dublin and saw how packed the streets are I was very happy my bike was packed and I wasn't riding it!
Another American stopped me after I got off the train. He had overheard my conversation and asked about my cycling trip. It turns out that he cycled around the western states many years ago. It's a small world isn't it - cyclists everywhere! He's in Dublin for the day to visit his future in-laws.
I made my way out of the train station and found a taxi to take me to Mercer Court, my home for the night. Mercer Court is actually the student accommodations for the Royal College of Surgeons, used as a B&B when school isn't in session. The rooms are a bit spartan - as expected for a dorm room - but the price was very reasonable, and the place is centrally located. The hotels in central Dublin are pretty pricey, so I'm very happy I found this place. And I was lucky - my room was ready when I arrived at 1, a full hour before check-in time.
I headed out and found a cafe - lots of those around here - where I picked up a sandwich and something to drink. The sun was out for a while, so I found myself a place to sit in the sun while I ate my lunch. Then I started walking. I walked, and I walked, and I walked...
Dublin is a very alive city that is just teeming with both people walking and people in cars. As I said before I was glad I wasn't fighting the traffic on my bike - but it was fun to watch the bike messengers negotiate their way between cars, buses, and pedestrians. I guess bike messengers are the same everywhere. The sheer crowds made it a bit overwhelming for me, but I just kept right on walking. My first stop was one of my favorites - St. Stephen's Green, which is a really pretty park. Lots of people there...
I walked down Grafton Street, which is one of the main shopping streets. It reminds me of Newbury Street in Boston, but on a much bigger scale. And they are serious about their shopping streets here - it's a pedestrian area, no cars allowed! I could easily have skipped this street, but it was on the way to the next place I wanted to see - Trinity College. But if I skipped it I would have missed the living statue. A guy was decked out in a green top hat and mostly green clothes. His skin was painted gold - with what I don't know - and he was standing on a box that served as a pedestal. He stood perfectly still, and then he would suddenly start moving and reacting with the crowds. Very strange.
I stopped by the main tourist office, which is housed in a beautiful building that used to be a church. The vaulted ceiling and stained glass windows are still exposed - very nice. I had picked up a tourist map at Mercer Court, but I decided I wanted a map with a little more detail. After looking through the free stuff - mostly brochures - I found a decent map to purchase. But while I was perusing the free brochures, I saw one that caught my eye titled Baileys cow parade. What? Well, you remember those funny pictures of decorated ducks that I took in Eugene last summer? There's a similar thing going on with cows here, and the brochure includes a map that shows where the cows are hiding. It turns out that CowParade is a public art exhibition that features fiberglass cows that are decorated by artists and placed around a city. At the end of the "parade" the cows are auctioned off for charity. I did a fair amount of walking this afternoon, some of which was on a mad hunt for these cows. It turned out that instead of placing the cows on the street outside, they were hidden in shopping centers. I finally figured it out when I saw a sign at the entrance for Stephens Green Center saying "the cows are here". I hate shopping centers, but I had to go in to see the cows. I saw 3 there and one at the tourist information center. There are many more, but I was walked out for the day, so I'll have to be happy with the four that I found! There's supposed to be more information online at cowparade.net, so I guess I'll have to take a look at it when I get home. Maybe they have pictures...
Speaking of pictures, when I got back from my walk around Dublin, I decided to figure out how many pictures I've taken on this trip. And the answer is - a lot! I have a total of 639 pictures. That doesn't mean that they are all good pictures, but even so, that's a lot of pictures. I guess you could say that my camera was my constant companion. Just think how many there would be if I hadn't had some of those gray, dreary days. I'm actually amazed that I didn't have any days where I felt I had to protect the camera and lock it away in my waterproof trailer. Most of my ride-in-the-rain days were through heavy mist, and even the few times that it was really raining it just wasn't raining that hard. My rain jacket covered the fanny pack that I used for my camera, so it was protected enough for the conditions I encountered. Amazing, since this tends to be a rainy country.
Odd thought for the day - I'll be very happy to be back in a country where the sinks have a single faucet where hot and cold water is mixed. I haven't seen a sink like that since I left home.
I checked about transportation to the airport before I came back to my room for the night. There are two buses that are very inexpensive, but the closest bus stop is several blocks from here. It could be laziness, but I tend to think it's unwillingness to walk blocks hauling gear, so I've arranged for a taxi to the airport in the morning. Breakfast starts at 7:30, and my taxi is coming at 8:15, so I'll have a chance to grab a bite to eat before I leave for the airport and my day of hurry up and wait. My flight makes a stop in Shannon before heading out over the Atlantic and back to Boston. I can't believe I've been here two weeks - I arrived early on a Saturday morning, and I'm leaving on Saturday morning. I wonder if that's an equipment turnaround...
It's very hard to believe it's time to go home. I guess that means it's time to start dreaming of my next trip. I wonder where that's going to be.
