Cold is relative

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I had been walking along the coast in Dun Laoghaire for a couple of hours and was freezing. The temperature was in the upper 30’s and the wind was whipping around at a constant 20 mph. I was beginning to understand how such an environment could give a weathered look to buildings and humans. On top of that, my hobo-looking attire was inadequate for these types of conditions. I had only packed for an Indian climate, not a late October Irish one. My long sleeve t-shirt, 10 euro sweater (which I wore out of the store when I bought it), light fleece and rain jacket/wind breaker weren’t quite up to the challenge. I would’ve thought I had been softened over time by living in more moderate climates but nearly everyone I passed on the streets was as bundled up as I was and walking hunched over to lessen the impact of the wind. So I hope you can imagine my disbelief when I can across a secluded swimming area and found someone in fighting the rough seas in their speedo. After finishing, he got out of the water and leisurely began drying off, impervious to freezing wind chill. Just as I began to reason that he had to be some sort of mutant, 3 other people walked up, disrobed and climbed down the rocks to swim. These were truly heartier souls than I.

You hear about polar bear clubs whose members go swimming in near freezing water as a way to shock the system and feel invigorated. This has always been outside my realm of reasoning but maybe its just one of those things I need to try in order to understand it, but today was not that day.
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These European cities are beginning to blend together in my mind. Maybe its because the culture seems so much closer to mine after visiting India. That said, Ireland is easily the friendliest European country I have visited and Dublin is the closest in terms of culture to an American city. Travel here is too easy...

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