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Published: January 3rd 2007
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The Streets of Dublin at Christmas
Only one week to go to Christmas and the shoppers are out in full force Happy New Year to all.
I hope you all had a happy christmas with your famlies.
How time flies when you are having fun. I've been in Ireland for nearly 3 weeks and in another few days I need to think about packing my suitcase(hmm excess baggage might be an issue here) and saying goodbye to my brother, sister in law and my gorgeous little niece before I head for home
I've done quite a bit while I have been here but its still been a relaxing few weeks. I've been able to fit in a good bit of sightseeing but at a relaxing pace. Most importantly though, I've been able to spend a decent amount of time with my brother and his family.
My niece, Emma, is cuter each day and I'm sure she has grown in the 3 wks I have been here. She speaks more words by the minute, probably helped along by her love of singing, and has a very good memory that keeps us all on our toes. She remembers things from days before and is quite often repeating somthing that was said as she is leaving the room. I had the
Signs of Winter
It doesn't snow much in Ireland but it certainly gets quite chilly, as shown here at the Adare village gardens, about 20mins out of Limerick opportunity to babysit her for a day just prior to Christmas and that was a good day. We made some basic christmas cookies(although some basic shapes and smarties can take creativity a long way) that went down well with the family over Christmas.
I spent a lovely few days with my sister-in-law's family over christmas. Michelle is one of 6 children so there was a large contigent getting together both on Christmas day and St Stephens day(Boxing day). With a large number of children and grandchidlren there was lots of fun and excitement around the house.
On the sightseeing front I've been able to see a number of places around the traps...local areas to Limerick and places futher afield as well.
Greg, Michelle and I spent a day prior to Christmas shopping in Dublin for the day. The city was just humming with atmosphere. The streets were packed with shoppers but despite the crowds it was still a party type atmosphere with lots of street theatre and christmas entertainment. It is said that Dublin is one of the busiest cities in Europe, in spite of is comparatively small population of I million, and having seen the crowds
and the traffic I would believe it.
Between Christmas and new year Greg and I travelled to the Connemara area in Galway. The Connemmara is a beautiful area and would be brilliant for bushwalking in the warmer months. The area is an interesting mix of mountains, bog land and lakes. Being winter it wasn't all that practical to walk but it was nice just to be able to drive through the region taking in the mountain scenery and some interesting coastline. I'll certainly be back for some walking another visit..
There is a lot to seen around Limerick as well and with Greg and Michelle I've been able to see some scenic country around Adare, Castleconnell, Holycross, Thurles and Killaloe all within an hour or so of Limerick. I'm also looking forward to seeing King John's castle in Limerick before I go home.
After seeing in the new year with Michelle's family, I'm spending a few nights in the Wicklow mountains area, just sound of Dublin. I'm looking foward to doing some short walks in the area tomorrow but today, with a bit of wind and rain about, its been good to spend the day in the
local shops and take advantage of some end of year sales!
Speaking of weather, apart from snow, we've seen all variety of winter weather here but the cold has not bothered me that much though. Ireland has just had one of its wettest Decembers on record yet in other parts of Europe its the warmest winter in over 1000 years - isn't it amazing that there are records going back that far. Ireland is not the only country not to have had snow yet. The Europe ski resorts are crying for some decent snow falls, so the ski season might start before winter is gone....
For a while there before Christmas I was worried about being kept in Ireland by the fog but with some of the winds we have had over the past few days, I think I'll end up being blown out instead!.
I'm heading back to Limerick this Friday to spend the weekend with Greg, Michelle and Emma before I head for Dubai next Tuesday morning.
Thank you for all your comments and best wishes along the way. Hope all is well at home and I'm looking forward to seeing everyone after I get home in mid January.
Ciao for now
Alison
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elizabeth
non-member comment
happy new year from 33 degrees melbourne
Hi alison - thanks for your blogs. sounds as though you're having a great time. Hot here these few days after the coldest Christmas Day since 1935! I've just booked on the January long weekend up to the alpine national park, bushfires permitting. And I've confirmed the last week of February as an annual leave week, so need someone to go to Tasmania with me to do the Freycinet National Park walk. Otherwise quiet enough - been to the outdoor cinema to see Al Gore's film, and this Saturday to see Little Miss Sunshine. Cheers for now Elizabeth.