A Day in Malahide

As the semester is winding down, I have had to say some goodbyes. Fortunately for me, the concept of going back home, and the cruel realities of America are something for Sam in 3 to 4 months to deal with. Third person aside, I must now deal with some sad goodbyes.

But I suppose a walk on the beach and a trip to a castle is one of the better ways to part with friends. So the day began at an early 10 a.m. with a walk to my usual stomping grounds, the Bus Stop Café. Thankfully, they opened just as we arrived. This early morning necessity really set the tone for the day, considering they not only recognized me but gave me an extra cookie for my loyal service.

From there Adam, Sam, Batool, Emma, and I took the dart up to Portmarnock and began the 4 mile trek to Malahide.  To be frank, I thought we would get lost at first considering all I could see was a suburban wasteland at the start. Yet this soon changed when we began to see a field of dandelions and a swamp. AT first we attempted to cross the field and the swamp, but upon looking at the street signs, we decided to save the nature (and our shoes) for later.

After a while, we finally made it to the beach at Port Marnock. Before we knew it, we found ourselves walking on Malahide beach, but at this point, it was already one o’clock, so it was time to refuel.

We ended up going to a little Italian restaurant, and I guess since this is my blog, I have to throw in a short food review. At the Al Fresco, I did the 17.50 Euro meal deal and got the calamari for my appetizer and the carbonara for the main course. Frankly, I liked the calamari a lot better, and thought the carbonara lacked a sufficient amount of spaghetti for the amount of sauce I was given.

But once we got to Malahide castle, the room the spaghetti left in my stomach was filled by a chocolate tart from Avoca. Although the chocolate tart was likely the highlight of my castle experience, the scenery was beautiful, and I had a great time rough housing with Batool, my new roommate, as we got disconcerted looks from the locals. Because of the incessant rough housing, we made a rule not to make trouble around children or at the train station.

And to end the lovely day, I baked my friends some shortbread cookies as we played the boardgame One Night Ultimate Werewolf. It was a great memory to have with some of my friends, and I can only hope to see more sights, eat more chocolate, and play more boardgames during the rest of my stay in Dublin.