Christmas Day in Limerick!
Woke as the sun rose this morning and found a wonderful, clear day waiting! The sun was up, almost no cloud in the sky. A sunny - but chilly - day for Ireland. The wind even took a day of rest from blowing along the river.
Breakfast again was a sample of ham, white pudding, eggs, a little soda bread and lots of fruit. When I return home, oatmeal and bananas may seem a bit ordinary. However, we lingered over breakfast, had some coffee before taking advantage of the unusually clear winter weather.
Bundled up, we headed out and along the Shannon River walk. On either side of the Shannon River, there is a not so recent cobblestone walk with a metal "riverwalk" that extends just a touch out towards the river. The metal walkway was closed today for fear of river flooding. Sensible given the storms that came through recently.
No matter though, the cobblestone walkway was plenty. All along this walkway raced an old stone wall, dotted with small furred spots of moss, oblivious to the wet and cold and reaching for the sunlight. Beyond the stone wall, the Shannon river washed along quickly with a visible cold edge to the dark waters.
The wall extended up to an ancient stone bridge that connected one of the suburbs to the start of the "Medieval" section of Limerick. The best part, for me, was at the head of this section where the bridge ended is what's labeled "King John's Castle" on King's Island - which is the stretch of land the bridges run to.
Now, the castle is of course closed for the holidays. However, this castle is a 13th century built under the orders of King John during the 1200s. However the site itself has deeper historical roots going back to Vikings during 922.
In either case, the castle stands at the tip of King's Island. It makes for an impressive outpost, defensive position; though all it guards now is the start to a line of museums, a very ancient cathedral ( St. Mary's ) and a collection of antique shops and pubs!
We wandered through the near empty streets. There were a few cars, some people out walking, but most were at home on Christmas Day with their families and friends. It made for a good time to sight-see with no crowds (from the outside of buildings anyway) and take some really amazing pictures of very picturesque locations with no people. It was a bit stark, but emotionally impressive to walk through and see.
Finally, we had to hurry back for a mid-day meal at the Strand Hotel. A four course meal of some amazing food! If stopping through Limerick, while there are many places to stay - and many are excellent - I have to admit the four course Christmas meal at the Strand is a one of a kind experience, amazing food and a very friendly staff. I can't recommend it enough.
Two hours - or more - later, with the meal done, we took a rest break at the room. After that was more live music in the cafe. It was some Jazz actually. That made for an interesting way to wind the day up, sitting in an Irish pub listening to Jazz.
No idea what tomorrow will bring, but today was a nice way to spend Christmas.
Breakfast again was a sample of ham, white pudding, eggs, a little soda bread and lots of fruit. When I return home, oatmeal and bananas may seem a bit ordinary. However, we lingered over breakfast, had some coffee before taking advantage of the unusually clear winter weather.
Bundled up, we headed out and along the Shannon River walk. On either side of the Shannon River, there is a not so recent cobblestone walk with a metal "riverwalk" that extends just a touch out towards the river. The metal walkway was closed today for fear of river flooding. Sensible given the storms that came through recently.
No matter though, the cobblestone walkway was plenty. All along this walkway raced an old stone wall, dotted with small furred spots of moss, oblivious to the wet and cold and reaching for the sunlight. Beyond the stone wall, the Shannon river washed along quickly with a visible cold edge to the dark waters.
The wall extended up to an ancient stone bridge that connected one of the suburbs to the start of the "Medieval" section of Limerick. The best part, for me, was at the head of this section where the bridge ended is what's labeled "King John's Castle" on King's Island - which is the stretch of land the bridges run to.
Now, the castle is of course closed for the holidays. However, this castle is a 13th century built under the orders of King John during the 1200s. However the site itself has deeper historical roots going back to Vikings during 922.
In either case, the castle stands at the tip of King's Island. It makes for an impressive outpost, defensive position; though all it guards now is the start to a line of museums, a very ancient cathedral ( St. Mary's ) and a collection of antique shops and pubs!
We wandered through the near empty streets. There were a few cars, some people out walking, but most were at home on Christmas Day with their families and friends. It made for a good time to sight-see with no crowds (from the outside of buildings anyway) and take some really amazing pictures of very picturesque locations with no people. It was a bit stark, but emotionally impressive to walk through and see.
Finally, we had to hurry back for a mid-day meal at the Strand Hotel. A four course meal of some amazing food! If stopping through Limerick, while there are many places to stay - and many are excellent - I have to admit the four course Christmas meal at the Strand is a one of a kind experience, amazing food and a very friendly staff. I can't recommend it enough.
Two hours - or more - later, with the meal done, we took a rest break at the room. After that was more live music in the cafe. It was some Jazz actually. That made for an interesting way to wind the day up, sitting in an Irish pub listening to Jazz.
No idea what tomorrow will bring, but today was a nice way to spend Christmas.
posted by Chris Ash | 2:47 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home