AN TRAEIN

by safarisogood

“I took the road less traveled and that made all the difference.”

On Saturday, June 30, there was a Gay Pride parade planned for the area around our hotel. In order to avoid the crowds, we decided it would be a good day to ride the train from Dublin to Dalkey – a small town about 11 miles south of Dublin. It was just KarenAnn, Kenzie, and I. Lexi was going to the activities with her friends and Amanda had gone home.

A raspberry scone, raspberry jam, and whipped Devonshire cream with a little rainbow flag for Gay Pride Day!

After breakfast at our new favorite place, The Queen of Tarts, we walked to the Pearse Street Station and Kenzie figured out how to buy tickets. As we were waiting for our train, I asked a young Irish Train Attendant if we were on the right train and he proceeded to assure us we were and then gave us lots of information about Dalkey and where to go while there. After a short ride we arrived and walked to the Coliemore Harbour, where the locals were enjoying the unusually warm weather.

We then walked back into town and found the Dalkey Castle and learned there were interactive castle tours every half hour! We had lunch at the Queen’s Bar and went back to the castle to go on the tour.

Dalkey Castle

Having lunch at the Queen’s Bar. We got one of the spots in the shade.

During our tour we learned where the following sayings come from:

One square meal a day — the working men used to be served their food on wooden plates that were square, so it was important to get at least one square meal a day.

Strike while the iron’s hot — when they performed surgery in those days, they had an iron tool that they would put in the fire until it was sizzling hot. It would be used to cauterize the open wounds, for example when a limb was amputated. It was important to “strike while the iron was hot” in order to stop the bleeding.

The red and white barber poles came from the strips of cloth used to catch blood when operating. After they were used (which made them red and white), they were wound around wooden poles which were then placed outside the buildings where there were barberies (surgeon offices) and where the barbers could be found if one needed to be operated on. (Not sure when barber came to mean someone who shaved men).

Beyond the pale – came to mean the area beyond the pale (a stake or pointed piece of wood or fence made from the stakes), so to be beyond the pale was to be outside the area accepted as ‘home’. Pales were enforced in various European countries for political reasons, notably in Ireland.