DUBLIN – update
Friday 5 June 2015
MY VISIT TO DUBLIN FOR THE ICC INTERCONTINENTAL CUP MATCH BETWEEN IRELAND & THE U.A.E. WAS ONCE AGAIN A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE.
ARRIVED IN DUBLIN VIA JHB & LONDON LAST SATURDAY to REALLY FOUL WEATHER WHICH HARDLY CHANGED AT ALL- HAD A FEW FREE DAYS DURING WHICH TIME I DID SOME VENUE INSPECTIONS AND ALSO POPPED INTO THE CITY CENTRE WHICH I HAVE VISITED A FEW TIMES BEFORE BUT WANTED TO SHOW THE UMPIRE FROM INDIA WHO WAS ON HIS FIRST TRIP TO IRELAND.
THE MATCH GOT UNDER WAY UNDER GLOOMY SKIES ON TUESDAY WITH THE PROSPECT OF IT BEING WASHED OUT A VERY STRONG ONE- BUT THEN AGAIN, THE UNPREDICTABILITY OF THE WEATHER HERE PROVED ITSELF ONCE AGAIN WITH SKIES CLEARING, RAIN STOPPING AND PLAY GETTING UNDER WAY – PLAYED LATER THAN THE SCHEDULED CLOSE- LIGHT IS NEVER A PROBLEM AS SUNSET HERE AT THIS TIME CAN EASILY BE AROUND 10 PM!
THE HOTEL ON THIS TRIP WAS VERY CONVENIENTLY SITUATED- THE HILTON AIRPORT DUBLIN HOTEL IS ABOUT 15 MINS FROM THE AIRPORT AND PROBABLY THE SAME DISTANCE FROM THE MALAHIDE CRICKET CLUB WHERE THE MATCH WAS SCHEDULED TO BE PLAYED.
OVER THE PAST 4 DAYS THE PLAYING CONTROL TEAM WENT OUT EACH EVENING TO EXPERIENCE THE CUISINE ON OFFER IN THE VICINITY AS WELL AS IN MALAHIDE WHICH IS ONE OF THE UPMARKET AREAS OF DUBLIN.
ACROSS FROM THE HOTEL IS A TESCO – THIS OPENS 24 HRS A DAY SO THAT TOO PROVED CONVENIENT FOR THE ODD PURCHASE.
DURING THE PAST FEW EVENINGS WE HAD MEALS AT THE NOBLE HOUSE NEAR TO THE HOTEL- THIS WAS A SPECIALIST THAI RESTAURANT. I ALSO VISITED A LOVELY COFFEE SHOP CALLED INSOMNIA WHICH FORMS PART OF THE EUROSPAR FRANCHISE- DELIGHTFUL THE WAY THEY MADE LIGHT MEALS ON ORDER- ONE COULD CHOOSE FROM A VARIETY OF FILLINGS AND HAVE A WRAP OR A BAGUETTE MADE UP AND TOASTED.
THE HOTEL ITSELF BOASTS A LOVELY RESTAURANT CALLED BURNELL- I AM ACTUALLY SITTING IN THAT RESTAURANT AS I TYPE- ATTRACTS MANY BUSINESS PEOPLE WHO COME AND CHAT OVER LUNCH IN ADDITION TO THE REGULAR STREAM OF TOURISTS.
THAT REMINDS ME- WHILE WATCHING THE MATCH AT MALAHIDE CRICKET CLUB, I WAS AMAZED AT THE NUMBER OF PLANES COMING IN TO LAND AT THE NEARBY AIRPORT- IT SEEMED ALMOST LIKE EVERY TWO MINUTES A PLANE WOULD HOVER ACROSS AND LAND AT THE AIRPORT- I GOOGLED THE CURIOSITY AND WAS AMAZED THAT OVER 450 FLIGHTS COME INTO THE CITY EACH DAY- SUCH IS THE POPULARITY OF DUBLIN & IRELAND AND SUCH IS OUR LACK OF KNOWLEDGE WHEN UNDERSTANDING THESE THINGS. WE LIVE SUCH SECLUDED LIVES AND HAVE NO IDEA HOW BUSY OR POPULAR CITIES AROUND THE WORLD ARE COMPARED TO OUR OWN ONES.
ANYWAY, LAST NIGHT WE WENT OUT TO MALAHIDE FOR SUPPER- THE INDIAN UMPIRE WAS THRILLED AS WE FINALLY GOT TO AN INDIAN RESTAURANT- MALAHIDE HAS SOME GREAT PLACES INCLUDING THE STUNNING GRAND HOTEL- SO OUR MEAL WAS AT THE JAIPUR WHICH SERVED SOME GREAT FOOD – MY THALI WAS VERY GOOD - CONSISTED OF FOUR TYPES OF VEG CURRIES WITH A NAAN BREAD AS WELL.
THE FOUR DAY MATCH COULD HAVE ENDED YESTERDAY- IRELAND NEEDED ONE MORE WICKET BUT THE UAE HELD OUT- SO WE WENT BACK THIS MORNING- ONLY START PLAY EACH DAY AT 11 AS THE DAY IS LONG AND SUNSETS CAN BE ANYWHERE AROUND 10 PM ! IT TOOK ONLY 4 BALLS THIS MORNING AND IT WAS ALL OVER- GOT THE FORMALITIES DONE AND HAD LUNCH THERE BEFORE GETTING BACK HERE TO THE HOTEL.
THE TWO LOCAL UMPIRES DROVE OFF AS THEY LIVE IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF IRELAND- ONE IN BELFAST WHICH IS ACTUALLY NORTHERN IRELAND AND THE OTHER IN ANOTHER TOWN.
THE INDIAN UMPIRE SHALL JOIN ME FOR SUPPER AT 7 – WE PLAN TO GO BACK TO THE NOBLE HOUSE THAI RESTAURANT NEAR HERE – HE FLIES OUT VIA DUBAI IN THE MORNING AND I FLY OUT FROM DUBLIN AIRPORT AT 2.30 TO LONDON AND THEN TO JOHANNESBURG AND SHALL BE BACK IN PE ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON.
DUBLIN IS SUCH A WONDERFUL CITY AND THE WEATHER WITH ALL THE RAIN THEY GET TENDS TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE LUSHNESS OF THE SURROUNDS – THE EMERALD ISLE TAG BEFITS THE COUNTRY AND JUST GETTING INTO THE COUNTRYSIDE IS ALWAYS SUCH A PLEASURE FOR ANYONE WHO APPRECIATES NATURE AND THE BEAUTY THAT COMES WITH IT.
NOW IT WILL BE BACK HOME FOR ONLY 10 DAYS BEFORE MY NEXT BIG ASSIGNMENT- THE TRIP TO BE A PART OF A MAJOR SPORTING EVENT- THE CARIBBEAN PREMIER LEAGUE (CPL) EXCITES ME EVEN THOUGH IT DOES MEAN ANOTHER LONG TREK OF FLIGHTS VIA JOBURG THROUGH TO THE WEST INDIES AND ALSO AWARE THAT IT WILL BE 5-6 WEEKS AWAY FROM HOME!
I FLY OUT ON THE 17TH JUNE.
ENJOY THE READ AND ONCE AGAIN THE HOPE IS THAT THERE WILL BE SOME SORT OF INDICATION AS TO RECEIVING THIS – MY NEXT UPDATE SHALL BE FROM BARBADOS WHICH WILL BE MY FIRST PLACE FOR A WEEK OR TWO BEFORE I MOVE ONTO ST KITTS AND END UP IN TRINIDAD WHERE THE CPL 2015 COMES TO A CONCLUSION- MY DEPARTURE OUT OF THE WEST INDIES IS SCHEDULED FOR 29 JULY.
ALL THE BEST AND AS USUAL
LOTS OF LOVE
I AM ALWAYS JUST
Dev
