Looking north

What a difference a day makes! After yesterday's grey, damp, misty, drizzly day, today was a world apart: dry, bright, sunny, warm. I was stuck inside until mid afternoon doing this and that, and it was 6.00 by the time I got my act together and went out in the loveliness.

As soon as I got outside I decided that the right thing to do would be to go back to where I'd been yesterday, just to see how different it was. The traffic was surprisingly light and smooth-moving (possibly because one set of traffic lights along the coast road was out of order). As I parked at the Deer Park hotel/golf centre it was like being in a totally different world from yesterday. For starters, Yesterday's trees looked very different today. The fine weather had attracted lots of golfers, of course, so there was a general buzz around, but it was the lush grass on the gold courses and the wonderful views over the city below which were the heroes of the hour.

After a bit of a wander around, I suddenly took a notion to get even higher, and headed for the area behind the hotel which is famous for its rhododendron display. It was quite a climb, but I finally make it right to the top of the rocky outcrop. It was well worth it. A bit windy, but what a place to be to enjoy remarkable views over the city, or, in this case, along the coast. The two island are Ireland's Eye (closer) and Lambay. Howth Harbour is on the right, Howth Castle is nestling in the trees at the far end of the golf course, and the coast stretching into the distance includes Balydole, Portmarnock, Portrane and so on. There was lots more to see, of course (view the slideshow on that gallery for the best effect), and it was difficult to choose just one shot as blip. One thing's for sure: if I were a golfer, I'd love to bash a few balls around at Deer Park, especially on a day like today.

After a bite to eat back home the highlight of the night was an extended Google Chat session with Carl, all the way to his hotel in Tulsa, Oklahoma. We needed to discuss arrangements for our holiday, which is all the time becoming more and more complicated. Carl's internet connection dropped out a few times, which interrupted the flow, but by the time we wound up we'd agreed the general outline of where and what we do. We fly to Lyon and spend three nights there. Then we'll get the TGV to Marseille and spend another three nights there before hopping on the TGV again for the shorter journey to Montpellier. We'll spend just one night in Montpellier, hire a car, and spend the next four days working our way along the coast, stopping where and when we feel like it without booking any accommodation in advance. The road trip will end in Perpignan, where we'll drop off the rent car and jump on our final TGV for the final leg to Barcelona and on to Sitges. It should be fun!

Make sure to see this BIG.