Temple Bar Markets & Bray

A group of us headed into the city centre around noon today to check out the Temple Bar markets. After being away from Dublin for the last seven weekends, I was pretty pumped about checking out all of the food, jewelry, crafts and books.

Did I mention food? Spinach, cheddar cheese and ham quiche and a passion fruit smoothie for me!

We found a dress sale, and couldn't resist the chance to try a few on. With a buy 2, get the 3rd free deal, Melissa and I each bought three dresses!

After our shopping and eating, Colleen, Melissa, Jack and I hopped on the DART (Dublin Area Rail Transit) to explore Bray, a seaside town south of Dublin. It took close to an hour on the train, and we each were happy to nap a little along the way.

After arriving, we headed straight to the beach. The water was an absolutely beautiful, crystal clear blue! The promenade and area near the shoreline was crawling with people, as everyone seemed to have the same idea as us! The incredible weather we've been having all week only continued today, and everyone seemed to be enjoying the sunshine.



After walking down the beach, we decided to walk up the hill you see in the picture below. Still exhausted, we stopped to rest and take in the incredible view!
And a short nap for everyone followed. The sun felt so great, and I think I may have gotten a little color on my face!

After resting, we headed up the hill a little bit to check out the scenery. The hill, Bray Head, winds around the coastline toward Greystones, the next town down from Bray. We didn't make the 5.5 km hike from Bray to Greystones, but managed to see some of the beautiful landscape!



We walked back through the town, stopped to grab ice cream and chips, before getting back on the DART to head back to the city. What a great day, and the weather just made it that much more enjoyable!