Which means fasten seat belts. Consider this your lesson in Gaelic, or “Why are all these cars driving toward me in my lane?” The answer is IT ISN’T YOUR LANE. You are in Ireland, or “Opposite Driving World,” and don’t let the fact that the parked cars are pointed in every possible direction persuade you that any of the roads are one-way. They are not. They are ‘shared’. In the greenest, friendliest, most lyrical place on earth, our goal is not to die on foreign soil in a rented car.
We are staying in Enniskerry, a picturesque village of about 2600 residents 15 miles south of Dublin. Town center consists of a village square, or actually a circle, because the Irish love to do things their way. The only place in Enniskerry that serves a full breakfast, lunch, and a lovely cappuccino is called Poppies. There may be better reasons to cross the Atlantic than a fruit scone at Poppies but I can’t think of one offhand.
The proprietor is a charmingly caustic man with a striking resemblance to a young Johnny Carson. Husband and I staggered into Poppies our first day in Ireland after driving the impossible winding road into Enniskerry. We had crushing jet lag and a determination to stay awake until nightfall to get adjusted to the time difference. We stood at the counter facing the sign that said “Order at the counter and then sit down” and asked the owner, “Do we sit down or order first?” Johnny diagnosed us swiftly and deadpanned, “Well, if you sit down first you’ll be disappointed when I’ve made nothing to serve you.” Husband and I looked at each other like, “Huh?”
The following day, fully rested and much smarter, we returned to Poppies for scones, espresso, and directions to nearby Bray. Equipped as we were with our Dan Dooley Auto Rental, the tour books nevertheless advised against driving in Dublin. Our experience thus far with Enniskerry’s narrow, twisting roads left us true believers of that advice. We decided to drive to the nearest train station and travel in to Dublin safely. Since the closest stop on the transit line was Bray, we asked Johnny for directions. If it was anything like Enniskerry, we’d enjoy exploring it a bit.
JOHNNY: You don’t want to go to Bray.
HUSBAND: Why not?
JOHNNY: That depends. Are you planning to get out of your car? Because I wouldn’t recommend it. And come home before dark.
OSV: We just want to catch the train to Dublin.
JOHNNY: In that case, take the bendy road down to the other side until you cross over the Upper Dargle.
OSV: Is there a Lower Dargle?
JOHNNY: Do you want to get there or not?
HUSBAND: I don’t think we’ll get there from what you’re telling us. What’s the name of the bendy road?
JOHNNY: The Bendy Road. You’ve been on it. What would you call it?
HUSBAND: Will it take us to Bray?
JOHNNY: All the roads here lead to Bray. And none lead out.
OSV: Could we spend a day there?
JOHNNY: Don’t know why not. I spent half my life there.
HUSBAND: Can you suggest anything to do in Bray?
JOHNNY: Leave.
Sunday in Dun Laoghaire and Bray
bray boardwalk
sunday in dun laoghaire (pronounced dunleary)
beach at bray
irish breakfast at dun laoghaire farmer’s market