TLDR – July mom break in Bray between Seattle trips and Mylee coming to stay with us for three weeks.
Headed to Bray for a few nights
Its been a busy year full of many trips and many guests. Our summer and fall calendar is quickly filling up as well. We found a small lull in our schedule where I could squeeze in a quick Mom Break, my time to relax, unwind, and regroup.
After Maddex and I went on our date to Bray, I knew I wanted to go back and explore. There are several little thrift shops to check out and a Cliff walk between Bray and Greystones that we have been wanting to do. Without much hesitation, I booked a two day stay in Bray at the Martello Hotel near the beach.
Getting there was quite simple, I choose a 30-minute walk followed by a ride on the Dart (commuter train: Dublin Area Regional Train). I had some time to kill between my walk and the train ride, so I popped into the Centra for some snacks. The clerk was rocking out to Linkin Park, and seemed surprised I could name the band straight away. One of my favorite bands so it wasn’t difficult but was fun to hear them blasting in a store in Dublin.
Anyway, after a quick ride on the Dart, I arrived in Bray to a gorgeous day. I couldn’t check into my hotel early, but they had luggage storage where I could drop off my bags. I decided to hike, or walk The Cliff Walk, while I was waiting. It is a 7km walk from Bray to the end of the walk in Greystones.
The walk was gorgeous, the views spectacular, and the time alone in nature was a like a breath of fresh air. I can’t get enough of the sparkling blue waters, and green rolling hills of Ireland; I’m not sure I ever will. The ocean has always been my tranquil haven, as I shall now call it, so the walk was both peaceful and refreshing. Here are some pictures to prove my point:
Once I finished the walk, I took the DART back up to Bray. As it was still a bit early to check in, I walked along the boardwalk and continued to enjoy the Bay. By the time I was able to check into my room, I was a bit of a sweaty mess. I can’t stress enough how nice it is to take a long, hot, shower uninterrupted, and that is just what I did; followed by an uninterrupted nap.
After my nap, it was time to find some food. Being a Sunday, most stores were closed, and the grocery stores were close to closing for the night. I did a quick perusing of the small town, picked up some snacks, and went in for a night of Netflix shows that didn’t include cartoons or silly preteen adventures.
Monday was the perfect lazy day. I started with some take away coffee from a small local shop across from the hotel which I drank while walking the boardwalk. I found some rocks to parkour my way closer to the water, where I could drink coffee and enjoy the solitude. At one with nature, my happy place.
After my meditation of sorts, it was time to do some thrift shopping. Ireland doesn’t have any large, big box type Goodwill stores; but they do have several small “Charity shops”. I was able to find some good purchases in the three stores I went into. Then it was food time back at the hotel. I ordered a bowl of seafood chowder, brown bread, and a tasty drink called a Starburst, which was delicious. With a full belly and slight buzz, it was afternoon nap time; I really love naps, catching up on sleep is an important part of the mom break.
After nap, it was off to walk the boardwalk again and hit up the Star Leisure Center so I could play some coin dozer. Maddex and I had gone to Star and had a great time, so of course, I needed to see what I could win without him. I had fun and won 300 tickets. I was about to give the tickets to a young family, but then realized they didn’t expire until 2021, so you can compile and save. I brought them home instead, new Miller mission, save up enough tickets to earn a really cool prize.
After that strenuous hour working the coin dozer machines, I was starving. I stopped at the Chipper next to the leisure center to get a Kebab and Chips, with a side of Kebab sauce for dipping the fries. Very tasty. Then, back to the room to spend the rest of the evening/night being super lazy, cross stitching (my old lady habit per Kevin), and watching shows of my own choosing.
Tuesday morning, I didn’t have much time to be lazy, our niece Mylee was flying in at noon and I needed to be home in time for Kevin to go pick her up. I was up and out the door around 8am. This time I took the bus to the Bride’s Glen Luas stop, popped on the LUAS, and we home in time for breakfast; feeling refreshed. Next on the list would be three weeks with Mylee that included a trip to Paris, and thanks to my short break I felt emotionally and physically ready.
Bonus Pictures
