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Tea and the sea
“There
are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to
the ceremony” |
5
o'clock Tea |
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| And
this ceremony is sitting with a warm cup of tea at 5 o'clock, which
is the tea time par excellence. We have found in Dublin some different
tea times. The finest one is to be witnessed at the Shelbourne Hotel,
where people meet to have the traditional Afternoon Cream Tea. This
consists of a classy serving of tea accompanied by a selection of
dainty sandwiches, home baked scones and cakes buttered in cream
and strawberry jam. There is a wide choice of teas: Breakfast, Darjeeling,
Assam, Earl Grey, Lapsang, Chamomile, Green Tea, Red Berries, Peppermint,
Mixed Fruit and Jasmine. We enjoyed this pleasure in the Lord Mayor's
Lounge of the Shelbourne hotel, where people have been gathering
along 170 years to enjoy a cup of tea. However, there are other
elegant places where it is possible to taste such a sip of Irish
tradition. |
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The
context within which this tradition is framed reflects luxury and
elegance, which makes it look like an expensive picture of the Irish
way of life at least for a group of students as we are. This is,
in fact, proved by the price to pay for a traditional afternoon
tea: 24 €. However, far from being a privilege for just a few,
tea is the common ground among the Irish. Tea is present in their
breakfast, lunch, dinner and any other time when they feel like
having a snack. A cup of tea may be very expensive as we have already
seen, but anyone can get it in the cheapest fast-food restaurant
in town as well. In relation to this, there are nowadays, more and
more coffee shops where friends meet up for a cup of tea and a nice
sweet pasty. This is something that has developed in the past few
years, since some years ago most of these places were kind of fast-food
stores. |
| And tea is obviously a drink for all ages. No matter the place, children and adults share time enjoying the taste of tea. There are different varieties of tea. The most common is breakfast tea, which is very often 'stained' by a drop of fresh milk. Other choices are Earl Grey, Assam, and for a greater difference, fruit tea. Funnily enough, despite being called fruit tea, the taste of tea of this beverage is not so obvious! Due to this great variety, there are various brands. Twinnings is probably the preferred one by most Irish people in general. We could say that there is a 'tea culture' in Ireland in the sense that tea could well be the excuse for a gathering and the topic of a conversation. By Sara Villaroy Casinos |
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A
luxurious tour around The Shelbourne Hotel |
|
| On
our last day we got to discover Dublin a little bit more through
one of the most significant, oldest hotels in the city of Molly
Mallone: The Shelbourne Hotel. As we came in through the rotating door we entered the elegant lobby of the Georgian building, where we waited for Jens Fluegge, the ‘sales/events’ manager who showed us around and told us all the secrets about the history of the place. The hotel was opened in 1824 after four Georgian houses were connected together. The hotel will go through major restoration work soon although its appearance will stay more or less unchanged. There is a preservation order because so many citizens of Dublin still identify with this building, where much of the Irish history was shaped. We first visited the Lord Mayor’s Lounge. Jens then led us to the Horseshoe Bar, which got some fame because it was mentioned in James Joyce’s Ulysses. It will also be preserved in its current appearance. The O’Neill Bar features portraits of politicians and appeals to a younger audience. |
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The
hotel has one of the first lifts ever installed in Ireland, back
in 1902. However, it will also be removed as it blocks the view
to the masonry work of the staircases, the ceilings and the chandelier.
Most importantly in Irish History, The Shelbourne Hotel witnessed
the signing of the first Irish constitution. This event is documented
through photos and replicas of the document, which can be seen in
The Constitution Room. As we were walking along and listening to
Jens, a look of amazement reflected on our faces, which was even
widened as we entered The Great Room. The Main Ball Room that took
us all back to the times when pretty ladies in elegant, princess-like
dresses came down the stairs where a gentleman was looking to take
them to the dance floor. |
| This
room, as well as other rooms, is still used on special occasions.
Adjusting to the present times, the hotel offers sports facilities
for the customers: an indoor swimming-pool and fitness centre with
very sophisticated technological equipment. As the proverb says,
‘when in Rome, do as the Romans’, so once we had finished
our visit, we sat in The Lord Mayor’s Lounge to have the traditional
Irish Afternoon Tea: nice tea with home-made scones, French pastries
and sandwiches. With this, we could really go through an intercultural
experience where we could somehow feel a little Irish. A woman in
her 70s was playing the piano while we were having tea, which created
a magic atmosphere.
By Marlen
Izquierdo |
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| Howth - A day at the sea | |
| After
a short walk from our Hostel to Pearse station we, Antje, Irina,
Lydia, Fernando and me, boarded the DART, an electrical train, and
headed towards Howth. Thirty minutes later we arrived in what turned
out to be a beautiful little coast town. We took a stroll around
the harbour and enjoyed the sight of all kinds of boats, from fishing
trawlers to little yawls. There was even a seal which was obviously
looking for lunch…and so were we. We found a very sophisticated
restaurant at the harbour and treated ourselves with calamari, salmon
pasta, chowder and Chardonnay. Well, after a few days on fast food
and Guinness this was a welcoming change. |
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But of course
there is much more to do in Howth than eating, so we went for
a long walk through the village. Our first station was ‘Ye
auld hurdy gurdy’, which hosts the vintage radio museum.
It’s some kind of tower located on the top of a hill and
provides an amazing view over the town, harbour and ‘Irelands
Eye’, a little island in front of the harbour. After that
we visited the ruins of an old abbey, Howth Church and the pier,
which lay ahead of us, sparkling in sunlight. We resisted the
temptation of having a drink at ‘The Cock Tavern’
and opted for coffee and hot chocolate instead. By Karsten
Kneese |
