Ireland day 1541. Wednesday 17 December 2025- Lunching

Today’s summary	Went on a quick brisk walk round the Demesne with Val first thing. Then went into Dublin for a delicious French lunch at Chez Max at 1:30. A bit of shopping afterwards in Dublin then train back to Malahide. Val was out in the evening with a work friend and I relaxed in front of the TV.
Today’s weather	Overnight then mostly clear with occasionally drizzly rain. Light southerly wind. Appx 11c

Today’s overview location (The red mark shows the location of our restaurant)		Close-up location (The red line shows where we walked to) (Click button below to download GPX of today’s walk as recorded, or see interactive map at bottom with elevations corrected): Demesne before Lunch

Commentary

Today we decided to give ourselves a treat. Lunch in Chez Max – our favourite French restaurant in Dublin.

But first, once we were up and about, we decided a bit of fresh air and exercise would be a good idea. So we strode out and completed a brisk walk anticlockwise round the Demesne. Very enjoyable – fresh and bright, but not raining, not windy, and not too cold. Just right.

Once back, we smartened ourselves up and trundled over to the station, ready to catch a 12:30 train to Tara Street. From there it was a 20 minute or so walk to the restaurant, and we pitched up more or less exactly on time for our 1:30pm reservation.

I do like it in Chez Max. It feels like a real Parisian bistro (not that I’ve been in that many) and serves good food as well as providing an authentic atmosphere. Today’s choice of French onion soup and boeuf Bourgignon felt just right. Especially when accompanied with a nice glass of champagne.

We spent a couple of hours over lunch then settled the bill and walked over to Powerscourt and then further to Dawson Street to do a bit of shopping. Eventually we had everything we needed and strolled to Pearse to get the first diesel back to Malahide.

The rest of the evening was relatively uneventful. We had a cup of tea and watched a documentary about George Clooney. Then Val went out to meet one of her work colleagues for a drink, while I, not having such a cast-iron constitution, stayed behind and nursed a post-lunch hangover.

Altogether a really lovely day out and a fantastic treat. We should do it more often!

Today’s photos (click to enlarge)


The bronze footprints at the end of Westmoreland Street have always perplexed me. Part of a James Joyce trail, perhaps	Powerscourt

“This Is Knit” – a real Aladdin’s Cave for wool fanatics hidden away in the Powerscourt centre. A Cornucopia!



Chex Max, Palace Street, right by the entrance to Dublin Castle. I love its authenticity. Well I think it’s authentic, anyway.