Ireland day 1221. Friday 31 January 2025- Oslo Day 5

Today’s summary	Checked out of the hotel early and walked over to the airport for my 8:05am flight to Dublin. Very straightforward journey and back in the flat in Malahide in under six hours door to door. A lovely sunny day in Ireland so went on a short walk over the hill once I’d had lunch. Some TV and a quick chat with Val, still in Switzerland, in the evening. A brilliant Norwegian trip
Today’s weather	Dry sunny and clear in both Oslo and Dublin. Little or no wind. Minus 9c in Oslo, plus 7c in Dublin

Today’s overview location (The blue mark shows the location of my route)		Close-up location (The blue line shows where I walked) (Click button below to download GPX of today’s walk [once back in Ireland] as recorded, or see interactive map at bottom with elevations corrected): Meanwhile back in Ireland

Commentary

Well I suppose all good things have to come to an end. My trip to Oslo was one of the best – an absolutely brilliant excursion from start to finish. I was only a bit sorry that Val wasn’t there to enjoy it too – all the more reason to go back.

My flight back to Dublin was at 8:05 am but fortunately the hotel was only five minutes from the terminal, so I “only” had to get up at 5:30 am. Anyway, I swiftly passed through immigration (and got the vital “exit” stamp in my passport) and had time for a coffee and croissant before the plane took off. The flight was pretty smooth and on time. Then I was quickly off the plane and through immigration in Dublin and – even better – a 102 left only six minutes after I arrived at the bus stop. In the end I was back in the flat in Malahide by 10:45 GMT – under six hours from leaving the hotel in Oslo. Couldn’t be better.

It was a beautiful day in Ireland today – well in the part where I was, anyway. So, once I’d unpacked, had a quick phone chat with a friend in Scotland, and enjoyed a cup of (proper) tea, I decided to go out and check on the state of the world. I just did my normal walk over the hill and down to the coast.

I didn’t rush it – I wanted to enjoy the relaxing weather – with no wind, for once, making it even nicer. I got another cup of coffee and croissant at Portmarnock and watched the fishing boats close offshore while I had my refreshments. A bit of internet research revealed that the boats are fishing for razor clams (which are sold to France as a delicacy). They normally fish further north near Dundalk, but the permitting range has recently changed so for the time being they are allowed in the Malahide / Portmarnock area too.

On the way back from Portmarnock, passing through Malahide, I dropped into Tesco and stocked up on pop-pop meals for the next few days. I also got a couple of packed lunches ready for the weekend’s walks. Eventually, I was back in the flat and ready for more tea. (I have a lot of catching up to do. In Norway, they only serve fruit tea or, inexplicably, Earl Grey. Neither of which I particularly like.) The rest of the evening was pretty quiet – I watched some more TV and had a video call with Val. She sounds like she, too, is having a wonderful time.

So this particular mini-adventure has concluded. It was simply brilliant and I loved every second. I suspect it won’t be long before I (hopefully accompanied by Val) am back.

Today’s photos (click to enlarge)


It was pretty chilly in Oslo when I left – more like “normal” Norwegian winter weather, I think, than the damp mush I had earlier in the week	When I got back to the flat, I discovered that the crocuses in the pots outside on our balcony were about to burst into bloom. There was no sign even of the buds when I left on Monday. What a lot can happen in just five days

Some of the many fishing boats off Portmarnock beach. Apparently on the hunt for razor-clams	My favourite way to spend the afternoon – on the beach with a coffee and a croissant!

A bold jackdaw landed right next to me and busily demolished a pile of crisp crumbs that a recent diner had left behind	Once the jackdaw had left, this pied wagtail stepped in to see if there were any remaining morsels that needed tidying up. Between the two of them, the kerb was left absolutely spotless

Goodbye Norway, it’s been a blast. See you again soon, I hope.