A Visit to Bono's House
On the bedstand: Domaining blogs. Bleh.Coming through the speakers: One by U2. I mean, how could it not be?! I remember seeing the Trabant featured in this video and thought it was just the coolest thing (it is!).
Did you know Bono is from Ireland? It's true!In fact, he lives just down the coast near Dalkey. Bono, Bono, Bono... That's all we heard on our day-trip to the area around his (new) home town. The Irish love Bono. That's not a stereotype. That's truth!Brian, his two friends from school, and I jumped on the DART for the mini-excursion. It was my first time outside of Dublin. I was excited to hike through the distant hills that gaze through my window.
We wandered through the old town of Dalkey, a beautiful village with a somewhat unimpressive castle. It was the first of many unimpressive castles on the day. Hey, they can't all be Neuschwanstein!The roads wound through the suburban streets and finally opened up to the ocean. Looking out from the ancient harbor, a moody island stared back across the rocky coast. Barren. Grey. It was the perfect Irish afternoon.
We carried on. A couple told us where Bono's house was. It seems as if the entire nation knows where Bono's house is. Instead of paying Bono a visit, we opted for a hike to the top of Killiney Hill. The path wandered through a forest, filled with families and couples and dogs. A nice man regaled us with tales of Bono and, did you know he lived in the area? Brian suggested, "wouldn't it be amazing if there were cutouts of Bono throughout the forest, peaking out behind the trees?"What?!The man gathered his dogs and carried on. It was hilariously awkward.The peak offered beautiful, windswept views of the coast up to Dublin and beyond. I tried to make out my place in the distance, but couldn't. I most still be too new. That or my eyes are failing me. It's probably not an exclusive answer.
Dinner was at one of the posh restaurants in Dalkey. It seemed there were only posh restaurants in town. Bono often visited this one, though not as often as the one up the road. No one's ever seen him without his sunglasses.