Bray

Today was super fun! Ciara took me to Bray for the first time and we got there on the Dart train. We set off at about 1pm on the train and the journey wasn't long. Soon we were out in the bracing fresh air on the edge of Wicklow looking up at the Bray Head mountain and enjoying the expansive views across the beach and out to sea.
We walked all along the strand and watched as a fun fair was being set up beside the beach in preparation for the bank holiday weekend. We picked out all our favourite rides - twister, helter skelter and dodgems (and least favourite - the ghost train, Hollywood and the upside down ones!) and toyed with the idea of appropriating a dodgem car, charging it ip at the E-car pump and driving it around all day. Needless to say we walked everywhere!
We ate lunch at Martello and Ciara treated me to chicken liver pate to start and steak sandwich for mains. Ciara had deep fried brie and corned beef and mash. Neither of us finished our plates as we were both so full. We did, however, share a cocktail called Paddy's Punch which tasted like mouthwash - an odd combination of mint and citrus, but we drank it all the same.
We walked the length of the beach and stopped for postcards to Fiona and Jeff and Helen and a 99 ice cream covered in sprinkles and sauce before heading indoors to play in the amusement arcade. We tried the dance machine, basketball and had our 'portrait' done in the photo booth in the style of Rembrandt!
At around 6 o'clock we walked back along the front passing the fair ground and lots of chalets (basically anything could be a chalet - the striped chalet, the round chalet, the chalet that Ciara and I would build and of course the lorry chalet) and we had many laughs on the walk back to the train. Finally we passed a plaster of Paris mould of someones face attached to a door and Ciara said it was Bray Head, the Face of Bray! More laughter, cherry coke and cashews lasted us the way home.
Today I am grateful for the beauty and awe of the seaside, and my good friend Ciara for sharing it with me.