IRELAND - Let's Dance

It's a short hop from the Isle of Man to Dublin by air, only about 35 minutes or so actually off the ground and it was a new Aer Lingus turbo-prop that did the journey. How do I know it was new - no, "no smoking" signs (everyone knows you can't smoke on a plane these days). Instead, together with the "fasten seat belt" sign there was one indicating that you should turn off your electronic devices which was lit up for take off and landing.

Dublin is as hot as everywhere else at the moment and after the Isle of Man - very busy! All I have done today is wander around a bit soaking up the atmosphere - Dublin always has a real buzz about it (this is my fourth visit)

The Ha'penny Bridge

Crying "cockles and mussels, alive, alive oh"

This evening though I have been very busy.  I do like a bit of culture while I'm away - I've been to the opera in Verona, the Spanish Riding School in both Vienna and Jerez, the Edinburgh Tattoo (despite not liking the bagpipes), the Eurovision Song Contest in Copenhagen and watched Cossack dancing in Moscow. The latter cost me the equivalent of 20p for a front row seat, and was easily the best 20p I have ever spent.  So what did I see in Dublin?  Riverdance at the Gaiety Theatre

It's not something I would possibly do back home, but here in Ireland it seemed appropriate and it was really rather good. The programme included the obvious traditional Irish dancing and fiddle music but also a flamenco routine - ok there is more arm movement in flamenco but the footwork and stamping of feet is along the same lines. There was even a bit of the Cossack stuff in the second half.

Then at the end, things got really surreal - when I came out there were crowds of people in the streets watching the England - Columbia game on big screens (outside pubs because of the heat). Not being interested in football I was about to walk past when I realised it was the penalty shootout. So somehow, I found myself with a group of football fans, outside a bar in Dublin watching the penalties. Given that for me, it is a really weird thing to do, I'm glad they are through.