When I was leaving Dublin two years ago after staying there on sabbatical for three months, I didn’t think that I would return to this city soon. Actually, I already new about the conference planned for the summer of 2012, so I did know that I would be back. This time, we came together with my wife and our 9 months-old daughter. It was our first big trip with her (you can read about the actual travel in this post).Walking around the city brought back a distinct feeling of deja vu. During my sabbatical stay, I developed a personal sense of the city that is different from a typical tourist’s impression that I have after visit a city for a few days. In Dublin, I remembered which shortcuts to take while walking under the rain with my view obstructed by the sea of umbrellas, the best shops to buy bread, my favourite pubs and restaurants… It really felt like I lived there for some substantial period of time. I felt that it was “my Dublin”.
This was a surprising feeling. Two years ago, I did not think that Dublin was one of my favourite cities, but now it certainly feels this way.