And because Leopold Bloom didn’t have this option back in 1904.. bloomin’ eck it’s a Dublin airport breakfast on Bloomsday.
Bloomsday is a celebration of the mythical day in the life of James Joyce‘s great creation Leopold Bloom, June 16th 1904.
And this year is a special Bloomsday.
And not just because the day of Joyce japes is back after being put on hold these last couple of years because of Covid.
You have to wonder too if Leopold’s famous breakfast of ‘grilled mutton kidneys which gave to his palate a fine tang of faintly scented urine’ would have been a cure-all for coronavirus.
While Joycers reenacted the Great Man’s Day, minus the naughty bits, in his native Dublin.
This one-time English Lit graduate spent the morning in that most modern-day of pursuits.
Waiting at the airport.
Red-eye, must fly
The 6.25am Ryanair red-eye from Dublin back to Edinburgh is a bit of a marathon.
And you can get caught between two stools of whether to get an overnighter or take a nap at the airport.
The pod bubbles will contort you in a bit of an unnatural position.
But then they are more comfortable than lying across the seats or trying to nod off when you’re sat up.
Equally, it came as a bit of a surprise to discover that the Aircoach doesn’t go right through the night.
Instead it now finishes at 12.30am, and meaning I had to get a taxi back from O’Connell Street, but hey-ho.
I had spent only £25 and a couple of £6 extras for seat selection and early check-ins so I had saved already…
Message to the broken British train service here which charges £100+ to go from Edinburgh to London.
My inner Joyce
I’ve been channeling my own inner Joyce with these flying visits back to Dublin.
Since relocating back in Scotland two years ago and I’ll continue to do so.
I’ll fill you in with the details of our Caribbean Road show at the Iveagh Garden Hotel in Harcourt Street.
And it is Dublin’s go-to entertainment street (only tourists think it’s Temple Bar).
And the apres with old friends and new.
But, of course, wine and Guinness, needs some soaking up.
And as good and as welcoming our buffet was with chicken, obligatory in the Caribbean, obviously on the menu, you will hit that food wall.
In the early hours in the airport.
Of course, in the early hours the food outlets are closed but start opening up, I’m thinking about 4am/4.30am or after.
So if you can hold out there are enticing food variations.
Now, for the day that’s in it it’s worth pointing out Leopold Coffee House.
It serves fresh coffee, teas, breakfast and a selection of baked goods, pastries and sandwiches.
Airport drinks
Now, this is Ireland after all so there is a culture of airport drinks.
But, and this will be the last time you’ll hear this, I’m pretty much a good boy around this.
And I prefering to keep any boozing until when I get there (wherever there is).
But if you’ve got a thirst on you then you might want to check out the Tap + Brew Craft Beer + Kitchen, the specs of which read thus…
‘A contemporary kitchen and bar offering a range of local artisan beers paired with gourmet hot dogs, loaded nachos, and tasty waffles.’
And so you get bacon waffles and the like, although at prices in the mid-teens I gave it a miss.
Of course, for coffee lovers, then there are the usual branded stores.
What the Butler saw
But when in Ireland you should check out Butler’s, a favourite of ours. and with that little touch of a comp chocolate.
Now this is by no mean a definitive guide and there are a lot more choices to explore in the hours you have in the airport.
As well as the kerching and retail stores.
But as we’re creatures of habit, and I’m still kicking myself over shelling out more on the taxi after missing the Aircoach, I went back to an old staple.
The WH Smith meal deal, and I’m thinking about €6.50 for a packaged sandwich, drink (water or fizzy) and a bag of crips. It’s £5 in Edinburgh.
Bloomin’ heck it’s a Dublin airport breakfast on Bloomsday but it’ll do for me.
And, of course, the hick with the stick (Dubs have a more earthy nickname) was right to eulogise his home city.
With his epic day in the life odyssey. It’s become my signature trip.