Dublin - Dun Laoghaire - Des Bateaux

We arrived back in Dublin just in time for the Festival des Batueaux in Dun Laoghaire. 

We walked out onto the pier to have a look around.  I loved these giant blue buoys.

Various vendors were set up along the pier offering treats to the visitors.  We opted for a simple ham and cheese crepe.

French navy ships milled about the harbor.

There was a bit of a miscommunication in the festival materials about when the sail boats would depart.  We arrived at the specified time but the vessels were already far out to sea.

We still had a bit of fun breathing the sea air while admiring the harbor.

The Irish Air Corps entertained the crowd with some rousing tunes.

I particularly like the drummer that twirled his drumsticks in the air with flair.

Unfortunately, as often happens in Ireland, the weather took an unexpected turn for the worse.  We sought shelter in a gazebo on the pier.

We'd been in the US for a while and had fallen out of the habit of carrying an umbrella with us on our outings.  Fortunately for us, we spotted an umbrella vending machine in the shopping center in Dun Laoghaire.

Of course, an umbrella is the best insurance policy against bad weather and as soon as we'd purchased one, the sun came out.

We walked over to the People's Park for a bite of lunch.

We walked back to the grandstand past the figure of a boy with a wheelbarrow carved into a shrubbery.

We caught Neke Tom Tom's performance before calling it a day and heading back to town on the DART.