When my plane landed at 8 a.m. exactly four months ago today, it was still dark outside. The sun seemed as if it is was just then considering to come out for the day on our bus ride into the city. When it did, it decided not to stay for long, as it went down a little before 5 p.m., if my memory serves right. Combine that with the fact that it rained eight of my first ten days here, and I was not the biggest fan of Dublin’s weather.

That’s changed now. The last few weeks the weather has been nothing short of perfect. While it still gets a little bit cool at night, the trade-off of no humidity and a constant cool breeze during the day is well worth it. The temperature during the day hovers around 65 Fahrenheit–the kind of weather where you’re not too cold in shorts and not too hot in pants. Perhaps the best part is that the sun goes down at 9:15, which is really nice. It has something to do with being north, but I’m not completely sure about the scientific reasoning for it. I’m sure it’s not that complicated though.

Since I leave here in six days (and counting), I’m trying to make the most of my limited time here. Today I took a long walk to Leo Burdock’s, a Dublin fish and chip restaurant (or “chipper”, as they’re called here) that is somewhat of an institution. It has been around since the 1913 and is known as serving the best fish and chip in Dublin. Celebrities from Bruce Springsteen to Mick Jagger to Russell Crowe have all been there, as is displayed on their “Wall of Fame”. At Burdock’s, you really get the authentic experience: the person who served me was in his 70s at the youngest and was dressed in a white butcher’s coat. He managed to be both pleasantly unfriendly, ala a New York deli, and extremely gracious for my patronage.

I walked about 10 steps past the place on my way there, not expecting it to be so tiny. Before entering, I peaked at the menu through the window so I knew what I wanted when I walked in (as if my accent didn’t give me away as a non-local), deciding upon the cod and chips because it was labeled as “Dublin’s favourite.” There were other options, like haddock and sole, but I didn’t know the difference so I just went with the expert’s suggestion. The chips were put onto a piece of butcher’s paper, then a huge piece of fried cod was placed on top, wrapped up twice, then shoved in a paper bag. The man behind the counter looked at me as I tried to hand him my money, then after a few seconds asked me if I wanted salt and vinegar, as if he shouldn’t have had to ask me (so much for fitting in). I asked for a little vinegar, please, and was on my way.

For something deep, deep fried, the cod tasted unbelievably fresh. The soft fish inside the crunchy batter provided a nice contrast and it was just the right level of salty (I was glad I didn’t have more added). The fries were good but not spectacular, a good compliment to the fish. Because there is no where to sit in the restaurant and no benches nearby, I walked down the street eating out of the bag with my hands before stopping at the beautiful St. Patrick’s park in the shadow of Christ’s Church. The food was more than I could finish and I began my walk back satisfied, hoping my heart would forgive me for what I had done to it.