Do you know there’s palm trees growing in Dublin? I didn’t.
Seriously. Palm trees. Outside. Like you’re in Hollywood or Orlando.
It’s almost freakish.
The Emerald Isle is moist and temperate and hosts all kinds of non-native species that are thriving . . . among them, giant redwoods (140 years old, about 45 m tall), magnolia, and palm trees. The tropicals are mostly from New Zealand.
These are the grounds of our first hotel, the Radisson St. Helen’s. Look:
These pictures were taken in early February. The deciduous trees know it’s still winter. The grass has no idea.