‘I loved it’: Afternoon tea on a bus is a must for mother-daughter dates

My mam and I have a great relationship. We love staying up late, drinking tea and having a chat. We have a similar sense of humour, we both love our food, and we share a passion for history. Given our closeness, it seemed only right to plan something special for Mother’s Day.

But where to start?

The only thing is, I wasn’t sure where to start. We never have days out together and I had no clue of what was on offer in Dublin. All I knew for sure was there must be food, tea, and some sort of historical entertainment.

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I’ve since come to learn about Fizzbox, a website offering every type of activity you can imagine. Think paint-balling, nude life-drawing, cocktail making classes and treasure hunts. “We understand how stressful arranging a big event can be,” they say, “so we strive to make everything super easy and hassle-free for you.”

Afternoon tea with a difference

After a quick scroll through the website, I found our dream day-out: afternoon tea on a vintage bus (talk about ticking all the boxes).

To quote my mam, “this is absolutely gorgeous!”

The 1960’s bus has been lovingly restored and offers guests the opportunity to take in Dublin’s sights while munching on a full afternoon tea. The best part? Bottomless tea in pretty, reusable cups which have been illustrated by artist Caoimhe Mc Carthy.

On Sunday morning, the week before Mother’s Day, mam and I ventured into town to experience it for ourselves.

What was it like?

Stepping onto the bus – which dates back to 1964 – was like stepping into a postcard. To quote my mam, “this is absolutely gorgeous!”

We booked onto the 11 am tour which starts outside the CHQ building on the north quays. We were greeted by the very friendly hosts Shane and Emma, before taking our seats upstairs.

Everything from the colour scheme to the plates on-board was dainty and feminine; delicately cut sandwiches and desserts sat upon the table; while pink, floral bunting lined the windows.

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It was a classic afternoon tea, with one very noticeable difference: we were on the move.

While tucking into the selection of food (the chocolate brownie was a particular favourite of ours), Shane told us all about the history of Georgian Dublin. We also passed by Christchurch Cathedral, the Guinness Storehouse, Phoenix Park, and O’Connell Street (which we then learned is the widest street in Europe! Who knew?).

Time to reconnect

One of the things we liked most about this afternoon tea was that the ‘tour’ aspect didn’t take over. The history of the city was only given intermittently, which meant we could still enjoy our tea and chat uninterrupted.

We caught up on each other’s lives, we reflected on the past and learned about the history of our city in-between. “I loved it,” we said to each other when the trip came to an end.

For more information about the tour, or to book your own mother-daughter date, visit Fizzbox.com.

Photo: Fizzbox, Vintage Tea Tours

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• Why Lorelai, the happy single mother from Gilmore Girls, is my poster girl… here.