Days 7 & 8 - Dublin

Dublin is a bustling, flourishing city due, in part, to its strong economy and, in part, to its energetic people. I think its safe to say that Dubliners like to have fun. We experienced rainy and cool weather the 2 full days we spent in Dublin, but we kept smiles on our faces and really enjoyed this fantastic city.

Our lodging included breakfast, so we got a bite to eat this morning and headed out early to the campus of Trinity College. The ancient Book of Kells is displayed here. We spent a couple hours at the museum and gift shop, which is modern and very well presented. The pages of the books themselves are incredibly detailed. It is hard to imagine the time and care it took to produce page after page of delicate writing and illustration. The lighting throughout the displays creates the perfect quiet atmosphere surrounding these amazing old works of words and art. Not even the hoards of oblivious, giggling school girls could spoil our experience. This is a sight not to be missed.

We then walked over to the Tourist Information Center, which is really just an elaborate gift shop selling everything possible and providing a platform for hotel and tour advertising. This was disappointing and none too helpful. So we headed over to the Dublin Castle only to find out that it was closed today - holding important governmental meetings. Strike 2! We'll come back tomorrow. By this time we'd done quite a bit of walking and we were ready to rest our feet. We found a small store with internet access where we caught up on email. Then we picked up some lunch supplies at a local supermarket and headed off to St. Stephen's Green for a picnic. This is a beautiful park with lots of trees, ponds and fountains - the perfect respite.

Feeling rested and re-fueled we wandered north, crossing the River Liffey, to the famous G.P.O. (General Post Office). Patrick Hearse read his incredible Proclamation of Independence here on the front steps. After writing a few postcards on a bench across the street we posted them back to the United States from this well known location. Feeling well oriented to the city, we decided to take a break this afternoon and headed back to our hotel for an afternoon nap. Ah, the joys of vacation! This was well timed, as we dozed through the afternoon's heavy rain. Awaking around "Happy Hour" we walked the Temple Bar district to the Auld Dubliner. We grabbed a couple stools at the window and watched the people and sights go by as we enjoyed our beverages - pints of Guinness beer and draught cider. As the evening wore on it was time to eat (again) and we both experimented with a traditional Irish dinner of boxty and champ - Excellent!

Today we toured the Dublin Castle. We were lead through the complex by a very knowledgeable and friendly guide. This was one of the few castles/attractions we visited where photography is still permitted. So through my images, you can see some of the interior as well the exterior views.

We exited the castle tour and walked around the courtyard grounds and back to what used to be the royal stables and is now a nice park with grass, flowers and fountains. There are some great views of the main castle tower from here. It was raining and we were getting wet, so we found a nice indoor attraction out of the weather in the National Museum of Ireland. This is a little out of the way and it practically felt like we had the place to ourselves. We browsed through the halls and especially enjoyed the special exhibit displaying the interior of a common Irish man's home throughout the different centuries. As you walked into each new room, you could see the differences in the progress of style and technologies. As the weather started to clear, we strolled through Merrion Square and had lunch in a local pub with the business crowd. This afternoon, we had one last destination - the Guinness brewery. I'm a Guinness fan and there was not a chance that we were going to leave Dublin without a trip to the source. I don't know how many blocks the brewery covers, but it is considerable and if you walk to the brewery like we did, it can be difficult to find the entrance! But we managed to follow the signs and in our wanderings found a place where I would pose to get my own photo taken (not something common). So this photo now hangs above the bar in my own home. And we managed to purchase a few other items from the gift shop too!

We put to bed rather early this evening. Tomorrow we have an early flight to Brussels, Belgium. The folks at the Bridge House were very accommodating in settling our bill this evening and arranging for a taxi to the airport first thing in the morning. Thanks again Bridge House for a wonderful stay! We have already made plans to return to Ireland to visit other regions of this beautiful country.