Dublin, Ireland
[Unable to post this on Sunday, September 27th, due to poor Internet connectivity!]
Yesterday we spent a couple of hours in Belfast at the Botanical Gardens and Ulster Museum before taking the bus to Dublin. The museum gave a great historical story of the people and species of Northern Ireland, including the crystal, silverware, clothing, dinosaurs, fossils, and other important elements that have shaped the country since the beginning of time.
Our bus coach took about 2 1/2 hours to reach Dublin so we arrived at our guest house, Abbott Lodge, around 3pm. This place is so much better than the hostel in Belfast - we have some room to move around in the room, our own bathroom, and there aren't people partying and yelling all through the night! While it's a bit odd that we have to leave the key with front desk each and every time we leave, and the Wifi only seems to work in the little 'living room', we are both much happier in our little-girl-themed room! (Everything is pink and white - it's so cute!)
After checking in, we wandered over to the Temple Bar District to check that out. The streets of the district were so busy! People everywhere, drinking, laughing, and overall having a great time. We found a Starbucks on the way to grab a quick snack, and then decided to walk to the Guinness Storehouse for the tour. The walk proved longer than the map indicated and we must have looked lost on one street corner because a lovely, sweet Irish woman stopped to ask us if we needed help. She walked us up to the correct street, gave us directions and sent us on our way.
The tour itself was okay, with much information on the process for choosing the right barley, where the hops and water come from, what the yeast is meant to do, and the overall process of the making of Guinness. They showed us a control system model of the entire process so I figured if I ever need to find a new job, I can always do control system IT security in the beer making industry!
We made it to the Gravity Bar, where we had our free pint of Guinness. People were everywhere, so happy and enjoying life. It was tough not to get totally caught up in the action and just keep to ourselves. We met a lovely couple who reciprocated some picture-taking. The views from the Bar were amazing!
Dinner was at a nice little sushi restaurant called Benyi Japanese Dining; the food was so yummy after a day spent walking and it was a nice change from pub food. After dinner, we did originally want to check out Temple Bar and take in some pubs and music but the streets and bars were so busy (there was a Wales versus Manchester United world cup rugby game on) that we kind of wandered and found a side street pub called the Vat House. It was smaller and less busy, and the band was very good. However, it was another early night.
Today we slept in and had a late breakfast (or simply lunch) before buying tickets to the City Sightseeing Hop On Hop Off bus. This seemed to work out well because we got a pretty good, quick overview of some of the sights and were able to easily and cheaply see many of the places we wanted to. I got to see Trinity College (founded in 1592), which was pretty amazing. Walking through the campus square made me long for the days of university, wishing I could return and live on campus and study in the school of some of the most famous writers and scholars. I really wanted to see the Old Library, which also holds the Book of Kells. Waiting in line, a lady came up behind me and offered to let me be her 'friend' for entry; as she is a student at Trinity she is allowed to visit the library for free as well as bring a friend.
The Book Of Kells is pretty cool but that library - oh my! I cannot believe the sheer number of old, historical volumes stored there. The stacks are phenomenal and I wanted to just wander and read...Of course, we aren't allowed to touch the books, many of which are centuries old. The Old Library apparently holds a copy of every book published in Ireland and Britain, ever!
The bus took us through the old Georgian area of Dublin, where we saw some great buildings and heard some stories about Oscar Wilde and Bram Stoker.
Our next stop after a brief hiatus due to a bus malfunction was the St. Patrick's Cathedral. Unfortunately we could not go inside due a service but we circled the grounds and got some good exterior shots.
There is an old prison in Dublin called Kilmainham Gaol - we stopped there and joined one of the tours. This prison was built in 1796 originally and was appended in the 1820's with the oval, open-concept prison cells that still stand. The site has been marked historical so thankfully it is very well preserved. Some of the Irish Republics were political prisoners there, 14 of whom were executed in May of 1916 following the Easter Riots of that year. Their cells are marked with plaques commemorating their time in the prison. The prison began as a criminal prison but in the late 19th century it was shut down and again opened for political prisoners during World War I.
Tonight we are taking it easy with a bottle of wine in the guest house's 'living room'. The receptionist recommended a nearby restaurant for dinner, called Le Bon Crubeen, where I had a super tomato and fennel soup following by a delicious, juicy chicken breast with potatoes and mushrooms (I picked out all the bacon). It's almost time for bed again, and I'm not sure what our last day in Dublin will entail. Hopefully the weather stays great and we can see some more sights! I really like Dublin - I would definitely return here.
Yesterday we spent a couple of hours in Belfast at the Botanical Gardens and Ulster Museum before taking the bus to Dublin. The museum gave a great historical story of the people and species of Northern Ireland, including the crystal, silverware, clothing, dinosaurs, fossils, and other important elements that have shaped the country since the beginning of time.
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| Rose in the Belfast Botanical Garden |
Our bus coach took about 2 1/2 hours to reach Dublin so we arrived at our guest house, Abbott Lodge, around 3pm. This place is so much better than the hostel in Belfast - we have some room to move around in the room, our own bathroom, and there aren't people partying and yelling all through the night! While it's a bit odd that we have to leave the key with front desk each and every time we leave, and the Wifi only seems to work in the little 'living room', we are both much happier in our little-girl-themed room! (Everything is pink and white - it's so cute!)
After checking in, we wandered over to the Temple Bar District to check that out. The streets of the district were so busy! People everywhere, drinking, laughing, and overall having a great time. We found a Starbucks on the way to grab a quick snack, and then decided to walk to the Guinness Storehouse for the tour. The walk proved longer than the map indicated and we must have looked lost on one street corner because a lovely, sweet Irish woman stopped to ask us if we needed help. She walked us up to the correct street, gave us directions and sent us on our way.
The tour itself was okay, with much information on the process for choosing the right barley, where the hops and water come from, what the yeast is meant to do, and the overall process of the making of Guinness. They showed us a control system model of the entire process so I figured if I ever need to find a new job, I can always do control system IT security in the beer making industry!
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| I'm sure you can figure this out... |
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| At Gravity Bar, Guinness Storehouse |
Today we slept in and had a late breakfast (or simply lunch) before buying tickets to the City Sightseeing Hop On Hop Off bus. This seemed to work out well because we got a pretty good, quick overview of some of the sights and were able to easily and cheaply see many of the places we wanted to. I got to see Trinity College (founded in 1592), which was pretty amazing. Walking through the campus square made me long for the days of university, wishing I could return and live on campus and study in the school of some of the most famous writers and scholars. I really wanted to see the Old Library, which also holds the Book of Kells. Waiting in line, a lady came up behind me and offered to let me be her 'friend' for entry; as she is a student at Trinity she is allowed to visit the library for free as well as bring a friend.
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| Trinity College |
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| Trinity College |
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| Monument at Trinity College |
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| Trinity College - The Old Library |
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| The Old Library - One of the many stacks |
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| Bust of Socrates - One of many busts of famous scholars |
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| Vines covering one of the Georgian buildings |
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| Office of the Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) |
Our next stop after a brief hiatus due to a bus malfunction was the St. Patrick's Cathedral. Unfortunately we could not go inside due a service but we circled the grounds and got some good exterior shots.
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| St. Patrick's Cathedral |
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| St. Patrick's Park (with Cathedral in the background) |
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| "Old" Prison Cell Block (circa 1796) |
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| Original Door from the 1796 Wing of the Gaol |
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| "New" Prison Cell Block (circa 1820's) |
Tonight we are taking it easy with a bottle of wine in the guest house's 'living room'. The receptionist recommended a nearby restaurant for dinner, called Le Bon Crubeen, where I had a super tomato and fennel soup following by a delicious, juicy chicken breast with potatoes and mushrooms (I picked out all the bacon). It's almost time for bed again, and I'm not sure what our last day in Dublin will entail. Hopefully the weather stays great and we can see some more sights! I really like Dublin - I would definitely return here.
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