Today was a day where Ed and I decided to part ways.
A trip to a museum is always a best done on one's own where you can look at leisure or move along from exhibit to exhibit.  Usually it is Ed who likes to linger, but this time time it was me who found the stories of Ireland's bog people fascinating.
Here we have Clonycavan Man. Nothing remains below the waist of the man, either due to the turf cutting machine or when he had been brutally murdered. The body is famous for having a primitive form of gel found in his hair, which may have been imported from western Europe. I can appreciate his fondness for hair gel.

I spent the afternoon wandering around the shops looking for the perfect sweater.  But just like home, it was not to be. However, I did manage to buy a few souvenirs.

This evening Ed and I  had dinner at the Boulevard Cafe with Alan and Sandra.  Ed and Alan worked together at the Ministry of Economic Development 33 years ago.  Alan moved back to Ireland in the mid 90's and when we knew we were coming to Dublin arranged a meeting.  It was fun to see him again and to meet Sandra.  Sandra is from Vancouver so we had lots to talk about.

After dinner we went to a pub for pint.

 Tomorrow we are taking a coach tour - Paddywagon Tours - to the Cliffs of Moher.  The weather is predicted to be windy and rainy - just like home.

Where the fun begins

We are having a grand time in Dublin, so we are.  After a good night's rest in a very comfy bed in a very quiet room we felt quite refreshed and ready to start the day.

This is such an interesting city, with so many visitors and so many different languages being heard on the street and I find myself thinking in an Irish lilt.

We made our way down Grafton Street past Molly Malone's statue to Trinity College.

 

Trinity students lead a 30 minute tour of the campus which gives you a peek at student life and a good history of well known Alumni, including Samuel Beckett and Oscar Wilde.  Included in the tour was entry into the Long Library to see the Book of Kells.  It really is very amazing to see the printed word put into historical context.  In the Library are also samples of the earliest forms of writing on papyrus and cuniforms.

 After lunch our plan was to see Dublin Castle.  Finding the Castle took us longer than we had thought.  We knew the general area, just east of the Temple Bar area, and we saw signs directing us to it and knew we were headed in the right direction. 

 Just to be sure, we stopped in at City Hall to use the washroom and get further directions.  We found out that the Castle was closed until July for the Irish EU Presidency  meetings.

There is no shortage of interesting sites to see in the area.  We went to Dublinia & The Viking World.  This is a heritage centre in the heart of the medieval city.  The exhibits explore life in the medieval city and the world of the Vikings.  The centre is adjacent to Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin’s oldest building.  The original cathedral was built by a Viking king and in 1169, the Norman Earl of Pembroke ordered the present building to be constructed.

In the evening we visited O’Neill’s Pub for dinner.  We had heard that it was a good place to hear traditional Irish music.  We arrived at 8pm and were told that the music began at 9.  We enjoyed a fine pub meal (I had roast beef & Yorkshire pudding, Ed had the plaice), and sat next to a couple visiting from Campbell River.  They told us about their adventures of driving around the circumference of the Island and of their close calls on country roads with on-coming lorries.  I am glad that Ed and I have decided to keep Ireland safe and stay off the roads.   The music never appeared, but we had the chance to make some new friends from home.

Tomorrow the sun is supposed to shine again, and if it does it will be more walking to see the sights.  

From Vancouver Isle to the Emerald Isle

We arrived in Dublin after many hours of travel.  The longest part of the journey for me was the layover in Amsterdam and the 80 minute flight to Dublin.  It was an easy bus ride from the airport to the hotel and Ed had a pretty good idea of where our hotel was once we got off the bus.  I was not sure myself as I was walking along Stephen's Green pulling my carry-on along, when there it was "Harcourt Street" and directly ahead Albany House.  It is in a great location within walking distance many of the points of interest - Trinity College, Grafton Street, Stephen's Green, and we have a quiet room at the back.  After a brief rest in our room we were ready for dinner.
We had our first taste of Guinness and an Irish burger at Bobo's Burgers. 
 

 
 

Ed and I are getting ready for our next odyssey.  We are heading to Dublin, Cork, Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Here are some travel quotes to get us in the mood.

http://www.tenontours.com/travel-tips/pictures-of-travel-quotes/