Picking up where I left you all this afternoon (or morning, for my stateside readership), here we go:
With our minds on getting something to eat, the first part of our journey was on foot, in the immediate vicinity of our apartment. We didn't spot anything that we fancied food-wise, but we came upon one of the main sites in the city, Kilmainham Jail. I am not too far up to speed on the jail's history, but do know that it served as the execution spot for the perpetrators behind the 1916 Easter Rising against British rule. Now a museum, guided tours are required to see the inside, and all at that point were fully booked, so we cut our losses and just snapped some photos of the outside.
From there we caught the Luas into the city center, getting off at Abbey Street, right in the heart of the city. The area was bustling with shoppers and tourists in the afternoon (the day was graced with very pleasant weather, cool, but not so much that you were uncomfortable in a t-shirt). On one of the pedestrian side streets we grabbed a bite to eat at a fish-and-chip type joint (burgers and other sandwiches were also on the menu...prices weren't shocking, but what you would expect in a European capital). After replenishing our energy reserves, we walked southwards, crossing the Liffey River, the main waterway in the city, heading in the direction of Trinity College. Trinity is an exceptionally old (1600s maybe? I'm not sure, I have a lot of reading up on Dublin's history to do) campus located right in the center of the city. The college is known for its beautiful grounds as well as housing the Book of Kells, an illustrated version of some of the gospels, written by Celtic monks way back, and I mean way back (800 AD apparently). We checked out the campus and paid the admission to see the Book (its normally 9 euros per adult, but, since it was so close to the closing time of 1700, the price was cut in half. Just a little tip there for those of you considering a visit). Maybe we are all just a bunch of brutes, but none of us were overly impressed by the Book of Kells. What did catch our interest was the so-called Long Library that is attached to the building holding the Book. Its the type of library you see in the films, an elongated room with rows of tall bookshelves stacked with old book. Ladders are attached to sliders in the ceilings for ease of access. Unfortunately, no photos allowed (though Hayley did sneak some on her iPhone).
From there were explored some more on foot, walking through the Temple Bar area (a rather cheesy pedestrian area filled with pubs that serve tourists at jacked-up prices), giving a quick look at the ground of the Dublin Castle (nothing too special there) and then hanging around the Christ Church Cathedral. Tables were set up on the grounds of the church, allowing us to rest our dogs and enjoy the nice weather.
From there though we decided enough was enough, we were battling some pretty heavy jet-lag, so we took the Luas back from whence we came. The night wasn't over though. After hanging out in the apartment shooting the breeze for a stretch of time, we set out into the night in the direction of the Black Horse Inn, a pub located five minutes from us. What else could it be for other than to indulge in some Guiness.
Now, I'm sure that many of my readers know my take on alcohol, but for those who don't, its not my scene. But, I couldn't come to Ireland and not have some Guiness with my traveling mates. So, there we were, four foreigners in a dingy bar filled mainly with old Irish men. Our first sight was a table of four older gentleman, already three sheets to the wind, arms around eachothers' shoulders, belting out the Irish classic "Peggy Gordon". That made my day right there.
We grabbed a table with our dark brews and each drew down our glasses to the bottom, with good conversation accompanying. One was enough though, and we finally called it a wrap on our first night in the Republic of Ireland.
Still more to do tomorrow. Be sure to come back and hear the deets, until then though, her are some photos:
With our minds on getting something to eat, the first part of our journey was on foot, in the immediate vicinity of our apartment. We didn't spot anything that we fancied food-wise, but we came upon one of the main sites in the city, Kilmainham Jail. I am not too far up to speed on the jail's history, but do know that it served as the execution spot for the perpetrators behind the 1916 Easter Rising against British rule. Now a museum, guided tours are required to see the inside, and all at that point were fully booked, so we cut our losses and just snapped some photos of the outside.
From there we caught the Luas into the city center, getting off at Abbey Street, right in the heart of the city. The area was bustling with shoppers and tourists in the afternoon (the day was graced with very pleasant weather, cool, but not so much that you were uncomfortable in a t-shirt). On one of the pedestrian side streets we grabbed a bite to eat at a fish-and-chip type joint (burgers and other sandwiches were also on the menu...prices weren't shocking, but what you would expect in a European capital). After replenishing our energy reserves, we walked southwards, crossing the Liffey River, the main waterway in the city, heading in the direction of Trinity College. Trinity is an exceptionally old (1600s maybe? I'm not sure, I have a lot of reading up on Dublin's history to do) campus located right in the center of the city. The college is known for its beautiful grounds as well as housing the Book of Kells, an illustrated version of some of the gospels, written by Celtic monks way back, and I mean way back (800 AD apparently). We checked out the campus and paid the admission to see the Book (its normally 9 euros per adult, but, since it was so close to the closing time of 1700, the price was cut in half. Just a little tip there for those of you considering a visit). Maybe we are all just a bunch of brutes, but none of us were overly impressed by the Book of Kells. What did catch our interest was the so-called Long Library that is attached to the building holding the Book. Its the type of library you see in the films, an elongated room with rows of tall bookshelves stacked with old book. Ladders are attached to sliders in the ceilings for ease of access. Unfortunately, no photos allowed (though Hayley did sneak some on her iPhone).
From there were explored some more on foot, walking through the Temple Bar area (a rather cheesy pedestrian area filled with pubs that serve tourists at jacked-up prices), giving a quick look at the ground of the Dublin Castle (nothing too special there) and then hanging around the Christ Church Cathedral. Tables were set up on the grounds of the church, allowing us to rest our dogs and enjoy the nice weather.
From there though we decided enough was enough, we were battling some pretty heavy jet-lag, so we took the Luas back from whence we came. The night wasn't over though. After hanging out in the apartment shooting the breeze for a stretch of time, we set out into the night in the direction of the Black Horse Inn, a pub located five minutes from us. What else could it be for other than to indulge in some Guiness.
Now, I'm sure that many of my readers know my take on alcohol, but for those who don't, its not my scene. But, I couldn't come to Ireland and not have some Guiness with my traveling mates. So, there we were, four foreigners in a dingy bar filled mainly with old Irish men. Our first sight was a table of four older gentleman, already three sheets to the wind, arms around eachothers' shoulders, belting out the Irish classic "Peggy Gordon". That made my day right there.
We grabbed a table with our dark brews and each drew down our glasses to the bottom, with good conversation accompanying. One was enough though, and we finally called it a wrap on our first night in the Republic of Ireland.
Still more to do tomorrow. Be sure to come back and hear the deets, until then though, her are some photos:
Joe enjoying the comforts of our accommodations (nice job Hayley!)
Your Humble Correspondent at Trinity College
The College's near perfect grounds
Gangster.
Christ Church Cathedral
When in Rome........
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