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| The beautiful land of Ireeeeeland. And yes- it is as green as you'd imagine. Decided to get to know the city initially with the lovely hop-on/hop-off bus. |
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| O'Connell Street. City center in Dublin. You see that needle "thing" in the center? It cost 6 million Euros (8 million USD). It also has a name: The Spire. Wasn't quite as crowded as the other European cities I've visited (thumbs up). |
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| This is what just about every street looked like. Pub after pub. Boutique after boutique. Very good vibes here. Another great multi-cultural city. They also drive and walk on the left hand side of the road and pavement. I struggled with this. I also struggled with understanding their English. For example: "Their muffins" might be pronounced as "Deer Moofeens." Good strong accents. The peeps here were super friendly, super patriotic. Super pro-Guinness. |
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| At Trinity College: The most prestigious school in Ireland. Here you can see the Book of Kells. "A 9th century gospel manuscript." |
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| Also wandered around their GORGEOUS library. Shelves of old texts placed on beautiful shelves. They keep the Book of Kells at the end of the hallway. (Photo snagged from Goooooogle.) |
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| Cobblestone streets/sidewalks/pathways everywhere. Appropriate. |
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| Mom found some chowhound suggestions for my trip. Gruel was one of the top suggestions for "cheap eats." Favorite meal(s) of the trip! Home cooking. |
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| First Gruel meal: Eggs benedict, salad, and taters. Second Gruel meal: Bangers and Mash. AKA: Mashed potatoes, onion jam, and pork sausages. Yummmmy. Very Irish. Very nice on cold and wet winter days. |
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| Christ Church Cathedral. |
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| St. Patrick's Cathedral. |
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| Like I mentioned, Guinness OWNS the town. |
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| Hey Mom. Remember that "medical kit" you put together for me almost three years ago? Well it about saved my throat, nose, and life this weekend. Mother knows best . . . |
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| Meet George and Deb. Two pals from the hostel. They invited me to see the Wax Museum with them. Let's get this straight: a) I usually make fun of the people who pay for these things, b) I really didn't have a burning desire to see it, but c) it was fun, hilarious, and we had a good time. |
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| Fav. About the size of an infant however . . . |
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| Deb is from Canada and George is from England. They decided the "American" Diner would be a good choice for dinner. Tried several times explaining that their milkshake, burger, and fries were a bit on the sub-par end. Fun and outgoing peeps, good conversations, good times. |
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| "Buy a Claddagh ring." Check. Friendship, loyalty, love. |
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| This Christmas sign basically says "Dublin" in Gaelic, their second language. Loved how decked they were in Christmasness. Incredible city. Loved it. Great final weekend excursion to end on. |
