Dublin, County Dublin

Dublin was not on our list. Once we arrived in Ireland, it became apparent that our focus was going to be on the southern third of the country. However, at the last minute, Kay was able to fly in from Brussels. By 5am, we were driving northeast to the Dublin airport.

Since we were already there, it didn’t make any sense to skip it. So, we found our way downtown. The drive was a bit more stressful than other towns. The best US equivalent would be Chicago. (Note to self … next time, find a park and ride place; just like they recommend in the tour books … and Eileen.)

On my list of ‘to someday see’ was the Books of Kells, located in Trinity College. After finding a parking garage and getting our bearings, we joined a tour of the College.

We had a great tour guide, She was a college junior, so not only did we see the historic buildings, but we also picked up on some of the college’s culture. My favorite of the day was a saying that she used. When she needed to move us from one point to another, she would pause for questions. When they were exhausted, she simply asked … Are we happy enough? Think about it ….. How do you say ‘no’ to that? Absent a reply, she would add … Lovely, let’s move to the next sight.

Once done with the tour, we entered the Library. Yes…! I was able to see a portion of the Books of Kells, as well as the Book of Durrow. The second floor also gave us a look at the Long Room. Here there were rows and rows of bookshelves from the floor to ceiling; all full of first edition or only edition of books. If you have a chance to stop by, I would highly suggest it.

At this point, we were ready to head out. We found that we were more of a ‘small town’ tourist and were happy to leave the city behind. Our goal, was to see St Patrick’s Cathedral and the Dublin Castle. However, they roads were not clearly marked, and with one way streets, we managed to get turned around. We literally drove around St. Stephenson’s Park three times! One last pass and we were all in agreement … let’s leave. It was at that time that we managed to find a way out, which happened to drive by the cathedral.

Some day, I would like to return to Dublin. I will utilize a pay and ride service, a good pair of shoes, and the double-decker tour bus rides.