Well, our time in Ireland is rapidly drawing to a close after five short weeks. Actually, it has been a good long trip and we're thankful to have the opportunity to take such an extended trip. We like to go beyond a rushed trip merely hitting the tourist spots. When we have this kind of time, we can relax a bit and get to meet common, everyday people. It's been a joy in that regard.
We had one day left on our hop on, hop off bus passes so we decided to see some more local sights. Grace had a sore wrist that required medical attention so Nancy stayed with her. The doctors are of the opinion that there is nothing broken. Most likely, it's a sprain. The rest of our party took the bus.
Our first spot was Dublin Castle. There doesn't seem to be much of the original castle remaining so we decided to just view it from the outside. Next, we went in the Chester Beatty Library which is famous for it's collection of New Testament papyri that date back to the second century. They are the oldest New Testament documents in any language. It was amazing to see copies that were made not long after they were originally written.
From there, we went to two cathedrals that, surprisingly, are only a couple blocks apart. The first one, Christ Church Cathedral, was founded in the 11th century. A Norman, Strongbow, was part of the first English involvement in Ireland toward the end of the twelth century as his reputed tomb is in the cathedral.
We next walked over to St. Patrick's Park before entering St. Patrick's Cathedral. The park is the site of an ancient well where St. Patrick baptized people in the third century. The ccathedral has the tomb of Jonathan Swift, the author of Gulliver's Travels and other notable literary works. He was the Dean of St. Patrick'ss for many years.
After viewing the cathedrals, we totally switched gears and toured the Guinness Storehouse. It's one of the most popular tours in Dublin. It was a self-guided tour on seven floors. It told the story of how Guinness stout is made and the history of the brewery.
We finished the tour, boarded th bus, and eventually made it back to the guesthouse by mid-afternoon to check on Nancy and Grace.
In the evening, we went to a restaurant that was recommended to us, F X Buckley's. It's a well-known steakhouse in Dublin and the food was quite good. Some of us finished off our meal with a desser known as "Eton Mess". It too was quite good.
Saturday, August 4, 2012
Friday, August 3, 2012
Day 35, August 2, 2012
I started writing this blog in June and now it's August. How time flies this summer. Today turned out to be a beautiful sunny day. We purchased two-day "hop-on, hop-off" bus passes in order to see the sights in Dublin. These are very popular. There are about 25 stops where people can get on and off. The buses come by about every 10 minutes so you're not stranded for long periods of time. We noticed that most people weren't getting off but just going for the whole loop. It takes 1 1/2 hours to ride all the way around and there is almost constant narration by the driver about the sights along the way.
We got on at stop number 7 and got off at stop number 19, the Dublin Zoo. It was the perfect day for the zoo. I've been to a lot of zoos and this ranked up there as one of the best I've seen. We spent quite a few hours wandering around viewing the animals as well as the beautiful, garden-like setting.
After the zoo, we continued the bus tour, eventually coming back to the stop where we started. We took a taxi back to our guesthouse. I looked at the name of our driver and surmissed that he might be from Nigeria, like my son-in-law, Kiki. I asked him if he was from Nigeria and he said he was. He has been in Ireland for the past twelve years. Since he is from western Nigeria, he speaks the same language as Kiki, the Yoruba language. I told him about our grandson, Modadeoluwa. He perked up instantly, since Mo's name means "I wear the crown of the Lord" in the Yoruba language. I think I made this man's day. he was all smiles and said "God bless you" when we exited the taxi. I think he made my day too.
We got on at stop number 7 and got off at stop number 19, the Dublin Zoo. It was the perfect day for the zoo. I've been to a lot of zoos and this ranked up there as one of the best I've seen. We spent quite a few hours wandering around viewing the animals as well as the beautiful, garden-like setting.
After the zoo, we continued the bus tour, eventually coming back to the stop where we started. We took a taxi back to our guesthouse. I looked at the name of our driver and surmissed that he might be from Nigeria, like my son-in-law, Kiki. I asked him if he was from Nigeria and he said he was. He has been in Ireland for the past twelve years. Since he is from western Nigeria, he speaks the same language as Kiki, the Yoruba language. I told him about our grandson, Modadeoluwa. He perked up instantly, since Mo's name means "I wear the crown of the Lord" in the Yoruba language. I think I made this man's day. he was all smiles and said "God bless you" when we exited the taxi. I think he made my day too.
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Day 34, August 1, 2012
As more days pass, I'm beginning to realize what a long "holiday" this is. When we tell the locals that this is our fifth week in Ireland, they are amazed. We have been able to meet many people along the way, and to me, that's what traveling is all about. Yes, it's great to see new sights, but meeting people and learning about their experiences adds a wider, more rewarding dimension to our travels.
Today, we turned in our rental car that we've had for the past two days. It was another successful driving adventure on Irish roads and we were glad to return another vehicle that was no worse the wear. The Avis rental building was within walking distance of the Kilmainham Gaol, or Jail, the most famous prison in Irish history. Since this was a British prison, many of the leaders in the fight for Irish independence were housed here between the years 1798 and 1922. They also executed a number of political prisoners which eventually turned the tide of public opinion to press for independence from England. We had a very informative tour that lasted about an hour.
We then took a taxi to the Glasnevin Cemetery, where we also had an excellent tour. This one, however, lasted 1 1/2 hours. There were many notable people buried here including Daniel O'Connell and Michael Collins. The Memorial to Daniel O'Connell, who to the Irish would be like Abraham Lincoln is to Americans, is a 168 foot tower. A number of years ago, radicals placed a bomb in the tower which destroyed the spiral staircase which asccended to the top of the tower. The tombs were largely unaffected by the blast. They hope to have the stairway reconstructed by 2016.
We ate lunch at the Gravedigger's Pub near the cemetery, which is one of the ten top pubs in Ireland. In the evening, we went to a dinner show called "Food, Folklore, and Fairies" at the Brazen Head Pub, also one of the top ten in Ireland. The pub has been located at it's present site since 1198, although the present building only dates back to the 17th century. We had a nice 4 course dinner interspersed with storytelling and music. The storyteller talked about the Irish peoples' belief in fairies and how that affected their lives. It was a most interesting evening. Most of the people who attended were from American but their were also people from Canada and Wales in the room.
Today, we turned in our rental car that we've had for the past two days. It was another successful driving adventure on Irish roads and we were glad to return another vehicle that was no worse the wear. The Avis rental building was within walking distance of the Kilmainham Gaol, or Jail, the most famous prison in Irish history. Since this was a British prison, many of the leaders in the fight for Irish independence were housed here between the years 1798 and 1922. They also executed a number of political prisoners which eventually turned the tide of public opinion to press for independence from England. We had a very informative tour that lasted about an hour.
We then took a taxi to the Glasnevin Cemetery, where we also had an excellent tour. This one, however, lasted 1 1/2 hours. There were many notable people buried here including Daniel O'Connell and Michael Collins. The Memorial to Daniel O'Connell, who to the Irish would be like Abraham Lincoln is to Americans, is a 168 foot tower. A number of years ago, radicals placed a bomb in the tower which destroyed the spiral staircase which asccended to the top of the tower. The tombs were largely unaffected by the blast. They hope to have the stairway reconstructed by 2016.
We ate lunch at the Gravedigger's Pub near the cemetery, which is one of the ten top pubs in Ireland. In the evening, we went to a dinner show called "Food, Folklore, and Fairies" at the Brazen Head Pub, also one of the top ten in Ireland. The pub has been located at it's present site since 1198, although the present building only dates back to the 17th century. We had a nice 4 course dinner interspersed with storytelling and music. The storyteller talked about the Irish peoples' belief in fairies and how that affected their lives. It was a most interesting evening. Most of the people who attended were from American but their were also people from Canada and Wales in the room.
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