Day 30, July 28, 2012

This morning, we bid a fond farewell to our faithful rental car. It was a Skota Superb 5-speed diesel, made in the Czech Republic. I can't say enough good things about this car. It had a smooth ride and we made use of the large trunk (boot), which handled  all our luggage. The check-in at the Avis rental car return at Dublin Airport couldn't have been easier.  I think the car detailing paid off. We were soon on our way back to Dublin.

We're staying this week at the Pembroke Town House. We're within walking distance of many of the major attractions of Dublin, such as Trinity College, the museums, and st. Stephen's Green. Nancy's brother and sister-in-law, Bruce and Caroline, arrived this morning from New York City. We have 3 rooms in the hotel.

While Bruce and Caroline dealt with their jet lag by catching a few hours of sleep, I walked to the Museum of Natural History and the Museum of Archaeology. They were both interesting. I was able to catch part of  a lecture by the resident geologist at the Museum of Natural Museum about meteorites. He had a number of specimens on display, including the Limerick Meteorite which came to earth in the year 1813. I took a heft of it and later learned it weighed 45 kg, which is over 100 pounds.

At about 3 p.m., the six of us met up at the hotel lobby and took our own walk. We had an afternoon snack and walked to the river Liffey. Nancy and I took the DART train back and the others took a taxi (the taxi was definitely faster). We went out to dinner at the Clyde Court Hotel Restaurant and it turned out to have some of the best food we've had on our trip.