After a flight from San Francisco to Dulles Airport in Washington, DC and then another from Dulles to Dublin, we arrived on time. Our small group of Charlotte, Ed and Rose Ann Bush and Larry and me took a van taxi to our hotel. The driver was very cordial, whistling all the time and giving us a guided tour as we drove along. I was invited to ride shotgun and nearly got into the drivers' side. Getting used to driving on the left side of the road was challenging.
Shortly after storing our luggage in our rooms we headed down the street to the On and Off bus for a tour of Dublin. Our tickets were good for two days, so we took the opportunity to acquaint ourselves with what's available to visit.
Before dinner at our hotel we met as a group to meet everyone. Including Byron and Tom, our drivers, we are 16 strong! We know Sharon and Ginger from our Spain and Portugal trip six years ago.
Wednesday, August 8
We met Byron in the lobby around 9:35 for a short walk to Trinity College and a tour. Yes, we did indeed see "The Book of Kells" and visited the amazing library. The Book of Kells is one of the oldest and finest illustrated works of the four gospels anywhere (800's AD).
From there we walked to the National Bank of Ireland to see the original Parliament building and the House of Lords during the years of British rule.
After that we went to Temple Bar an area where there are many pub-type restaurants. Also a walk across Ha'Penny Bridge.
Larry was interested in seeing if he could trade a patch at the local police station, so off we went in search. Success!
The afternoon found us back on the On and Off buses. A tour of the Guinness Distillery was a must and they had an excellent self-guided tour that led us to the very top of the building with 360 degree views of Dublin - and our choice of beverages - Guinness for Larry and coke for me!
We ran into Garry and Barbara and Tom while up there and found they were planning to head for the gael (jail) and a tour. That sounded like a plan to us, too.
Our tour was a good one and we learned a lot of history, most of which I've forgotten except for the one prisoner who was married just hours before his execution. Most were political prisoners and it was not a pleasant place. Executions were usually public displays attended by many.
That evening we attended a Pub-type dinner show with Irish dancing, singing and entertainment. We were given the opportunity to request songs and the only one we could think of that they knew was Black Velvet Band - from our Newfoundland caravan days. They did a fine job and we were all singing along with the chorus before the song's end. We took a late evening walk back to our hotel and prepared for our next day of driving to - Waterford!
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