Turning Darkness Into Light

We had a full day in Dublin today.  Breakfast at our hotel agreed with me very much - bacon, sausages, beans, orange juice, and coffee.  Although the breakfast agreed with me there was a scandal.  One girl discovered a spot of mold on her toast and advised us to be wary of the bread.  During breakfast Tommy informed me that I was talking in my sleep.  Around 4 a.m. he couldn't make out what I was saying, but he was sure that the conversation ended with me saying, or yodeling, "HE HE HE WHOOOO".

Our first stop after a guided bus tour of Dublin city was Saint Patrick's Cathedral.  I had too much caffeine at breakfast to listen closely to the tour guide but I got some awesome photos.  I'm beginning to think that caffeine might be my magic elixir because I'm a better photographer and funnier when I have a caffeine buzz.  

St. Pat charms Tommy and Kate

St. Patrick's had a gift shop at the opposite end of the hall from the altar.  Tourism is the religion of Ireland.  

We then headed to Phoenix Park, the largest enclosed city park in Europe.  We drove past the Irish White House and the ambassador to Ireland's house.  There's an opening and the tour guide Sally suggested putting our resumes in because it's "good work if you can get it".  

Trinity College was the next stop to see the Book of Kells.  The book is over a thousand years old so I was pretty impressed in the 20 seconds I look at it.  I took some photos in the Long Room upstairs and then we headed to lunch after a restroom stop.  I tried 6 hand sanitizer dispensers on the walls throughout Trinity College and all of them were empty, which didn't surprise me because the Irish are a filthy people - I should know, I rarely shower on the weekends, but that's between me and the lord.

The Long Room

Lunch was terrible, the fish with the fish and chips tasked like it was just caught in the Liffey belly up, and Rosie's salad took about 35 minutes to show up.  Hopefully the students chose more wisely than we did.

The students had free time so we went to check out Kilmainham jail.  We were unable to get a tour because it was so packed, but there was a stirring monument across the street to the men executed after the Easter Uprising in 1916.  I thought it was worth the cab fare just to see monument, I wasn't sure everyone else was so I didn't ask.

We headed back to the city center and I had time to take some photos in the heart of Dublin.  The whole group met for dinner at Belvedere Hotel.  We were served a dish and we couldn't figure out if it was the best soup ever or the worst entree ever.

Right now, we're sitting in the hotel lobby eating pizza and hanging out.  Tomorrow we're headed to Belfast and I'm excited because that the only leg of the trip I've never visited.  I'm looking forward to the bus ride to Belfast and seeing the countryside.

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