DUBLIN

THURSDAY 17TH - It was a long day as predicted.  The flight from Iceland to Paris was three hours, we then had a 9 hour wait in Paris and filled in the time around the airport eating, reading, wandering around the shops and more eating and coffee drinking, then a one and half hour flight to Dublin arriving at the B&B at 11.00pm.  We were happy to see a bed in the room.  Both felt like we were getting too old for this carry-on.  The taxi driver that picked us up at the airport had great affection for Australia.  He was there for three and a half years, met his wife there (English) and was finally deported for overstaying his welcome but obviously enjoyed his stay.


FRIDAY - We said we would go to breakfast at 8.30 so I dragged myself out of bed and pulled on some clothes and joined Ian who was up, showered and ready to go.  New country, Ian was ready to explore.  Off he went whilst I went back to bed for a bit more sleep.  In the afternoon we went into the City.  What a buzzing place Dublin is.  The number of people was a bit overwhelming after quiet Iceland.  Ian went off and found a car rental place whilst I went to the Touring info place.  We will pick a car up on Monday.  Trinity College was the easiest place to walk to so off we went, did a tour with one of the students (who looked like Tom Cruise but a much nicer person) then went and looked at the Book of Kells and other ancient manuscripts then went to the Long Room which houses a copy of every book published in the UK with an ISBN.  Just amazing number of books.  Unfortunately no photos here so can't share this with you. We then walked back and looked around the CBD, checking out the bullet holes at the GPO - the result of the 1916 Rising and generally got our bearings.  We caught the bus back to the Clontarf Village, near where we are staying and had dinner in a restaurant and walked back to our B&B.  There is a TV in the room so Ian has been watching the World Cup whenever he can. 

SATURDAY - I purchased tickets for the Hop-On-Hop-Off bus which is the first time we have ever done this however the places of interest seem to be so far apart so we hopped on at stop number one and listened to the commentary till we reached the Kilmainham Jail.  We did the guided tour here and found it very moving.  Many of the Easter Monday (1916) leaders were interned here until they were executed by firing squad in May of that year.  The conditions in the jail were just horrible as they always are and 4,000 prisoners were sent to Tasmania on the Success as convicts in the late 18th Century.  At one stage there were 9,000 in the jail which was built to house about 500.  Many Irish tried to get into jail during the potato famine just to get some food.  How sad is that.  By the time we did the rounds on the bus again we decided it was really too late to do any other 'sights' so filled in some time around the city centre and then had an early dinner in town before catching the bus back to Clontarf.

SUNDAY - We have been much more into the sight seeing today.  We used the Hop On again and went out to Merrion Square which has been closed off for the weekend because the Bloomsday celebrations have continued since Thursday.  A great carnival atmosphere, as only the Irish can do.  They just get into it.  We then walked through St. Stephen's Green and around to Christ Cathedral but there was something happening there today so couldn't go in.  I then spent a couple of hours at Dublina - a museum that tells the history of the Viking and Medieval Ireland.  Ian, in the meantime found a paper and sat in the sun and read that.  After lunch we went to the Dublin Castle, looked around here and then walked back through Temple Bar, the drinking, eating part of Dublin.  Pubs almost outdo restaurants two to one I think.  We walked back to the bus stop and caught the bus home.   Today is Father's Day in Ireland and all the nearby restaurants were full tonight so we settled for a pie overlooking the harbour which was just lovely.  A few more light meals like this certainly want hurt us.  There weather has been lovely, always a keen little breeze however out of that the sun is just lovely.