Ireland: Day 2

Now that the wedding is over and the honeymoon is underway, I figured it would be an opportune time to make my first post. Better late than never, yes?

Yesterday was our first full day in Dublin. While still cold, the skies were clear. We started the day with breakfast at the B&B. My lovely wife (I will never get tired of saying that) had the mushroom fritata while I opted for the "full irish". The full irish, as it turn out, is a carnivor's dream. Egg, bacon, sausage, mash, and tomatoes. That and a small pot of tea had me ready to explore the city.

First up we walked to Trinity College to see the Book of Kells. There was a nice introductory exhibit about the history of bookmaking and religion in Ireland. The book itself was absoluetly beautiful, you almost can't help but hold your breath when you see it. On our way out we passed through the famous "Long Room" which was a gigantic library of ancient books. We both envied the employees of the preservation society as we watched them mend various items.

Then we strolled through downtown Dublin itself, stopping to admire some of it's architecture. The city is amazing. Gorgeous old buildings as far as you can see dotted with the occasional modern bit of architecture. The best part was that these new buildings had strong references to the classes surrounding them. None of them looked garish or out of place despite being obviously modern.

We stopped by the two most noteworthy cathedrals in Dublin, The Christ Church Cathedral and St. Patrick's Cathedral. Huge towers, intricate stained glass, and beautiful arches and doorways. We were lucky enough to reach The Christ Church Cathedral in time to hear it's bells ring.

After soaking in the sites and building a healthy appitite we headed to the Guinness brewery. While decidedly more touristy it was still worth the visit. The tour is located inside a five-story structure complete with museum, gift shop, tour of the brew-making process, restaurant and topped with a gravity bar. The structure itself wraps around a five-story sculpture of a pint glass. We ate a tasty meal before going to the top floor to enjoy a pint and take in the view.

After a liesurely nap back at the hotel we headed back out for a nice quiet dinner at a local wine bar. Everything was very tasty even with our flakey waiter (forgot one of our appatizers and pretty much dissapeared after serving us, had to flag down another person just to get dessert and the check).

Today we plan on lounging about a bit more as we put in several miles of walking yesterday. This afternoon I think we'll check out the Jameson distillery and tonight we are going to enjoy the Chef's Tasting Menu and a wonderful restaurant located inside the Writer's Museum. Thanks go to Danielle and Ander for booking us the reservation.

Tomorrow: Train ride to County Cork!