Doubling the Pleasure, Dublin the Fun…

Arrived in Dublin last night driving our red sporty Skoda. Second day of driving on the left and navigating the turns so we set the gps on our phone to guides into Centre Coty Dublin. Traffic is very heavy at 5 o’clock as we navigate side streets. We set our Siri to Irish brogue mode… save three minutes use Little Mary Lane says she, save two minutes use  St. Francis St. says she… streets are filling with people leaving work. Taxis and busses zoom past us on the left which switches from bike lane to bus lane. 45 minutes later we find the Harty Rd. The row houses form a square and we are greeted by the neighborhood cats.

We explore the neighborhood, trying to get our bearings before we travel back to the airport to pick up our friends in the morning. We are staying in a new neighborhood for us and are trying to orient to the standard sites Temple Bar, Grafton St., O’Connell St., the canal, great location for all the sites.

After retracing ( only without the time saving zig and zag) our drive to the airport to collect our friends, ( what a difference a holiday and 12 hours can make). We head to the Guinness Storehouse.  This is a must do when visiting Dublin… it is an experience which ends with a pint at to rooftop Gravity Bar overlooking Dublin in 360! Today a Celtic drummer stormed into the bar rocking the walls with his percussive beating. Next a flashmob of Irish step dancers emerged and the whole bar was united in a few moments of magic.

The beauty of airb&b living is being able to shop and cook, relaxing at home after a busy day, sharing a meal. On a longer trip it is a nice change to have a space to spead out and rela. Once everyone is refreshed we can explore in Ernest. 

Over Easter weekend we focused on spirituality. We visited Trinity College to view the Book of Kells. The sacred texts of the four gospels were scribed by monks in ornate and colorful script. Through theft, fire, flood, and the wearing of time some have been lost, but through out centuries the texts have been guarded and protected. Remaining manuscripts are now kept in climate controlled cases with dark and specifically lighted rooms. The exhibit breaks down the process used to develop the rich ink made by the monks, deriving from plants, iron, etc. Vibrant colored powders in bright deep yellow, cobalt and bright cerulean blue, vermillion, verdant green each traced back to the source and displayed for appreciation. The meticulous care by the monks in transcribing these is impressive. Seeing they too were human, jotting occasional notes in the margins about how tedious the work could be, deepened the arduousness and appreciation of the task.

The tour ends in the research library, the Long Room; a multi- story room with oak barrel vaulted ceiling, tall shelves housing over 200,000 of Trinity’s oldest books, lining oak shelves reached by two story oak ladders and secret passageways between and above stalls. Large marble busts of famous graduates and notable contributors to science, literature, politics, etc. are perched on pedestals between the stacks. Before entering from the courtyard outside, a sign announcing… A good education is life changing, a great education is world changing.  Yes. Yes, it is.

After such inspiration to nourish our minds, we need to nourish our bodies, what better than a pint of the National drink( Guinness)( you can hear the protesting groans of the Murphy’s lovers done in Cork…but you catch my drift) and a delicious bite to eat at O’Neill’s pub.

A beautiful afternoon, we walk back exploring St Stephen’s Green, around through St. Patrick’s Cathedral Park and after noting the long line down the sidewalk outside Leo Burdock’s Fish and Chips on Friday evening ( a not to miss spot recommended by our daughter Emily after her semester in Dublin), we shared an order of chips while watching kids and dogs romping in the park.

Easter morning we rose early to get to church in time for a seat! Expecting a crowd we scurried along down the street . As we approach St. John’s lane an eerie calm met us.  Did we misread the time? … good news- prime seating available! The faithful of Dublin apparently are enjoying the holiday weekend and will be attending at noon!

Drawing on Emily’s other recommendations, we travel towards Temple Bar area to brunch at the Queen of Tarts. If you are in Dublin, do not miss this gem. The staff is charming and so positive and cheery you can’t help but enjoy. The food was so scrumptious, savory or sweet that we had to order a perfect Victoria sponge with raspberry afterward. How could anyone leave without sampling the yummy treats… my mouth waters just thinking about it!

With time to spare we wander Temple Bar. The air is damp and chilly and the rain begins. Low and behold the whiskey bar and cigar room tucked off the back of the Temple Bar looks warm and cozy…. And it is!

Back to the sacred… we make a dash around the corner and up to Christ Church Cathedral. The self guided audio tour highlights the age and history surrounding this old Cathedral. Mr. George Roe , who was one of largest distillers of whiskey supported the building/ improvement of Christ Church ( just as Mr. Arthur Guinness had supported the building of St. Patrick’s Cathedral- clash of the titans) 

The story gets told from a political or artistic or scientific perspective. The small altars are explained with various relics and shrines highlighted. The stairway leads down into the crypt. The most fascinating and unexpected case was the mummified cat and cat. The story goes that the cat was chasing a rat. The rat fled into the organ where the cat lept in. The bellows closed and sucked out all the air so quickly that they were sufficated and mummified instantly. Not discovered for years, they were placed in a glass case and displayed as one of the odd and unusual treasures of the crypt. A real crowd pleaser. You could tell by the gasps when visitors got to that portion of the tour!

The weekend is drawing to a close. The Easter feeling of hope and renewal is here in Dublin. We will leave tomorrow with lots of happy experiences and graceful moments.