We made it through customs and we are waiting for our flight. Our time here has been fantastic! The landscape is always changing and always breathtaking. The towns and the cities are clean, and full of history. The people are welcoming, pleasant and helpful. I'm already making plans for my return and I would urge you to plan a holiday and experience it yourself. I can't do it justice. 

Last day in Ireland

Dad and I took a walk about this morning. Really to nowhere in particular. I took some pics of the city - pics 1, 2 and 3. We found the "secret garden" (that's what the guide book calls it) -pic 4 and 5. Pic 6 is what the front of the pubs look like in the a.m. We, or should I say I, spent a lot of the day figuring out the customs stuff and trying to pack twice as much crap into the luggage. Tony is going to transport us to the airport so we will be ending the trip with a friendly face.

Winding down

Our days are numbered. We started the day with a visit to Saint Patrick's Cathedral. It's beautiful and gigantic. It's located in the city and has a lovely park in front. -pics 1 and 2. Obviously, the inside is amazing but yet again I used my camera to get most of the interior pics so you'll have to wait to see them. Pic 3 is of the patron saint of medical professionals. I can't remember his name. We went to the National museum and saw many wonderful and interesting things that I wasn't allowed to photograph. They have a great exhibit of "bog people". It seems that the composition of the bogs preserves and basically mummified people. Sorry, again no pics. Pic 4 is the Hairy Lemon. The landmark that has saved us many times. We started to pack. Not easy. Looks like we might have to buy more luggage. Unfortunately, I'm not joking.

Lazy day

We didn't do a lot today. We didn't get lost! Of course we didn't go far either. We had a lovely breakfast at the hotel and wandered to the art museum. Museums are closed on Mondays but for some reason this one was open. We saw many beautiful pieces but I wasn't allowed to take any pictures so you will just have to take my word for it. We did some shopping. Dad's motto is "when in doubt, ship it out". So, Ryan, expect several deliveries. We had lunch at the Hairy Lemon which for some reason dad insists on calling the furry banana. I have tried everything prefixed with " traditional Irish". Black and white pudding, stew, shepherd's pie, coddle, seafood chowder and corned beef and cabbage. I went to the park, Saint Stephen's Green, and took pics of the flora and fauna again. Most of them are on my camera but I had a few on my phone - pics 1,2, and 3. Pic 4 is from yesterday. Something I saw while we were horribly lost. I didn't learn anything new to share with you today but I promise tomorrow will be better. We are going to the museums and Saint Patrick's Cathedral.

Our first day without Tony

So, we got lost today. Twice. Dad likes to say we were "exploring the city", but we were lost. We walked aimlessly for over 4 hours total but we did see a lot. Dublin is a very confusing place. The weather wasn't bad, just overcast in the morning and decent in the afternoon. No rain! We visited Trinity College (pic 1) and saw The Book of Kells. It's a ornate and beautiful book of Scriptures written over 1000  years ago. I wasn't allowed to take a picture so you'll have to Google it. After Trinity we tried to return to the hotel but we took the "long way". Very long way. We saw Dublin castle ( pic 2) and various other stuff. We made it back to the hotel (pic 3) and had a little relax. We then decided to go to Temple Bar for dinner. Temple Bar is not an actual bar. It's a group of streets with a lot of bars. Strange place (pic 4,5). Dad found a bar he could relate to (pic 6). Who knows where we'll end up tomorrow. Definitely not me or dad!

Slainte!

There was a wedding in the hotel last night that was still going on this morning. The bride, groom and entire wedding party was still drinking at 8:30 a.m. when we left. Tony says that this is not the norm. We stopped at Clonmacnoise on our way back to Dublin. Clonmacnoise was founded in the year 548. It has been built and rebuilt many times over the centuries. The Cross of Scriptures is 13 feet high and has been dated to 900 A.D. -  pic 1. Pics 2,3 and 4 are the ruins from different periods from 900 - 1300. It's a very surreal place. Today's lesson is a language lesson in Irish. Slainte is the Irish toast which means "Good Health". We parted ways with Tony today -pic 5. He has been a wonderful guide and I'm sure I'm going to miss him because now dad's in charge and we all know his "uncanny" sense of direction. Well at least we will have 4 days to find our way back to the hotel. Slainte Tony!

Cold but amazing!

Today was chilly with that classic "Irish mist". We started towards Connemara and stopped at Cong. Cong Abbey - pics 1,2. The movie "The Quiet Man" with John Wayne was filmed in Cong - pic 3. We stopped at a few picturesque spots -pic 4. The destination was Kylemoore Abbey -pic 5,6. I can't go into the entire history but it's romantic, humorous and tragic. I'm too tired for a lesson tonight but don't worry I'll make up for it tomorrow! That gives you something to look forward to!