Dublin

After we awoke, wandered over to the Lemon Jelly Cafe for breakfast. Very good. There was a breakfast place across the walkway from here, and it was not very busy. This cafe was hopping! We went to find the Hop On Hop Off bus to take a ride around Dublin. We passed stop number 24 which had a person inside, and the guide said to head to stop number 1, near the Millennium statue, or the Stiletto in the Ghetto. Onto the bus with the GoCity pass. Dublin is a very nice city. After we got back to stop #1, our plan was to go to Trinity College to see the Book of Kells. After a few moments, we decided to walk since it was not that far, and it was not really raining. We entered the tour, and saw a nice introduction to what the Book of Kells is, and what we would be seeing. It is the four gospels, and written in 800 AD. Very ornate and beautiful. Once you get to the room where it is, it is dimly lit, and the book is rather small. The Gospel of John was on display when we were there. We then went to the Long Room to see the thousands of books there. Most have now been removed, as they are getting ready to renovate the space. The Gaia, or world globe, was suspended in the hall. Really neat to see the earth spinning in this great room. Went down to the gift shop after.

We were getting hungry, and a Pret a Manger was around the corner. After that, we wandered into Hodges Figgis, a really nice bookstore. We picked up a couple of books on Irish history. After that, into the Stephens Green Shopping Center, a really nice structure. It was recommended to view, as it is a steel structure. Then we popped into Christ Church Cathedral. There was a crypt underneath, and there was a mummified cat and mouse on display that one of the guides referred to as Tom and Jerry. Otherwise a nice church. We then went down to see St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Another beautiful church. Back to the hotel to have leftovers for supper.