Dublin Day 1

Saturday May 2.

Writing that date makes me feel like we've lost a day. 

I woke up at 12:37 this morning. "The Strategy"? Who comes up with this "stuff"?! I had been asleep three and a half hours from the time I had uploaded yesterday's post. At which point, I was falling asleep with my phone in my hand, then would wake up to "e's" repeated down two pages of blog. I put earbuds in and listened to music for about a half hour, ate another half gummy then switched to a podcast on Irish history, which played until it woke me up at around 8:30 this morning. Nan slept hard and virtually right through until I eventually roused her around 9:00 am as Dublin had come alive by then. 

We met the Parisiennes for breakfast in the hotel restaurant and established our plan for the day, which involved a fair amount of walking. (I am sad to report I neglected to turn on my tracking device for myself so that I would know where we went. Tomorrow maybe.) We started out by walking through Merrion Square, a large park surrounded by Georgian houses adjacent to our hotel. There was a young couple in wedding attaire and I snapped a few pictures and then offered them to the photographer who suggested I just approach the bride. I introduced myself and showed Sarah my quick snaps and she gave me her email address and when we took a break, I emailed them off to her. Despite the day being overcast grey, it made for a lovely setting as everything was very lush and green and the nuptials made for a dramatic contrast. 

We proceeded on to Dublin Castle, that had its origins 1000 years ago but also the site of the start of the 1916 Uprising, predating the War of Independence of 1919-1921. What we saw of the castle was largely built in the 1800s so reflected relatively "modern" architecture as other parts were closed. There were some renovations ongoing so that may have been a factor.  The castle had numerous portraits, quite a few which depicted some rather gruesome scenes. But also, other famous aspects of the castle, including its use as an infirmary during the 1916 Uprising and photographs and portraits of famous Irish politicians. 

Look closely at the platter being carried by the barmaid.

After, we stopped for a snack then proceeded through the Temple Bar area. This is a conglomeration of shops, pubs, restaurants and coffee houses, curio places and jam packed with people. Brian from the pub last night said it was worth walking through it but extremely expensive and very touristy. The T-800 said: "Go smartly, not blindly, lively, chaotic, very 'Dublin'. Walk though it, maybe grab one drink then leave before it gets too touisty". It was fun to see but we heeded the T-800's advice. 

Our next stop for the afternoon was the National Museum of Ireland on Kildare Street. I give you this specific location because there are several "branches" of the National Museum, each depicting different aspects of Irish history.  We saw Irish history from 30,000 BC up to about 500 AD. We joined a tour from a very knowledgeable and dedicated young guide Michael, who had recently completed his Master's Degree in Irish history. We saw numerous gold 

artifacts which was quite amazing since gold does not generally occur naturally in Ireland. The nearest gold mining is in Cornwall, England, so gold artifacts, even 4,000 years old, would have been made with imported gold and used in barter. 

All knowing, all seeing. This carving had originally been found by a farmer who used it in his stone fence.

Bog people.

We took a break back at the hotel and I scouted out a place to have dinner. Lina is very determined to have a good Irish lamb stew (as are both Nan and me) so I picked a pub a 7 minute walk from the hotel with a 4.5 star rating. We met at 7 after a two hour rest then walked to the pub. Along the way, we walked past a few other places that were PACKED. It is Saturday afterall but wow, busy to the point of numerous dozens or more people spilled out onto the street, which was the case of our destination. The street was jammed 0pin the "outdoor section" and the three level bar was PACKED on every level. There was certainly no seating room and not even room at the bar to stand close enough to get a drink, let alone dinner. Oh, there was some kind of "sports game" on the multitude of televisions around the place and customers seemed quite intent on the goings-on. I think the home team may have  scored a goal, based on the pandemonium. Don't think it was NHL playoff action, though. Just as well; we couldn't hear anything in there other than the pandemonium and we made a hasty exit. After checking out a few nearby places, we settled on a steakhouse that did not have lamb on the menu.

Three stories of frivolity.

Packed inside
AND out!

And we barely saw any rain today,

notwithstanding the 50% probability.

I'll have to say, I'm feeling not too bad today. Even though I was awake for awhile last night, I've felt pretty strong, alert and have fooled my companions into thinking I am a somewhat "normal" person. Maybe The Strategy works afterall. I relayed this notion to Nan who immediately corrected me that NOBODY would ever mistake me for a "normal" person.  However, as one wag suggested in the comments, in the interests of science I should try going straight to Step 6 and see how that works. On the return trip.

Buskers in Temple Bar.

Crowds