Our trip to Ireland ...
September 2012
Day 3 ... Wednesday, September 19
After breakfast at the hotel, we jumped on the bus as a group
and headed out for a tour of the city of Dublin. We had a
local guide for this tour. Her name was Shelia O'Connor
O'Connor. This means that her maiden name was O'Connor and
she married an O'Connor! We trust there was no
relation. This is supposedly some type of special situation
to the Irish!
We went past the River Liffey, which is the river that flows
through the city, to Phoenix Park. Our tour was arranged
through the GoAhead Tour Company, and according to their
literature, this is the "largest enclosed public park in
Europe." Among other things, the park includes the Aras
an Uachtarain, the residence of the president of Ireland. We
also visited St. Patrick's Cathedral, founded in 450 AD by
Ireland's patron saint, and Trinity College, which houses the
"Book of Kells".
After the tour, we had lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe and then
walked a mile or so to the Guinness plant. Marcia and I did
the tour there and had a complimentary pint at the end of the
tour. On the way home, we stopped at the Brazen Head Pub,
the oldest pub in Ireland. It was opened in 1198. That
is not a typo ... it is over 800 years old! We had dinner at
a fish n chips place not far from the hotel. It was
terrible. The fish was soggy and greasy. It was
several days before we were assured that the fish should be flaky
and we just had a bad experience.
These pictures were all taken in Dublin.
on to day 4
|
