Ireland - Day 3

Another day, another giant Irish breakfast. We would need every calorie today, as we had big plans to see quite a few sights on day 3.

We took a taxi to Trinity College where the main attraction is the Book of Kells - ancient copies of the four gospels. It is also a working univeristy (opened by Queen Elizabeth I in the 1500's), but we had a hard time imagining how students could concentrate with the masses of tourists. We stood in a substantial queue but eventually made it in. The flyers and posters show clear, bright pages with vivid colours and we were unprepared for what should have been obvious, that a 1200 year old book is most likely to be a little faded. The number of tourists was also a little off-putting - it was hard to really see everything and take the time that the display deserved.

We also enjoyed the old library. Old, dark wood panelling and barrel vaulted ceiling, all walls covered by ancient books. A exhibition of books and letters related to the life and time of Napoleon was also quite interesting. The gift shop seemed to be of most interest to everyone, though.

Our next stop was just down the street from the College. A statue of Molly Malone at the head of Grafton Street. She's the subject of an Irish pub song - she's the one selling "cockles and mussels, alive, alive-oh". Locally the statue is referred to as the "Tart with a Cart". Looking at the picture, it seems apt.

Leprechaun count: 1.

I think I know what the problem was with finding these sprites before - I was looking for something that topped out at maybe 2 or three feet. Apparently the leprechauns have been working out and hitting the steroids, because they're now well over 6 feet tall. I guess it helps keep the pot o' gold safe.

Dublin Castle was next. It was an interesting hodge-podge of historical buildings and exhibits. There was a barrel tower and some oddly painted side buildings, a grand hall, a nice garden and the Chester Beatty Library. The latter is worth mentioning because of its exhibit of rare and ancient books. It was an amazing combination of Chinese, European, Persian, Mughal and Islamic books. The detail in the illustrations was awe-inspiring. We would definitely recommend this slightly out of the way location.

After a lunch that included a nice sherry trifle for Ethna, we went into Christ Church Cathedral. It was beautifully laid out with gorgeous floors - a first for us and our major church tours. Usually the walls, ceilings and windows receive most of the attention. Here the floors were just as amazing. A choir was also practising, which helped set the mood. The crypt was also open for tours, filled with relics and treasures. We would recommend this church over the slightly more famous St. Patrick's.

St. Patrick's was a little disappointing. Still beautiful and quite grand, and with Jonathan Swift buried just inside the doorway, it was a little less impressive than Christ Church. But how can you go to Dublin without seeing St. Pat's.

We circled back to Grafton Street to do some shopping. It was a nice mixture of high end and regular shoppes. Fiona bought me a traditional Claddagh ring. We somehow made it past the Hermes store with our wallets intact.

We found an evening mass at small downtown church, after which we stumbled upon a fantastic little restaurant called the Mermaid Cafe. The staff were fabulous and friendly and the food was some of the best we have had on this trip. Fiona's pork chop was especially good. It is not often that I get jealous of someone else's order, but I have to admit I was a little green ...

After supper we re-traced Ethna's old route to work, going first through Temple Bar and across the Ha'penny Bridge (toll used to be a ha'penny). We walked along the Liffey to Bachelor's Row. Unfortunately the building she used to work in was being renovated, so it was covered up with a tarp.

We walked a little further to O'Connell Street, where statues of the Irish Patriots who took part in the Easter Rebellion are located. We stopped in front of the Post Office, where they made their stand and marveled at the Spire, a 300 foot spike in the place where Admiral Nelson's column used to be (blown up by the IRA in '66). A little further down towards the docks we came upon the Custom's House and a series of statues to commemorate all those who left Ireland during the Potato Famine.

By the time we got back to our hotel it was quite late. Our plans for a quick drink in the bar were scuttled by the vast numbers of hurley fans which seem to have invaded our hotel. Everyone is pretty jazzed for Limerick v Tipperary on Sunday. I've seen some hurley on TV the last few days and I now wish I had tickets. It looks like an exciting game that would be well worth watching.

Back to Scotland in the morning!

Ireland - Day 2

Day 2 consisted mostly of a trip down memory lane. After a full Irish breakfast - resembling the full English breakfast and full Scottish breakfast - we got in the rental car and went out to Lucan Village, just outside Dublin.

A quick word on the car. We received an Opel Vectra, which we see all the time in Aberdeen as a Vauxhall Vectra. A decently comfortable car with plenty of seating and a massive boot, it took some time to get used to. I think I have it worked out now and I can get on with the job of trying to figure out what is actually going on with the roads. They have lanes that just disappear and oddly positioned lights. The roads, at least in Dublin, are wider than in Scotland and what we saw of London, so I still have to recommend Ireland as a place to "learn" how to drive on the other side of the road.

Lucan was a cute little village and very picturesque. It brought forth a stream of memories from Ethna, who had last been "home" 10 years ago. She still remembered the Wren's Nest and the church, the old, dark lane they used to have to walk down, with the hollow tree where they used to stash their raincoats and the field where she was chased by a cow.

We parked at St. Catherine's Park and took a woodland walk down a nice path, at the end of which are the ruins of the house her father built. There was no trace of the older family home she remembered on the adjoining plot, and the roof was now missing from newer house. The walls were still up, though, and we could wander through what was once a nice, fairly spacious family home. The old fireplace still had some of the original tile on it. We spoke to a Park Ranger who told us he had seen plans regarding the house that would have it rebuilt and transformed into Ranger's quarters. That would be cool.

We took a brief walk through the woods beside the river Liffey and then drove through Leixlip (the original home of Guinness). We had a pub lunch back in Lucan (chicken curry with chips and rice for me, a roast beef dinner for Fiona and soup for Ethna - all superb!). After a trip to see the old church Ethna used to attend, we said goodbye to Lucan.

We decided to take in Dublin's most popular tourist spot next - the Guinness Brewery. While none of us was a particular fan of Guinness, we all would highly recommend the brewery tour. They obviously spent a lot of time setting up the old brewhouse and it is a real treat - so much so that it justifies the 15 pound entry fee. While the first few of the 7 floors are not too different from any brewery/distillery tour, the tasting lounge and the top floor panoramic view are worth the price of admission alone. Fiona and I both had a taster and found it better than any Guinness we had tried before. Still not raving about it, but definitely drinkable.

We spent the evening with an old and dear friend of Ethna's, Ann. We last saw Ann 7 years ago at our wedding, so it was a nice reunion. We went down to Howth Head, a section of land jutting out into the see. The harbor, ringed by restaurants and with a few resident seals, was quite charming. The houses rising on the hills behind would represent quite tolerable places to live, I imagine. Perhaps the slowdown that has a hefty grip on Dublin could bring the prices down to almost affordable?

We had a seafood dinner. The lobster was fabulous - I hadn't had such a good one in quite some time.

No leprechauns on day 2 either. I imagine with the banking problems they taken to guarding their pots o' gold with renewed vigour ...

Ireland Day 1

Number of leprechauns: 0

I can get used to days like this - work half a day, drop the dog off at the kennel and hop a flight to Dublin.

The whole Ryanair thing worked out OK. The lineup was tolerable, although I'm not a big fan of the free for all for seats. I'd prefer to take my time getting to a seat that I know is mine. The seats were a little cramped and the bright yellow they use to decorate everything kind of gets to you after a while. We did have a good chuckle at the safety card which insisted that you remove your false teeth before exiting on the emergency slide. Is this a veiled attempt to prevent cannibalism should the plane have to ditch on a remote desert island?

We carefully negotiated through our standard one screw-up per vacation - we forgot to check the time of our car reservation, which had been cancelled for several hours before we arrived. The kind lady at Europcar fixed it all and we were soon rolling to our hotel - the Croke Park. Situated conveniently across from (guess where?) Croke Park, it is one of the better hotels we've ever stayed in. And at one of the better prices too.

The Croke Park stadium is across the street. It's quiet now, but should be rocking on Sunday for Tipperary vs Limerick. I'm not making that up. Tipperary vs Limerick. Playing hurley. It could not get more Irish without moving into leprechaun water polo in a pool of Guinness.

We're looking forward to going into Lucan tomorrow, where Ethna grew up. Should be fun. She's been quickly reverting back into her old Irish ways. The accent is growing stronger and the colloquialisms are returning: "full of beans", "he has the sun shining out of his arse", "go suck a lemon" and "pog mo hone". (Of these only a couple would be uttered by the proper lady that is my mother-in-law, the others I just find amusing...)

Interesting note: I'm typing away while watching the PGA Championship. By some strange coincidence, the last three major golf championships have all happened during our tour of European capitals: US Open - Paris, British Open - London and now PGA - Dublin. I think the Masters happened while we were on the Isle of Skye, but that hardly counts as a major European capital. I guess it has helped as I haven't been able to see the guys I picked to win it all fail to make the cut.

Stephen Murray - Golfing Genius

Fiona and I went to the driving range last night and the hard work put in by my instructor seems to be paying off. I haven't hit so many golf balls that straight in ... I was about to say "quite some time", but I think it is more like "ever". He almost had a fit trying to get me to change my bad habits, but some of it has soaked in. Now I just have to try and translate it into better scores on the course.

We've been having a great time with Fiona's mom. We drove out into the Cairngorms on Sunday. We did the Burn o' Vat walk, which is always impressive. Fiona and Ethna have given themselves over to knitting. Sweaters and blankets are being generated at a ferocious rate.

We're all excited about a trip to Dublin that starts tomorrow afternoon. It will be interesting to see Ethna's old stomping grounds, try some pub food and enjoy some Irish culture. It will also be our first trip with Ryanair. We're a little worried. The concept of bare minimum prices and an added fee for everything - ie. a fee to pay online, when you are only allowed to pay online. If the trip is anything less than truly convenient, we'll probably be avoiding it in the future.

The Ladies of Crathes Castle

Another beautiful day in Aberdeen and surroundings. Some took advantage by enjoying a spectacular day in the climate controlled confines of a dreary office. Others wandered in a castle garden ...

Fiona and Ethna went to Crathes Castle. We had been there before, during the Christmas season when it is all decked out in true Victorian style. The castle gardens then were dead and gone and we made a note that we had to go back sometime. This time the gardens were in their full glory. Personal favorites were the fountains and topiaries, the butterflies, hollowed out yews and Ethna's well favoured geraniums.

The castle was enjoyable too. The Green Lady room did not reveal its resident ghost, but the nursery and the muse room were impressive.

A trip to the local garden centre was also called for, as all the recent rain had wreaked havoc on our garden pots. The soil had liquefied and all the plants had died. New plants were bought and there is now some gardening to be done.

I had another golf lesson today. Some of the advice is starting to sink in. I have high hopes that the next time I golf with Ryan, Mr. Munro won't be commenting on my "quasimodo" golfing style. It's an admirable goal that I set for myself: reduce the mocking to a tolerable level. I still don't know how I would handle someone making fart noises during my backswing ...

Mom

Ethna picked a beautiful day to fly into Aberdeen. The sun was shining, the sky was blue and a light breeze made everything pleasant. We picked her up in late afternoon and proceeded home for a nice BBQ with some homemade burgers and a fantastic cole slaw that Fiona "just whipped up".

Casey was very happy to see her. I think she remembered all the good times she had in San Antonio.

A short beach walk with an ice cream finished up the evening. No definite plans yet for the rest of the week or the weekend, but it should be fun.