And it's no nay never ---- no nay never no more...

...will I play the wild rover, no never no more...
~The Wild Rover

Friday
As our Ireland started, I was very tired (having spent the night before our flight at the airport curled up on a chair). Our flight was very short. Basically, a flight from London to Dublin consists of going up, waiting a few minutes, and then coming down. Once we got there, we took a bus to a town near where our hosts for the weekend (Andy--one of my dad's coworkers--and his wife, Siobhan, and daughter, Jessica) live. Andy and Siobhan were SO nice. And their daughter was quite cute. We got a second breakfast--our first being a muffin before our flight--of poached egg on toast. yum. While we waited for them to finish their morning activities, Anne and I took lovely naps. :) Then we went to Powerscourt Gardens for a delicious (and large) lunch. I had chicken and pasta with some yummy sides and then a piece of chocolate cake. I was very full and content. Afterwards, we walked around the grounds and to the Japanese Garden, but it was really cold so we didn't spend too long outside. The day was what the Irish call a "soft day" according to Andy, in other words wet and cold (but not too freezing). Then we went back to their house. They served us a yummy dinner (lamb, potatoes, and vegetables, I think). Then Andy took us into Dublin to the Temple Bar area. We walked around (learning the layout of the city in preparation of our activities the next day) and ended up at a pub that had some traditional Irish pub music. It was really fun. (They played a song that Nanci Griffith does, From Clare to Here I believe it's called...) Oh, and we saw Christ Church Cathedral (yes, there's another one) lit up. It was pretty.

The pub we went to Friday night. (I took a picture of it the next day.)

Saturday
On this day we spent the morning and afternoon exploring Dublin. We used a hop-on, hop-off tour bus for some of it. We went to Trinity College and saw the Book of Kells (plus an exhibition about how it would have been made). We went to St. Stephen's Green and Grafton Street, which I cannot hear or say without thinking of the Nanci Griffith song (On Grafton Street). (By the way, Butler's Chocolate--which is apparently an Irish chocolate company--is delicious. We each got a hot chocolate from their store of Grafton's Street. yum.) We went up Dames Street, where we found a restaurant that Anne's friend had recommended called The Queen of Tarts. :) It was SO tasty (plus I was really hungry by that time). I had a chicken sandwich with special, homemade stuffing on special homemade bread (and lettuce and carrots on the side). And then we shared an apple crumble afterwards. yum-yum! Then we walked around Temple Bar and then hopped back on the bus. We drove by Christ Church Cathedral again and got off at St. Patrick's Cathedral. It was pretty cool. After that we found the bus to take us back to Andy and co.'s house.

On a lookout over a pond at St. Stephen's Green.

Cool flags and windows in St. Patrick's Cathedral.

That night they took us to a pub called Johnnie Fox's for dinner and a show. It was fantastic. The food was amazing--a three course dinner. I had mussels for the appetizer (I've never had them before, so I was being brave and adventurous!). And prime sirloin (so tender!) with potatoes and vegetables for the main course. And apple pie with cream for dessert. It was so delicious! I was SO full. Then the show started! The first half was music. The band was great and the lead singers were funny. Everyone was really into it. Lots of clapping happened. :) During the break before the dancers, they did a "hooley" where a screen came down and they played a song while showing everyone in the audience on the screen. It was fun. Then the dancers came. They raised the stage, so we could all see their feet easily. It was a really good performance. The dancers were good, but also looked like they were having lots of fun and being too serious. There was one dancer in particular that had all the girls drooling. He was pretty hot. And talented. After the dancers were done, the musicians came back to finish off the night with some songs. The played The Wild Rover! I was SO excited! XD The entire evening was awesome. We got back late, tired, and with aching hands, but very happy with the experience. :)

Sexy Irish Dancer dancing with a beer. :)

Sunday
On our last day, we slept in (after our crazy night at Johnnie Fox's) and had breakfast late. After that we went on a hike in Dalkey (which is where Andy and Siobhan used to live). It was a nice way to get some nature into our trip. :) And we had a good view of the coast when we got to the top. Near the top was this monument called Druid's Chair. For good luck (or health or fortune...) we walked around each level three times and then made a wish at the top. I got a bit dizzy, but made it! :) After that Andy dropped us off at the Guinness Factory, where we did the tour that apparently everyone has to see. I'm not into beer so I wasn't too into it, but it was interesting to learn about the process that goes into making a Guinness. They are very serious about it over there. It was a bit over-the-top. I did taste some in their "tasting laboratory", but it was disgusting. :P gross. After that, we made our way to the pick-up place for a bus to the airport. By this time, I had not eaten anything since breakfast (having been low on time and money), so I was a bit shaky. When we got to the airport, we found out that our flight time had been changed (without our knowledge) from 7:55 to 8:35, which wasn't a big deal (at least it wasn't earlier than we thought!). Once we got through security (which was the worst that I've had to deal with since coming here), we looked for food. I only had a couple of euros left so I ended up getting a little BLT. I felt better afterwards, but I was sad I couldn't get more protein. (Airport food is as expensive here as at home.) I did get a shake from Butler's Chocolate, which was delicious. Their chocolate is soooo good. We finally got home (before midnight, amazingly) and I went to bed fairly quickly. Exhausted.

Anne and me at the top of the Druid's Chair.

P.S. On O'Connell Street is the Spire of Dublin (or the Monument of Light), which is really tall and impressive (I think it was supposed to be constructed for the new century or something), but one of the bus tour guides had a funny nickname for it (Erection at the Intersection). heehee!

It's cool at night, because it's hollow and there are little holes for a light to come through around it at levels. And at the top there are large pieces cut away to let the light out. It's very tall.