Day 57 - Playing with Olly in Dublin (day 2)

Sleep in!  Couple of panadol, breakfast of pastries and coffee then we were off exploring Dublin together.

We went first to Trinity College to go to the Book of Kells, thinking it would be quite busy – and we were right.  We arrived just before all the bus loads.  Both Olly and I really enjoyed the exhibition, learning a lot about the history of the book and how it was made (it is an illuminated manuscript dated from around AD800 probably made by monks on an island off Scotland). 

From the Book of Kells we went into the Long Room, Trinity College’s 65 meter library that was mesmerising.  There were so many incredibly old books stored, and they had an exhibition of old medical books, pictures and entries on medical conditions.

Next Olly and I jumped on the Dublin Bus to get a broad picture of the city (and for me to see more than I previously had).  We got off the bus at Dublin Castle for a wander around, the proceeded to the Guinness Storehouse.  By this stage we were starving so headed straight for the restaurant for beef and guinness casserole and, of course, a glass of wine.  We then took about 2 hours to tour the Storehouse.  I had no idea how big a venture it is and how much Guinness is consumed around the world.  The structure of the building (shaped like a pint glass) is fabulous.  Both Olly and I were surprised how long we spent exploring, then finished with a pint of Guinness each in the Gravity Bar – where you have a 360 degree view of Dublin.

The label says it all

Cheers

Back on the bus, we passed a couple of the cathedrals I saw previously, went out to Phoenix Park (twice the size of Central Park), the got off the bus to sit in the Brazen Head pub – built in 1198.  We were lucky to catch the end of 6 guys performing (guitar, violin, flute, piccolo, spoons) in front of a drunk and enthusiastic crowd.  It was fun.

Brazen Head band

It was at this point we heard from Dave, he had been to the doctor and diagnosed with concussion and 3 broken ribs!  Poor guy, but we did laugh til we hurt as he didn’t really remember much of the previous night, and actually started off by apologizing to Olly for “not turning up the previous night, it was someone else who came in his place”.

Olly and I went to the Temple Bar to listen to more music, and drink more beer (for Olly, me cider) then another pub where 3 men in their 70’s entertained the small crowd with Irish music.  It was a brilliant night, topped off with a great meal on the way home (thanks Olly x).

Grafitti