Aye...brother...

Take a guess where we are:



Let's see...cloudy, dreary, river through town...I guess that could be a million places, so I'll just say it - DUBLIN!!! It was almost Paris this time...so close, but between the bazillion things I had at work and the millions of things I had at home, I didn't get it planned and researched. And the thing is...I don't do very well without a plan. Dublin was already planned, the flights were WAY more open, and I already knew where to stay, so voila! Here we are.


First I have to say that our flight was quite enjoyable. Other than getting freaked out about the Chicago weather (had to connect through Chicago), it was one of the smoothest vacation experiences we've had non-reving!! We got business class, which is as good as it gets on a 767 and that was fine with us. We left Dallas at 1:00PM on Sunday and arrived here at 9:00AM-ish on Monday. We had quite a long layover, but that was our choice to get to Chicago while the getting was good.


Europe is a tough first day. It's 4:45 in the afternoon and I can't keep Joe awake. And, in fact, I'm blogging to stay awake myself. But, I have found it's the best way for me to operate - try to stay awake as long as possible on that first day to adjust to the time change.


So...we arrived today, made our way into the city to our hotel and started checking things out. Nothing serious - just walking around and getting our bearings. The bridges in the picture above are the Millennium Bridge and the Ha' Penny Bridge (named for the halfpence toll people used to pay to cross it) which cross the River Liffey. We also checked out Henry and Grafton Streets - both shopping meccas and busy, busy, busy right now.


This is Trinity College. It was founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I to establish Protestant thinking about God. Today, it is the most prestigious college in Ireland. Originally the student-body was limited to rich, Protestant males. Women were admitted in 1903 and Catholics were given formal permission to attend in the 1970s (although the school actually allowed them much earlier). Today, 50% of the student body are women and 70% are Catholic. Trinity College is also home to the Book of Kells, which was written on vellum (at that time baby calf skin) in the late 8th century by Irish monks. It is an enthusiastically decorated copy of the four gospels written in Latin and is the finest piece of art still in existence from the Dark Ages. Unfortunately, it was not on display today. Sigh. We will try again in a couple of days.


Along central Dublin is a street named O'Connell Street. This street is named after Daniel O'Connell, the Liberator of the Irish Catholics. We learned about him and visited his home when we were in Ireland in April. The statue below is of O'Connell, is in the median of O'Connell street, and was designed by Daniel Foley. I'm sure he must be a long-lost relative.

The spire behind Mr. O'Connell's statue is the Millennium Spire, which was completed in 2003. Taken from Rick Steves, Ireland: "While it trumpets rejuvenation on that side of the river, it's a memorial to nothing and has no real meaning." We've heard that Dubliners call it the tallest waste of 5 million euro in all of Europe. Here are it's nicknames: Stiletto in the Ghetto, the Stiffy on the Liffey, and the Pole in the Hole.

Our quick tour ended in the Temple Bar area which is the town's hot spot - especially (we've heard) in the evenings. We had a late lunch at Gallagher's, a place known for it's boxty. Boxty is a traditional Irish dish (obviously) that we thought we needed to try. It's like a pancake with meat and gravy inside. Very tasty. I had the chicken boxty and Joe had the Gaelic boxty (which is meat with mushrooms). A side of mashed potatoes - and let me tell you no one does potatoes like the Irish - and a couple of beers and we are set! I think the beers may be adding to our inability to stay awake, however.

Not sure which sightseeing adventure we will take on tomorrow, but hopefully we'll be good and rested and ready to go!!!

Oh, and as far as the title...Joe and I are both aware that Desmond (from Lost) is really Scottish, but his trademark "Aye...brother..." has become our motto when in Ireland and our response to every affirmative question!

Are you hungry?: Aye...brother

Do you want to go back to the hotel?: Aye...brother

Are we silly?: Aye...brother...but we're in Dublin, so who cares!!!???!!!