Friday in Dublin
I hate the term "bucket list" but if I had one, seeing the library at Trinity College would be on it. So today's first stop was a joy.
We saw the Book of Kells display first and as much as I loved seeing this marvel preserved since it was written in 800 A.D. -- 800 A.D.! -- I couldn't wait to make our way to the "long room." Sometimes professional photos of a location are so cool that the real thing disappoints but stepping through the doorway to this room was a jaw-dropping experience. I really tried to keep from saying "Wow!" as we walked around. Evan and Melissa, you were right!
We spent much of the day strolling and enjoying the sunny skies and nice temperatures in Dublin. Like many places in the U.S., this city was hit with a miserable and long-lasting winter so people were out today enjoying what one local told me was the beginning of their first nice weekend of the year.
The National Gallery claimed about three hours of our time in the afternoon. It's my dream to see-in-person as many Vermeer paintings as I can and today yielded another opportunity: Woman Writing a Letter, with her Maid.
Lunch was at a crepe place, dinner at a pub. "We" also souvenir shopped. Book Club friends will be glad to know I bought a green scarf that they had mentioned in the farewell song they wrote for me.
One more thing: for us, sometimes it's the little things that make it a kick to be in a foreign city, like this sign for the "Eurosaver Menu" instead of "Dollarsaver Menu."
That's it for today. Tomorrow we take the ferry to England for our 3-week stay in the Cotswolds.
We saw the Book of Kells display first and as much as I loved seeing this marvel preserved since it was written in 800 A.D. -- 800 A.D.! -- I couldn't wait to make our way to the "long room." Sometimes professional photos of a location are so cool that the real thing disappoints but stepping through the doorway to this room was a jaw-dropping experience. I really tried to keep from saying "Wow!" as we walked around. Evan and Melissa, you were right!
We spent much of the day strolling and enjoying the sunny skies and nice temperatures in Dublin. Like many places in the U.S., this city was hit with a miserable and long-lasting winter so people were out today enjoying what one local told me was the beginning of their first nice weekend of the year.
Lunch was at a crepe place, dinner at a pub. "We" also souvenir shopped. Book Club friends will be glad to know I bought a green scarf that they had mentioned in the farewell song they wrote for me.
One more thing: for us, sometimes it's the little things that make it a kick to be in a foreign city, like this sign for the "Eurosaver Menu" instead of "Dollarsaver Menu."
That's it for today. Tomorrow we take the ferry to England for our 3-week stay in the Cotswolds.
