A Day in Dublin

Today was another busy fun filled day of exploration. We started out with a native Dubliner guide on the bus and went all over the city getting our bearings. Of course, when it was all said and done, I didn't have a clue of where things were and resigned myself to following my people (Cheryl, Paul, and Jane). As Paul mentioned we spent time at Trinity College which, to our amazement, was filled with such a colorful history. The college founded well before Henry VIII came to power and was thoroughly shaken down into ruin shortly there after only to be founded a new by Queen Elizabeth in 1592. The Book of Kells provided a glimpse into monastic life and the meticulous creation of scripture presentation. The book is written on vellum which is calf skin. That was a popular source of paper like material before actual paper was readily available. We walked to and fro in the city taking in the National Museum of Ireland in search for Viking gold. We found it and the history of the ravaging Vikings that began to invade the island in 795 A.D. until the Normans conquered it in 1169. Lots of old stuff in that museum and we only looked at one floor. Next, we trucked to the other side of town in quest of Christ's Church Cathedral founded in 1028. The Gothic style building was typical of the period and we just circled it and moved on. Next stop on the tour was the Starbucks that we found as the first one not in an airport. The competition in the U.K. and Ireland is Costa. This was a full day of mostly riding in the morning and walking in the afternoon. Lastly, we boarded a barge on the central canal of the city and ate a fabulous 3 course dinner as the barge moved slowly through the locks all the while an Irish folk singer performed and humored us. The food was very good but not anything I would typically order, if you know what I mean.