Last Day in Dublin

 On our last day we did some shopping, spent some time relaxing in the park, and hit two more pubs before calling it a night. We also did a couple of fun and interesting tours. The Guinness tour is very much like Willie Wonka's factory. Its very modern with lots of interactive displays.

 The highlight is the free pint at the top, which has a huge bar with windows all around:

 The view from up there is pretty amazing.

 We also went through Christ Church Cathedral:

 I always light a candle for my mom at these big cathedrals.

 Strongbow's tomb:

 The cathedral also has a huge crypt:

The last picture is of me saying goodbye to Molly Malone. We went past her statue several times, we sang her song in pubs, and she has become our symbol of this trip. Slán, Molly, and go raibh maith agat! Tá an saol go maith,
~MET

Glendalough & Kilkenny

 Thursday was all about the middle ages. Everything we saw was made between the 800s and around 1300. The picture above is from the monastic village in Glengalough. Its me wrapping my hands around the cross of St. Kevin. If you can touch your hands on the other side you'll have good luck forever. Hang out with me - I'm lucky. Other pics from the village:

 M-S...not so lucky:

 Linda = barely lucky - but a winner.

 It was a beautiful place in County Wicklow.

 The oldest surviving double arch of this kind in the world:

 Playing the Irish rather than the Scottish pipes:

 All the following pics are from the castle in Kilkenny:

The castle is great, but the town is even better. Its a small city of 30,000 people that has over 100 pubs. One more full day on this trip and we'll be speeding it in Dublin. We saw some more great music tonight. Life is good.
~MET

A Day in Northern Ireland

 Wednesday's adventures took us to Northern Ireland and primarily Belfast. The first stop was the museum dedicated to the Titanic. The building was the most impressive feature, as the three "bows" are the exact height as those on the ship:

 Belfast and the North have a very different vibe and you can almost feel the tension. We got a great explanation of the "Troubles" and the violence that went along with it. The story is depicted on hundreds of murals around the city:

 They periodically change - and we saw how some were vandalized pointing to the fact that things are still tense. This one:

 has lots of people depicted but the star is Darkie Hughes, while the one below depicts Bobby Sands:

 It was all very interesting and sad. Its amazing that there is still a wall that separates the largest Catholic/Republic neighborhood from the rest of the city:

 There is also a gate that closes at night. The wall is referred to as the "Peace Wall" now, but it didn't give me that feeling. We all signed the wall:

 I was disappointed that there was no mention of the work that George Mitchell did in brokering the Good Friday Agreement that ended the worst of the violence. After all that heavy discussion we were ready for a fun lunch and we found the Crown Bar Saloon in downtown Belfast:

 Its a very opulent Victorian place - this is one of the "booths"

 Our window:

 The food was great but the building was the star. On the way back to Dublin we saw a couple of interesting things. First the shared final resting place of both St. Patrick and St. Bridgette:

 And the remains of this castle:

 M-S and Linda:

Of course the view on all of these roads is continuously beautiful. Two very filled days to go. Life is good.
~MET

Whiskey, Education, & Music

 Tuesday started with a big Irish breakfast and then a tour of the Jameson Distillery. The whiskey has not been made in Dublin since the 1980s, but they have made the old 1754 headquarters into a GREAT museum.

 They get into both the science and the art of distilling. Jameson has long been my whiskey of choice, so this was a fun tour.

 The tasting at the end was hilarious, as the guide explained in wonderful detail how the triple distilled flavor of Jameson is far superior to anything you'll find in Scotland, or certainly the US.

 The museum has a fantastic gift shop and restaurant. They also gave us a full pour at the end. Other highlights from Tuesday include Dublin Castle:

 Trinity College where we saw the Book of Kells:

 There was many beautiful things on display at Trinity:

 The Old Library was amazing:

 St. Stephen's Green:

We ended the day with a great meal and then some great traditional meal at the pub pictured above. Its famous for its Irish jam sessions. We also walked around a lot, did some shopping, and talked to several locals. Life is good.
~MET