The Starter’s Gun Is Fired and We Are Off - August 9 & 10

Don’t mess with Mother Nature! We didn’t and neither did USAirways. Heavy thunderstorms caused a two hour departure delay, but, as they say, the skies cleared and all was well. It’s a no nonsense six hour flight (takeoff to landing) with a sumptuous dinner (remember this is an adventure or creative story), sound sleep, and a warm Danish for breakfast. Ok, enough of the plane – let’s explore Ireland!

We arrived at Shannon airport (Limerick) and headed for the Avis rental counter. Yes folks, we brought only carry-on luggage – savvy travelers.

Our rental is a Nissan Micra – we just lift it and move into any parking place we want – and it moves down the road rather nicely. We headed out on the N19, to the N18, then the N7 and we were leisurely moving through Limerick.

The overcast day did not dampen the spirits – the rolling countryside was a lush green – the neatly kept homes were a sight to see – and driving on the left side of the road brought back memories of our New Zealand trip to see Kikki. We drove by the University of Limerick and made our professional connections, drove through Nenagh, Roscrea (National Ploughing Championships coming up), Port Laoise, Kildare, the turn to Tullamore (Singing and Dancing Performances next weekend), Naas and came into Dublin on the R110.

We took an unplanned trip around Dublin – narrow, one way, dead end streets have a way of giving you a wonderful tour without you even realizing it and arrived at the Buswells Hotel on Molesworth Street.
We checked in, left our bags, and headed around the corner to St. Stephen’s Green (no not the restaurant in Philly), a beautiful park in center Dublin.

There were plenty of people sitting on benches, talking in groups, napping on the grass, or taking a relaxing walk in the park.

It was a perfect way to get our walking feet in shape for our Irish adventure.

We proceeded into one of the main pedestrian-only shopping areas (Grafton Street area) and window shopped – yes, we did not buy anything (at least not yet).

Interesting shops, crowded streets, street musicians, and plenty of fresh flowers.

Our legs brought us to Trinity College where we again made our professional connections and toured campus. A wonderful mix of old, traditional and new, modern.

We plan to return tomorrow to see the Book of Kells which is housed in the College Library.

Leaving the College we saw the Bank of Ireland and then we walked across the river (OK we used the O’Connell Street bridge) to visit the statue of Daniel O’Connell, “The Liberator”. He is related to Steve through his Grandfather (Steve’s Mother’s side of the family). Don’t you like the way the bird treats such a renowned person?! The spire (spike) you see behind the statue was erected as a replacement for the Admiral Nelson statue blown up by the IRA 40+ years ago.

We continued our walk along wide boulevards, narrow streets, and hidden alleys. We love to explore and see those items not listed in the tour books – just trying to get a feel for the culture.
The more we travel, the more we appreciate the "culture" and fully recognize that the culture is also represented by cultures from around the world. Exciting. We crossed back over the river on the Ha’penny foot bridge and headed into Temple Bar (a restaurant and pub section of Dublin).

We decided to get a bit of dinner, some Irish music, and a brew at Quays Irish Restaurant. Tre had Guinness Beef Stew and Mash, while Steve had Bangers and Mash. Thank goodness they serve good beer, yup, one of our favorites – you guessed it, Guinness. Expertly poured, served and consumed.

Our walk home included the Pub tour, our own, and a refreshing evening. It has been a long day and the bed will feel great. We plan on an early breakfast and a full day tomorrow, so goodnight.