Dublin, Ireland

Ah, the Irish Flag - Orange for Catholic, Green for Protestant, and White for the peace between of the two. Just a day after getting home from the holiday with Micah, I got back on a flight with my friend Becky (we teach together at Pointers).

We arrived in the city centre around noon on Tuesday and only stayed till about 4pm on Wednesday, but we packed in a lot of sight-seeing and a lot of fun together!

Dublin is one of the few countries to have fought and one their independence from Britain (3 cheers for America who did it too!). Their nationalism is strong, but the evidence of the 1916 uprising can still be seen in the bullet marked buildings and memorials. The River Liffey runs through the city and has many fun bridges across it.

My favourite is the Ha' Penny Bridge (named for the half-penny toll people used to pay to cross it), the one pedestrian-only bridge in the city.

The Ha' Penny Bridge leads to an area called Temple Bar, originally the center of craftsmen and merchants. Now it is a cultural hot spot with pubs, restaurants and boutiques.

Goofy signs like this one are all over the city! It seems Ireland loves their famous brew.

The Guinness Brewery and Storehouse - Bec and I stopped off here, but didn't actually take the over-priced tour. However, Ireland is the home of the famous brew and Guinness-lovers would probably be admonished by our decision against going in, but we were content with a couple of photos of the outside!

We went on a short Trinity College tour, led by a thirst year student. It is believed by the superstitious students that if they walk completely under the bell tower in the picture below, then they'll never leave the college with a degree! The big tree in the foreground has some significance as a man from the college brought the tree ALL the way from Oregon in the 1800's! There are two of these great Oregon Maple Trees thriving in the college's main square. Beautiful and reminds me of home!

Beautiful Christ Church Cathedral is situated a short walk from Trinity College, just past Dublin Castle (which looks more like a big stone house than a proper castle!). It is the oldest building in Dublin - well, part of it is anyway. The other famous church in Dublin is St Patrick's Cathedral, but I haven't included any photos because it was under major restoration while we were there.

Perhaps our favourite sight was a tour of the Kilmainham Gaol (spelled Jail in American English!). We enjoyed the entertaining tour guide who was full of historical information and personal stories of inmates here.

The gaol opened in 1796 and was considered a model in its day, attempting to reform its prisoners through isolation, positive Christian influence, and focusing on God. However, due to massive overcrowding during political uprising, it was never able to run as intended. Loads of executions by hanging and firing squad took place here during Ireland's uprisings and raises honour to those who gave their lives in fighting for independence.

This central unit has been featured in many films and has also been used as a recording studio for many world-famous bands because of the perfect acoustics. It is considered an architectural masterpiece!
As we were leaving the city, I saw these two old Irish men sipping coffee at a street side cafe. So funny... so characteristically Irish. I just wish I could have gotten the photo without the front-end of the SUV in it.
Instead of staying in Dublin's chaotic city-centre, Bec and I opted for an ocean-side retreat. We stayed in a B&B on the coast (just 20 minutes by train from Dublin) in a town called Dun Laoghaire (pronounced Dun-Leary). It was a lovely town with a great dockyard, small lighthouse, and wonderful hosts!

This is the front of our little B&B, the Lynden House. Maria and Stephan were wonderful hosts, with an amazing breakfast and a great little room! Bec and I had a wonderful stay here and such a fun time in Dublin!