Friday, April 6, 2012
Home Again
Hard to believe the two weeks went by so quickly, although it also seems like a long time since we left.
The kids are happy to be back- real television! They only have six channels in Ireland, and only two show kid shows, and one of those is in Gaelic. Which provided some entertainment, but got old fairly quickly.
Sam has already requested Portillo's for dinner (cheese fries!), and has vowed to spend all day tomorrow with his Xbox. Lily couldn't wait to see our dog, who surprisingly still recognized us.
Thanks to everyone who gave us feedback on the blog. We hope it was at least a bit entertaining, although I'm sure when I read back over it, it will be obvious when we were too exhausted to be anything but rudimentary.
So I guess that's it. Here are a few final snaps that didn't make it to post the first time through. Cue the sentimental flashback montage music...
The kids are happy to be back- real television! They only have six channels in Ireland, and only two show kid shows, and one of those is in Gaelic. Which provided some entertainment, but got old fairly quickly.
Sam has already requested Portillo's for dinner (cheese fries!), and has vowed to spend all day tomorrow with his Xbox. Lily couldn't wait to see our dog, who surprisingly still recognized us.
Thanks to everyone who gave us feedback on the blog. We hope it was at least a bit entertaining, although I'm sure when I read back over it, it will be obvious when we were too exhausted to be anything but rudimentary.
So I guess that's it. Here are a few final snaps that didn't make it to post the first time through. Cue the sentimental flashback montage music...
Final Day
Here we are enjoying the buffet in our quirky hotel. Final meal in Ireland - our cab leaves for the airport in about half an hour. Back home soon!
Thursday, April 5, 2012
By the way...
If you are a beer enthusiast, the Guinness tour is probably fascinating.
If you are not, well then.
If you are not, well then.
Last full day
Melissa pulls a pint!
Our tour of the Guinness Brewery concluded with a training session on how to pull the perfect pint of Guinness. Melissa passed with flying colors, and they let you drink the pint.
The Gravity Bar on the seventh floor has some of the best views of Dublin. We had a quick lunch then headed back downtown for an afternoon of shopping and people-watching.
Final full day in Ireland. We're all sad that it's ending, but we're looking forward to being back home (and sleeping in our own beds).
Our tour of the Guinness Brewery concluded with a training session on how to pull the perfect pint of Guinness. Melissa passed with flying colors, and they let you drink the pint.
The Gravity Bar on the seventh floor has some of the best views of Dublin. We had a quick lunch then headed back downtown for an afternoon of shopping and people-watching.
Final full day in Ireland. We're all sad that it's ending, but we're looking forward to being back home (and sleeping in our own beds).
Dvblinia
This morning we went to Dublinia, an interactive museum geared to kids about Viking and Medieval Dublin, and the excavation of artifacts. It was way more interesting than we anticipated.
As the advertising said, it captured the sights, the sounds and the smells of ancient Dublin.
At the end of the visit, the kids climbed to the top of the tower and took some pics.
The museum is right next to Christchurch Cathedral, which we had planned to tour (they have a crypt!), but it was closed to the public for a special Maundy Thursday service. Bummer.
As the advertising said, it captured the sights, the sounds and the smells of ancient Dublin.
At the end of the visit, the kids climbed to the top of the tower and took some pics.
The museum is right next to Christchurch Cathedral, which we had planned to tour (they have a crypt!), but it was closed to the public for a special Maundy Thursday service. Bummer.
Hotel in Dublin
We're staying at the Trinity Capital, a place that Melissa and Rob had stayed on a previous visit. It's right across the street from Trinity College. Because we needed a family room, they put us in one of the Georgian Suites, which are huge.
The entire hotel is funky, with a wildly decorated lobby and, oddly, animals on the roof outside our window. Our final lodging for the trip.
The entire hotel is funky, with a wildly decorated lobby and, oddly, animals on the roof outside our window. Our final lodging for the trip.
Storytelling Dinner
We spent the evening at the Brazen Head, Dublin's oldest pub. A storyteller told tales of Ireland in medieval times, and the Irish relationship with the potato and the faerie world. During the meal we were entertained by traditional Irish musicians (who were also very funny). A most entertaining and enjoyable night.
The cake was good, too.
The cake was good, too.
Excellent Museum
We visited the Chester Beatty Library, housed right behind Dublin Castle. Chester was an American mining magnate that retired in Ireland and willed his extensive collection of ancient manuscripts to the nation.
Trinity College houses the Book of Kells, probably the best known illuminated manuscript in the world, but the tour to see it is expensive and crowded, and they only display one page of text and one major illustration each day.
The Beatty, however, has a wide variety of illuminated bibles, Qu'rans, Torah, and other ancient texts on display that you can wander around in for hours. And it's free. Even the kids found it interesting.
Sadly, they don't allow photography inside, but here we are standing outside.
All the tours of Dublin Castle were booked, but the kids ran the labyrinth.
Trinity College houses the Book of Kells, probably the best known illuminated manuscript in the world, but the tour to see it is expensive and crowded, and they only display one page of text and one major illustration each day.
The Beatty, however, has a wide variety of illuminated bibles, Qu'rans, Torah, and other ancient texts on display that you can wander around in for hours. And it's free. Even the kids found it interesting.
Sadly, they don't allow photography inside, but here we are standing outside.
All the tours of Dublin Castle were booked, but the kids ran the labyrinth.
Well now...
After our visit to the Kilmainham Jail, the only seats on the bus were in the open air. Rob's forehead developed an ice shelf. 
Our kids are nuts
Lily saw double-decker buses all over Ireland and couldn't wait to ride one. So we bought a pass for the hop-on, hop-off bus tour around Dublin and the kids insisted on sitting on the upper level in the open freshness of the 40-degree, windy weather.
Melissa and I sat below, but we handed them the camera and told them to have at it.
Here's a sampling of the pictures they snapped:
Melissa and I sat below, but we handed them the camera and told them to have at it.
Here's a sampling of the pictures they snapped:
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