Ireland - Dublin / Bray

After a horrible set of flights (the United / Continental merger is not going as well as hoped), I touched down in Dublin early Saturday morning. Shannon has been here all week on business, so she picked me up at the airport and brought me back to our hotel. I had a quick run to help recover from airline seats and went to bed. A subjectively short time later, Shannon woke me up and we went to tour the Guinness factory.

We already know how beer is made, so we went quickly through the first part, but the section on advertising and on transportation is very interesting. The tour is vertical, it is spread over 7 floors, the higher you get, the closer you are to the free beer. The very top floor has a round bar with 360 degree view of Dublin. Apparently, Guinness doesn't travel well, so the one you have at the factory is the best one you'll ever have. I don't know if that is true, but it was pretty good.

After the tour, we walked through Temple Bar and met a friend of Shannon's and some others at the Stag's Head. The Guinness I had there was pretty good too. They had been at the rugby that afternoon; their team won and they were in the mood to celebrate. Many rounds later we found an excellent french restaurant. By the time I got to bed, I think I had slept for four out of the last 30 hours.

Guinness seems to be good for me, I slept in, but felt great when I awoke on Sunday. Shannon and I took the car down to Bray (on the coast, south of Dublin). We drove down along the coastal route, the scenery was beautiful. Bray is a beach between two hills jutting out into the sea. there is a park along the beach and the appropriate touristy bars, shops and hotels. One side is quite scenic, the other side quite garish. We walked along the beach and up one of the hills then headed back to Dublin.

Once in Dublin, we went to Trinity College to see the Book of Kells. We arrived just before they closed and they let us in for free if we promised to be quick. We went in, saw it and left through the old library. The old library has an exhibit on old medicine (its the 300 year anniversary of the college of medicine). Did you know you can cure a nose bleed by wearing a dried toad around your neck? I assume the medicinal education has improved over the 300 years. I also wonder what current treatments will be looked back on with disbelief 300 years from now.

We walked around Dublin Castle then went out for an early dinner. We went to a Lebanese place, we figure that we'll get enough Irish cuisine as we travel around. Tomorrow we head for Belfast.