Today was a relatively easy day for me. We were able to sleep late after a night of tossing and turning on our little bed in our hot room. Isn’t it always the way that you only get good and asleep right before you have to get up? We had only a few things planned after a couple of jam-packed days. We started at Dublin Castle with a self guided tour of the state rooms. The castle was created for the Viceroy of Ireland while the country was under British rule. It has since become a place for the Republic to host foreign heads of state and where the Irish president is inaugurated. We saw some very ornate plaster work and chandeliers, as well as some art work by famous Irish painters. My favorite room was St. Patrick’s Hall, or as I remember it, the Blue Room.
Just outside the castle, we passed an old building whose name struck me as interesting. I looked it up when I got back to the room, and it was the original building of Dublin’s oldest charity, one that gives one-off assistance to get people back on their feet. I thought that was just a wonderful thing, and indicative of the kindness of Ireland in general.
We then walked to George’s Street Arcade, Ireland’s first “shopping mall,” established in 1881. The Victorian building was interesting, and we did find a few souvenirs there, but overall, I did not see what all the hype was about among the travel sites. It looked like a mix of overpriced artsy shops and a flea market.
Next, we ate at O’Neill’s Pub and Kitchen that our friend Lorinda recommended to us. It was a little confusing figuring out how to order food, but once we did, Jeff got a ham and cheese sandwich, and I got Irish stew with a couple of sides. The portions were huge, and it was one of the few meals where I felt the price was good for what we got. Outside if the pub was the iconic statue of Molly Malone, famous in song and as a fishmonger by day, trollop by night. It was hard to get a picture for the crowds of people around it, some doing innappropriate things to the statue.
After that, we walked over to Murphy’s for some real Irish ice cream that everyone seems to be gaga over. It was good ice cream, but I didn’t see too much difference between it and a Baskin Robbins, except for the types of flavors. I got a scoop of Honeycomb Caramel and a Chocolate, while Jeff went all Chocolate.
After we ate, we went back to the room so Jeff could get ready for his appointment to tour Kilmainham Gaol. While he was gone, I had a really good nap, and didn’t wake up until Jeff came back in with fish and chips from Leo Burdock’s, the oldest fish ‘n chips place in Dublin and what everyone says to try. We could have split an order and gotten full, there was so much food. The fries were good, but honestly, it was just a plate of fish and chips, nothing special. Neither of us could finish our food.
Tomorrow, we leave Ireland. We will need to get started to the airport by 8 to get our traveling done before our 72 hour passes expire. I think we are ready to sleep in our own bed, in air conditioning, with big cups to gulp cold drinks from.