Thursday, June 16, 2016

Dublin Scenes

We've been in Ireland more than two weeks now, and this is my first blog post about the place. We have been busy, especially nights in Dublin, but also elsewhere, and I've had a debilitating cold, now better enough to get out of bed. But I'm ready to start catching up. It may be a long process. We were here in May, 2009, car- and tent-camping while our RV was crossing the sea from New Brunswick to Bremerhaven. Blog posts from that time can be found on the blog archive or by searching "Dublin" or other relevant place names. We were in Dublin a week this time, including an administrative day or two, and I've decided it may be best to organize the posts by site-types, e.g., pubs, museums, literary sites, etc. We spent most of our time in pubs, with museums coming in second. The music in the museums is not so good. Also the beer.
The Molly Malone statue; Dubliners are very big on statues;
well, I think it was a statue, not a mime; Dublin's answer to The
Little Mermaid

Your can learn quite a bit about Dublin and Irish history just
by reading the signs on buildings, especially in the Temple Bar
area



Remains of Dublin Castle

I heard a guide describe this as the Castle's Google annex

Landmark, sort of, on the Castle green

Also on the green, a yoga master (a yogi? wait, no, that's a
baseball player)

His students; we were there to see the Chester Alan Beatty
Library..another post)

The only Art Nouveau we saw in Dublin

The Liffey


Classic Guiness ads adorn many of the pubs

Dubliners are getting serious about dog poop
and irresponsible dog owners

It's the centenary of the 1916 Rising, and there are memorials
everywhere

Parnell statue


Another leader for independence

The O'Connell statue



















The Dublin Spire, aka The Erection at the
Intersection; nearly 400 feet high; replaced
the Nelson monument which the IRA had
blown up in 1966


Monday, June 13, 2016

On To Hibernia

From Bodnant we drove on to the Holy Island (Anglesey) and its port of Holyhead, spending the night in the Stena Lines' holy car park there. In anticipation of the 4 hour voyage, I kept reminding myself that the shortest route to Tara was through Holyhead (Joyce). In any case, the winds of my concern subsided, and we had an easy crossing, a good debarkment, and only a few kilometers drive from the port of Dublin to the Camac Valley campground near Clondalkin, where we spent the next week, revisiting the capital of Hibernia.
Goodbye, Wales















Only ferry we've ever been on that had a quiet room

Hello, Ireland



Lots going on in Dublin...

Thursday, June 9, 2016

British Out-Takes #2

And now, a few Parthian shots as we embark for the Green Island...
Dog walkers: why not carry the little bags home
with you or put them in the specially-marked bins?

Worth another look; I think all cathedrals should have bouncy
houses

I had never seen a goose egg (literally) before

We never miss the dress-up room

Sure...pony hair brushes...I wondered why there
were so many volunteer workers in the library at
Stourhead

War is hell

Fixer-upper of the day

Another look

The contagion spreads: now Britain has frozen food stores, called
Cook, to rival Paris' scores of Picards; I think they should be
called Defrost

A slight extra charge for the oddly-shaped ones

Finally, at an outdoor store in Newbury, my favorite British
confection, Romney's Kendal Mint Cake (no relation to Mr. 47%)

Part of Stourhead Forest; reminded us of Montana



















Coming soon in a special edition: Marmite
Tic-Tacs

Does your community have a toilet scheme?

Organ on wheels at Hereford

"Despair not, my child...the cathedral tour only
lasts an hour"

Water bowls for short and tall dogs

Belt and suspenders approach

Nice sculpture at Brockhampton; for sale, too...900L

The Brits have gone batty

So much to like about the National Trust

Ancient fire engine at Croft


WWI display at Croft

"Reporting for duty"

Clive of India presents the recipe for chicken tikka masala to
Maharaja Gupta IV, thus ensuring the viability of the Diaspora
and the prosperity of Indian restaurateurs for all ages...

And carry on

No ladies night here

Checking for toe jam (Penelope)