Top o' the morning

Dave was invited to some leadership meetings in Dublin, so of course I couldn't pass up the chance to tag along. We left a few days before the meetings started so that we could sightsee together for a few days.
Day 1 we were pretty exhausted after a long flight and lots of walking to find our hotel. We napped for a couple of hours, then headed out to see the sights. This is Christ Church Cathedral, built in 1030.

St Patrick's Cathedral (these cathedrals are all Protestant, despite the country being VERY Catholic). This one was built in 1192. Can you tell I'm fascinated by how old things are- I mean, we have nothing like it here! We were there just the week before the St. Patrick's day festivities. Too bad we couldn't have stayed an extra few days!

I always love the fresh flower stands- so beautiful!

On Day 2, we got brave and rented a car to see some of the sights in outlying areas. It was a rough start to get used to driving on the wrong side of the road and car and shifting with your left hand, but Dave did a fabulous job. He only crashed once!

This is Trim Castle about an hour outside of Dublin. It is the oldest Norman castle in Ireland and was where the film Braveheart was made. We took a fascinating tour of the keep and found out all kinds of interesting things about the medieval ages. We were wishing Austin was with us, since that's what he's studying in school right now.

The keep. Brrrr, it was cold and rainy, but oh so green!
We drove to the Valley of the Boyne where they have fairly recently (this century) discovered burial tombs that are 5,000 years old! This is the opening to the tomb. It is built in a way so that once a year, on the winter solstice, as the sun is rising, light shines through this little window at the top and into the burial chamber where the bones and ashes of the dead were placed in basins. They believed that it was at this time that the spirits of the dead would rise to the afterworld. Pretty amazing to think they understood soltices and such way back then. The way the tomb was constructed was pretty amazing and they had hauled these huge boulders on logs from about 18 km away.
That night, as suggested by a very friendly Irish man at the hotel, we ate dinner at a little pub where they played traditional Irish music and some very traditional Irish drunk men at the bar danced very traditional and tipsy Irish jigs. It was a true Irish experience for us.
The food was yummy!!!!

Day 3 we took a train to Howth- a little town on the coast just outside of Dublin. It was very picturesque, but oooooohhhh so cold and windy, so it was a little hard to fully enjoy it.We walked through Trinity College, the oldest and most prestigious college in Ireland. It would be a beautiful place to study.
A taxi picked us up from our hotel in Dublin and drove us about an hour to the Killashee House Hotel where Dave's meetings were held. That was the end of vacation for Dave. The rest was all business, but he learned so much and was able to meet people from all over the world. It was quite an experience for him.I, however, was on my own to continue my vacation, so the following day I ventured back to Dublin and did a little more sightseeing. This is Kilmainham jail, which was a very interesting tour and history of Ireland and the many rebellions that have taken place over the centuries as the Irish have fought for their independence. I was wishing Dave was with me because I think he would have enjoyed it. Apparently this jail has been in several films and this particular part looked familiar to me. Anyone recognize it?
The following day I took it easy at the hotel spa and relaxed walking around the beautiful grounds. The next day I headed for home. Dave stayed an extra 3 days in meetings. We had a great time and were so glad for the chance to see IRELAND!