Dublin Calling ... How the Celebrations of the 40's Began

Always fixated on time ... tomorrow will be the three year anniversary of our departure to Dublin to celebrate Janice's 40th birthday.  The succession of those entering this new age is increasing each year as a whole new group of friends gets ready to join those of us already on "the other side."  Music and places bring back such beautiful memories. 

The famous Ha'penny Bridge over the River Liffey in the background.

This store is part of U2 history.  Buskers take advantage of the location.

Arriving at the airport and taking our first Dublin Bus ride to the Temple Bar area.  It was a cold, Sunday morning and we had somewhat of an idea of how to get to The Clarence.  When we did exit the bus, the streets were made of cobblestones and all you could hear were the Guinness delivery trucks picking up the kegs that were left outside of the pubs from the night before.  This picture ended up being chosen for use in a "Schmap" guide for Dublin in 2008. 

Looking Back 10/8/07: Birthdays, Bewley's, Books & Bailey's

It was a very cold October morning. We got dressed and walked east to grab some breakfast. "Nude" is a small chain of cafe shops which emphasizes healthy foods. It is owned by Bono's brother (I'm pretty sure he was there the day we stopped in, but someone does not believe me). It is the home of the best raspberry muffins in the world!

Janice and I started off our day with a guided tour of the historic Trinity College. Our very knowledgeable (and cute) guide told us all about Trinity, which included a stroll through the grounds and then we were able to view The Book of Kells, which is an illuminated manuscript in Latin of the four Gospels. It was transcribed by Celtic monks back in 800. It is an amazing piece of artwork. Only two of the four volumes are on display at one time. It was neat to learn about the inks and papers. The colors are still so vibrant. Learn more at: Book of Kells - Trinity College Library Dublin.

Shopping along Grafton Street. I love big red doors.

We headed over to Bewley's on Grafton Street for lunch. (Bewley's is famous for their tea). Let's just say it was interesting. The waitress we had was very confused about what was on the menu. I don't think Janice or I actually got what we ordered. We should've just went with a scone and tea.

St. Stephen's Green is a beautiful public park that is situated at the sound end of Grafton Street. Autumn was in full swing and the park was overflowing with color. The sculpture below was created by Edward Delaney and is entitled "Famine." It commemorates the Great Famine that occurred in Ireland in the mid-1800's.

"St. Patrick's Cathedral ... brought to you by Bailey's Irish Creme!"

One of my favorite pictures. Always read the small print! "Bring your own bag."

Happy Birthday to Janice! We celebrated her 40th birthday with a fabulous dinner at The Tea Room where everything is locally sourced. I surprised Janice with a collection of birthday wishes from family, friends and colleagues that I had collected before we left. After dinner, it was off for a night of "craic" (Irish term for fun).

We spent the rest of the night at Oliver St. John Gogarty's in Temple Bar singing along during a traditional Irish session. "Hey Jude" was sung at one point and later on everyone joined in for a rousing version of "With or Without You", which is when our English friend (in gray jacket below) grabbed my camera and filmed us for posterity. During the late night, a group of Danes and our English friend taunted one another, trading old World War II insults. We Americans were stuck in the middle. A dance-off ensued. We were asked to play spoons and dance. Carry on, shall we?

Our Danish friends.

Our English friend.

Morning Has Broken ... October 7th in Dublin

Of course, we stayed here; it is owned by Bono and The Edge.

The River Liffey (Ha'penny Bridge is in the background).

The back of Christchurch Cathedral (founded in 1030).

With the time change, we actually arrived in Dublin on October 7th, which was an early Sunday morning. Janice purchased the bus tickets with Euros that her mom had given to her. We soon learned that "Quay" is not pronounced the same way that us Americans would pronounce it and it was the first of many trips on buses and trains managing our luggage. It was a cold morning and my knee was a bit swollen from the flight. We were alert enough to get off the bus in the Temple Bar area - not too far away from the Clarence - but not close enough that it was a hop, skip and jump. Cobblestone streets and empty Guinness kegs dotted our route up to Wellington Quay. Once inside the Clarence, we were treated wonderfully ... and we kept our sleepy eyes open just in case Mr. Hewson happened to be in the house.

Janice and I did take a little nap and then took a walk west toward Christchurch Cathedral, where we took part in the late afternoon Vespers service. The church is amazingly historic. On the way over to the cathedral, we walked past the place where Handel's first performance of "The Messiah" took place.


We attended an evening Vespers service at Christ Church Cathedral. This was a "light a candle for peace" display.

The view from our room.

As we were leaving the evening song service, we noticed this woman preparing a late Sunday afternoon picnic for this kitty. It was very formal and cute.


Orchids in the Clarence Hotel.


A pub dedicated to writers in Dublin.
Looking up ... St. Patrick's Cathedral.

Our first day concluded with an early dinner at a restaurant/pub off of Dame Street. We sat up on the second floor in a room adorned with a tin ceiling and ate fish & chips. It was difficult to understand our waiter because he had such a thick Irish accent. He told us about how differently the people out west in Cork spoke. I was tired, but it was one of the best meals I've ever had because we were excited about the week before us and the adventure of traveling in a foreign place all on our own. Although I was thousands of miles from home and my family, they were never far from my thoughts ... I wished they could've shared in the adventure.

Check Out My Dublin Picture on Schmap!

In mid-July, I was notified that one of my Dublin photos from my Flickr album was "short-listed" for inclusion in the fifth edition of the Schmap Dublin Map Guide. Schamp provides digital travel guides for destinations throughout Europe, the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand (like Frommers and Fodors, but free). Although no payment is given for publication, the Schmap Guides do give photographers their work recognition and wide exposure. I just received an email this afternoon advising that my photo was selected for inclusion; so, I'd thought I'd share the news with all of my blog-world friends. The photo that they are using will be listed under the "Dublin Bus Tours" section. I even get a photo credit in the listing.

The photo was taken on a crisp, cool October morning outside of the Dublin airport on the morning that Janice and I arrived (that is her on the right). We loaded all suitcases and took the no. 16A Dublin Bus into the famed Temple Bar area of Dublin. It was rather adventurous as we weren't really sure just where to get off the bus once we made past the River Liffey. I mean, I had studied maps of Dublin religiously before our trip, but once when you're in a foreign country, it can be very different. Anyhow, instinct kicked in and we got off the bus right near Dame Street and Dublin Castle (a few blocks away from The Clarence) and we scurried north up the cobblestone streets with our big suitcases in tow and a week full of adventure to be had.