Dublin Ireland
Dublin is an absolutely magnificent city. We've settled in here very nicely. The people are very friendly and seem to be fond of Aussies too. Dublin is situated on the river Liffey which splits the city effectively into two (North and South). We're staying in Donnybrook which is a very pleasant village area on the south side - just 10 mins to the city. Our apartment looks out onto Herbert Park a - beautiful tree lined area with playgrounds and bird filled ponds. The buses, trams and trains are excellent - punctual and efficient. The Luas is the name of the Tram system. Luas is a Gaelic word meaning Speed or Velocity. It is a very efficent tram sytem that runs North and South. The DART is the train system which runs around the city (around the Liffey River).
Where we are is just a 2 KM walk to the sea. We haven't tried that walk yet. Maybe soon. Trinity College and the Book of Kells We visited Trinity College and viewed the Book of Kells. This was originally an altar book which contained the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John - written in Latin in beautiful script with intricate interlacing spirals, human figures and animals. It was divided into four books and now two Gospels at a time are on view and two are stored safely or maintained. The book was written by monks from Iona who fled to Kells in AD 806 after a Viking raid. The book was moved to Trinity College in Dublin in the 17th Century. Photography is not permited so these photos are stock photos from Google.
There is an older Gospel fragment at the Chester Beatty Library which we hope to visit soon. Dun Laoghaire We took a bus to the coast to the town of Dun Laoghaire (pronounced 'Dun Leary'). It's a seaside town with a beautiful bay looking out to the Irish Sea. We had a nice seafood chowder for lunch. Weather Don't expect blistering heat in Ireland. It rains most days and only reaches a high of 20 degrees in Summer. However, the weather is very changeable. So while it can be pouring rain in the morning - it can be blue skies and sunny in the afternoon or even a few minutes later. An Irish lady gave us some good advice. She said, 'Don't plan around the rain, just do what you want to do because in 10 minutes or 10 miles the weather will change'.
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