Travel Diary IRELAND - Day 2

Jonathan Swift's Bust (WIKIPEDIA)

After a great breakfast, our planned visits in Dublin started: first Phoenix Park with its tall obelisk of 63 meters erected by Lord Chesterfield in 1747 to commemorate the victories of Duke of Wellington; then, all agreed to move on to IMMA (Irish Museum of Modern Art) which, besides the permanent collection, is now hosting a temporary exhibition on Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera - at least for myself, it was really a much better choice than visiting Guinness Storehouse, the largest brewer of stout in the world - next time for sure!!!

We had lunch in a traditional Irish pub in the heart of Temple Bar called Gallagher's Boxty House. For most of us, our meal consisted of 3 course menu: Soup of the Day, Pork and Apple Sausages with Mash and Gravy and, for dessert, Bread and Butter Pudding served wit Custard. Hummm! Tasty!!

After that relaxing time and tasty meal, we headed to St Patrick's Cathedral, founded in 1191 and headed by a Dean, an office which has existed since 1219, the most famous holder being Jonathan Swift ; St Patrick's has one of the largest Organs in Ireland with over 4,000 pipes!
Our next stop was at Trinity College Dublin - a must see when in Dublin: visitors enter through the Library Shop and proceed to the Book of Kells "Turning Darkness into Light" exhibition; then to the Treasury where the Book of Kells and other related manuscripts are on view; then proceed upstairs to the magnificent Long Room which houses 200,000 of the Library’s oldest books in its oak bookcases. An inspiring place with so many old books and lined marble busts of philosophers, writers and men connected with Trinity College (again, Jonathan Swift). Ahhh: it includes other treasures such as the oldest Harp and a copy of the 1916 Proclamation of the Irish Republic.

Molly Malone Statue

As we still had some time off before dinner, we had a look at some stores and bought our first gifts along Grafton Street, a pedestrian street. Before returning to Jurys Inn another sight worth being mentioned: the statue of Molly Malone pushing her wheelbarrow... it's hard to miss it on the corner of Grafton Street and Nassau Street, this female character known to be a fishmonger by day and a prostitute by night.
Our day was not over yet, though!!! After dinner we went to Hard Rock Cafe Dublin in Fleet Street (Temple Bar area) but... guess what? It was already closing time and we couldn't get in! It was just 10 p.m., can you believe that???? Well, we couldn't miss a bit so we still had a walk around Temple Bar, the Bohemian Dublin, with its lively nightlife and medieval street pattern, with many narrow cobbled streets.
What a day, hem? Long, tiring but ALL was worthwhile :)
Now enjoy some pictures of the  places I've just mentioned!


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