Little behind now.

All right, so I'm a little behind in my posts, after the whole internet fiasco in Dublin. It worked but it didn't, they charged but it was free, but they gave it to us for free because it wasn't really working. Chaos. That's all it was. Chaos. None the less, I absolutely loved the city. We did one of the hop on, hop off bus tours which was a really neat way to see the city. Plus we had some really funny bus drivers. One guy changed his name in his introduction at every stop. One name even had a 5 minute monologue of explanation to go with it.
We stopped at St. Patrick's cathedral, where Jonathon Swift is buried, first. What a cool old church. One of the only ones I've seen them allow you to take pictures inside of too! I really like that they had written explanations for why things were set up the way they were. And the old battalion flags were amazing. They were practically falling apart on the wall. You could definitely tell that they had seen battles.
After the church, we decided to balance things out again and headed for the Guinness Factory. It was really neat to see the process of how everything was made as well as the old machinery. My favorite part was the sampling as you went through though. Although the old advertisements were awfully fun too. I took pictures of the Alice in Wonderland ones for Jenn. And then when you reached the top you could get a free pint with a view of the whole city. We didn't stay too long as it was very loud, but it was a really cool thing to see.
We also saw the Museum of National History. This had old furniture, dresses, jewelry, and a special room to the high crosses. It was fun to see what things had been specifically made in Ireland over the years and what trademark styles and craftsmanship they have been known for in different eras. I only wish the neo-Irish art display had been open, as this was the one which I had been hoping to see. I still enjoyed all the other exhibits though.
We went to stop at Molly Malone and the Book of Kells next, as well as do a little shopping. All three were a success. Pictures were taken with Molly's statue, and sterling jewelry was purchased. Then came Trinity College. What a beautiful campus! I wouldn't mind going to school there! We quickly found the book of Kells exhibit which was very informative. We even got to watch a video of how they used to bind books. It looked very complicated, yet amazing. I would love to try doing something like that, but you could tell they only made the individual steps look easy and quick. Still...it could be quite a lot of fun! Eventually we made it to the room with the actual books. There was even a scholar who started talking with Joan who could read the old script. It was just neat to see these old books I have always heard about.
Once we got back to the hotel, I went out in search of better internet. I did not find any, but I did have a spectacular walk through several different parks. I started taking pictures of all the different colored doors too, though I know I only got a fraction of the colors I had seen over the several days we were there. I eventually ended up at the Oscar Wilde statue, which had a couple pedestals covered in his one liners. He would have been someone to meet! Sounds like you were always amused when he was around, and he was very clever in some of his statements. My favorite was, "This suspense is terrible. I hope it will last."
This morning our driver showed up at the hotel to pick us up. His name is Pat and he is a very nice guy. He answered all the random questions that were thrown at him throughout the day, only to get stumped at the end when Mormor asked him what Ireland's National Bird was. And they threw some obscure ones at him too. Quite impressive really. We had no idea what there was to see between Dublin and Galway so he made some amazing suggestions. We stopped first at Newgrange, which is an old one-passage burial mound which predates both Stonehenge and the pyramids. We got to go inside and see all the old carvings, including the triskel, and they showed how the light works coming through the lintel window to light up the back area on the Winter solstice. It's incredible that they built something so lasting over 5,000 years ago. Plus the fact that the roof hasn't leaked once in all that time. Talk about some workmanship!
After Newgrange, we made our next stop at Clonmacnoise, the remains of an old monastery on the Shannon River. We got to watch a video about the history of the sight and how it developed before wandering the grounds. There were two of the original high crosses here, as well as the towers they used to escape raiding vikings. It had an amazing history, and it was beautiful walking through the ruins along the river. It looked so archaic! And the last bit of the pilgrimage to the founders grave cut right through the cemetery, so you could walk on the last leg of the granite trail. At this point, it started to cloud over for the first time in Ireland since we arrived. Shocking isn't it!? We've had beautiful warm sunny days. It looked like rain for a little while, though it had cleared up by the time we reached Galway.
We got settled into our hotel and then went for dinner. Another delicious meal, though I laugh every time I see corn in odd dishes because it is exactly what Pat and Janine told me I would see. Once we left the restaurant, it had started a mist like rain. It was really quite lovely, so while everyone else called it a night, I went for a walk on the beach. It was wonderful! Though my hair is now a frizzy mess again. Guess I won't be going straight again for a little while. Worth it though! I had to turn back in because it looked like the clouds were coming in thicker, and while I enjoyed walking in the mist and the wind wasn't bothering me, I didn't enjoy the thought of being caught in an actual rainstorm tonight.
So here I am, back at the hotel again, after another wonderful day in Ireland. My mom may be in trouble, as I really like this country so far. I just may not come home now! Good food, good people, good culture...but then again, I feel like that in most countries I visit. Still, there is something particularly appealing here, though I can't quite put my finger on what it is. I'll just enjoy it instead!