Thursday, July 10, 2008

Ireland Day Thirteen -- Last Day in Dublin

Well, the trip is almost over. Hopefully, we'll get home with no delays, but Dublin Airport suffered a major radar malfunction on Tuesday, and there are still many flights delayed or canceled. Ah well, we shall see. Nothing we can do about it if we're delayed.

I think it is very clear that we are all very much worn out, totally exhausted! We did a bit of touring this morning, but by lunchtime, we had all collapsed back at the room to take naps. Two solid weeks of touring is taking its toll on us. I think we're ready to come home now and see Frank.

This morning, we walked down to Trinity College to see the Book of Kells. The Book of Kells is an ancient Celtic text (circa 800 AD) that scholars believe was written on the Scottish island of Iona. It was wonderful to see the book and the other monastic artifacts, but keeping the boys interested proved challenging.

Since no photos were allowed in the library, I had to resort to postcards. Pictured below is the Long Room Library, designed by Thomas Burgh and completed in 1732. It houses some 200,000 of the library's oldest books, including the Book of Kells.




The next photo is a portrait of Christ from the Book of Kells, Folio 32v.



This is a symbol of St. Matthew from Folio 27v.



Here is the 'Brian Boru' Harp, a 15th or 16th century harp which is thought to be the oldest surviving Irish harp.



On the way to Trinity College, we did divert into the Celtic Whiskey Shop, but again, the prices were high enough that I will just wait for the Duty Free. With the Euro being where it is, it will be cheaper to buy whiskey in Duty Free, or at home.

After Trinity College, we hit the National Museum to see a great lot of ancient Irish historical artifacts, but it was clear that the museums were not keeping the boys interest. So we decided to grab some lunch and head back to the hotel.

As we walked the city streets, I could not resist capturing the wonderful Georgian doors in the Ballsbridge area.







Here are some remaining random shots from our last day in Dublin, including a beautiful Aston Martin. I wish I had something more interesting to write, but we mostly just napped and went to St. Stephen's Green for a bit of exercise. We did get caught in a major downpour on the way back to the hotel, but luckily, I had brought a gallon-sized zip-loc bag for my camera. (Good planning, that was!)






Tomorrow, we return home! This has been an exceptional trip, and I hope you've enjoyed reading about our adventures as much as we've enjoyed living them!

Ireland has been great fun, and I'm sure the boys will cherish their memories from this trip forever! I know I will.

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