IRELAND
Leinster Province
County Dublin
3,450 km² (1,330 mi²)DUBLIN
The "Culture Vulture" Tour
Saturday September 13th, 2008
We based ourselves at the Waltons Hotel, which is up the top end of the main street, centrally located and within walking distance of everything in Dublin. Aside from the quirky floor plan, terrible TV reception and a blonde receptionist who had obviously sniffed way too much of her abundant hair spray, it was pretty good digs.
As Dublin was the home of rugby, what better place to view the final of the Tri-Nations and Bledisloe Cup??? With the Bates' departing earlier for the US, Roscoe, Marie, Jungle and myself headed over to The Wool Shed Sports Baa & Grill. Should have picked it with the name, but the joint was packed to the rafters with Kiwi's and a smattering of Aussies.
As games go, it was a pretty good spectacle to watch and a fair result, with the All Blacks doing the Aussies in at the end of the day, by a score of 28 to 24. It was an entertaining game that literally, could have gone either way.
From, there, Jungle and I paid our final goodbyes to Roscoe & Marie, as they were off to Greece and we were off on a walkabout through Dublin.
We jumped on a “Hop On – Hop Off” bus trip at €15 ($28.75 AUD) per head – OUCH!!! As the bus meandered its way around town in brilliant sunshine, it was an open topped double decker bus after all – brilliant, we took in the sights of -
• Lower Grafton Street ~ Molly Malone Statue
• Nassau Street
• Leinster Street
• Merrion Street ~ National Gallery
• Merrion Square South
• St Stephen's Green
• Suffolk Street ~ Dublin Tourism Centre
• Dame Street
• Lord Edward Street
• Christ Church Cathedral
• Nicholas Street ~ Dublinia
• St Patrick's Cathedral
• Guinness Storehouse (for a pint or two of the black attack)
• Parkgate Street
• Phoenix Park
• Dublin Zoo
• National Museum
• Arran Quay
• O'Connell Street ~ General Post Office
At the Guinness brewery, we ran into a group of 21 year old (with experience) grandmothers, from Canada, who were enamoured with our team “Crouch, Touch, Pause, Engage” t-shirts, who thought they were the best things since sliced bread. After asking us a couple of times where they could buy one (you can’t) or if they could get one (you can’t), Jungle and I headed to the rooftop bar for our complimentary pint of Guinness.
While up there, Jungle and I conversed and came up with a compromise , we would give them a t-shirt on one condition – they would donate to a breast cancer foundation of their choice.
As it turns out, the ladies were in preparation for one of their sons getting married in which both the bride and groom both play rugby in Canada and the t-shirt would be a great wedding gift. Young Lorraine, Maggie and the rest of the girls chatted with us for ages and both Jungle and I thoroughly enjoyed the moment and were better for meeting the wonderful ladies.
In fact, we both have received emails from the girls, that one of thier sisterhood, Elaine, had participated in a walk for breast cancer. For my mind, it as one of those wonderful moments that you treasure and makes travel what it is – an adventure.
