Dublin Castle

Saturday May 10th
Had a full Irish breakfast with pudding. Martin asked for his favourite cheesecake. But it was black pudding and white pudding that arrived. We both tried it and it wasn't too bad.
The sizzling weather did not eventuate. Perhaps these Dubliners are eternal optimists about the weather? And its ablity to crack rocks. It reached 14C today and was drizzly, but we think cool weather is much easier to travel in <:
We went to a pub Thursday night and it was dedicated to the very famous Gogarty, an esteemed athlete, poet and politician. When I read on about his world class talents as a throat surgeon too- I felt a little overwhelmed. Then I felt one leg getting a little bit longer than the other. But today we read about him on the internet, it was all true, and Joyce quoted his poetry in Ulysses.
We hopped on the bus and saw all the sights around Dublin. Including Phoenix Park, twice the size of Central Park (just for Nick, Pheroza, Christie and Phoenix). Popped into a few of the best Art/Craft design shops in Dublin, with excellent work by local artists.
Then off to Dublin Castle and learnt all about its history. Spent a couple of hours at the Chester Beatty Library. A Dublin must see- The Sacred Traditions Gallery- dedicated to the great religions of the world. Treasures include pre Christian texts, early (2nd-3rd century) old and new testament manuscripts on papyrus and magnificent illuminated manuscripts of the Qur'an from 15th Century Iran and Turkey. These were stunnng and showed the most intricate detail with tiny flowers in several colours and tiny fine lines in blue and gold with gold illuminations. No photos allowed as they are so precious.
We also caught up with John again for a drink and then a great Italian meal - one of our best meals so far, Thankyou John. It was great to catch up.

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