Dublin, Ireland

I've just arrived to Dublin at 5:15 this morning on an evening flight out of Boston. Not quite a red-eye since I lost 6 hours in flight. I hung around for awhile at the coffee shop so I could catch the first bus into the city center. I got to the gate of my CouchSurfing host at around 8:00 and I'm pretty sure I woke the poor guy up. Anyways, he greeted me and we talked over some tea. He was off to work, so I headed out on my own to catch some sights.
I checked out the tourist office, which was formerly a Catholic Church (Still preserved and gorgeous). Got myself a map and snuck in behind a walking tour group to see if I could get an earful of what was around us. It didn't take me long before I was tired of sneaking about to get less than half of what the guide was saying. I went off on my own and caught some of Grafton Street, the main pedestrian shopping street of Dublin, before heading to the National Museum, Leinster House, National Library, and National Gallery.
The Museum was closed due to flooding unfortunately, so I settled for a walkaround and a run through of the Library and the Gallery.
The library had some impressive stained glass with images of famous Authors and poets through time, and some intricate stone carvings resembling styles found in asia, the americas, and middle east. These were situated on either side of the stairway leading up to the reading room. The reading room was beautiful. Tall, domed, cathedral ceiling, painted in green and white. The room was circular, and some careful attention must have been given to it's acoustic design, as it was dead silent, despite people walking about and dozens of others seated turning pages and typing.
The Gallery had some impressive works from English, Irish, and European artists. I'm not overly keen on art, unless it's Dali or Van Gogh, so I didn't spend much time here. Next it was off to the Bank of Ireland to cash some traveller's checks. The massive bank, with it's gigantic cement pillars and stone construction was reminicent of Roman and Greek design.
I'd decided I needed a rest from sight seeing, so I popped into the Porterhouse pub/restaurant. They pride themselves on the quality of their house brews. Rightfully so, as they have won several gold and silver medals in international and national competitions for their stouts and ales. I had their infamous "Plain Porter" which is more of a Stout than a Porter, and it was fantastic. Sorry Guinness, but how can you match the freshness of a house brew such as this?? I also hit up the famous Temple Bar to catch some live music from the "Guitarman" - Irish, English, and Scottish tunes. The bar itself is pretty cool, but I don't understand the hype.
I grabbed a sandwich and some goods on my way back to my host's apartment, only to find myself waiting for 2 hours...that's where I am now. Hopefully he'll be back soon cause I'm knackered and need a shower. That's it for today.

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