Top of the Mornin

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Geo: 53.3441, -6.26749

Our first Formal night on board happened while we were sailing away from England, around Land's End and up the Irish Channel to Dublin. Pre-dinner drinks at the Captains welcome party followed by dinner at which we were treated to an excellent rendition of the Drinking song from La Traviata by the ship's singers. After dinner we attended a piano recital by the virtuoso pianist David Schofield who was excellent.

This morning lo and behold the sun was shining over Dublin. Off we went into town via the ship's shuttle bus. Our main cultural event was the National Gallery of Ireland, a large modern building with a very unassuming entrance, lots of interior space but only a few galleries. However these contained a comprehensive collection of European and Irish art but not too much so the whole gallery can be done in an hour.

A stroll down the main shopping area of Grafton St brought us in contact with lots of buskers, singers and dancers. Molly Malone's statue stands opposite Trinity College. We could have stopped for a Guinness but true to form we stopped for a glass of wine. Dublin was busy and looked to be thriving but there was still the odd beggar on the street.

The call to lunch as always curtailed any further sightseeing. Also we had to try and fill in the quiz of the day. We didn't win yesterdays quiz of the day nor did we win the Trivia quiz in the bar. Must do better today.

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