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Published: October 16th 2009
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Well, we are finishing our last day in Dublin. Before I start, I would like to say thank you to all of your who sent comments and messages. I really loved reading them. On this return visit, we stayed at the Clarence Hotel (Bono’s place) in Temple Bar. The only two things on our list were the National Museum of Archeology and a return visit to Christ Church. The Museum was as interesting as we expected. It was amazing to see the hoards of ancient Irish weapons and gold jewelry and decoration found in bogs. Some of the torqs (neck rings) were huge which made it hard to imagine them being worn. We also viewed several well preserved if somewhat incomplete bog men, flattened from years under the weight of the bog. They were really kind of creepy. Strangely, the bog men were located right in front of the entrance to the café which I found hardly appetizing, but we enjoyed our delicious cappucino anyway. We also loved the medieval Irish and Viking relics, many of which were originally from the castle and monastic sites we had just been touring during our stay. They had even found clothes in the bogs
completely intact. I tried to imagine how clothes could end up in a bog (were they on a person?). Unfortunately, Christ Church was closed, so no return visit was possible. Therefore, we spent the rest of the day shopping in Grafton St, Dawson St, and Temple Bar. We found a great whiskey shop on Dawson Street called the Celtic Whiskey Shop, where we were able get brands of Irish whiskey that we aren’t able to find in the U.S. We finished off our day in the best way, with Beef Guinness Casserole and traditional Irish music. Fortunately, the pubs in Temple Bar have music starting at about 2:30 pm, so you can visit a few music venues while still making it an early night, since we have an early flight back to the U.S. We hate to leave Ireland. It took no time at all for us to fall in love with the island and we met many welcoming and interesting people along the way. There were a few beautiful days, a couple rainy days, and lots of misty days. For those who intend to drive, I say Go For It!!! After the first few days it seems like you
have been doing it forever. We would never have been able to visit the places we did if we weren’t driving. Just one thing…… We did see someone who we were sure was an American (rental car) with an “L” on the back window indicating a student driver (suggestion I have seen on-line). They were creeping along the road at snail’s pace. If you think that you are going to be that bad at driving, you might want to get one of those signs, but I’m sure most of us don’t need them. That’s my last observation. Jim and I have some great stories to tell about this beautiful island and our experience and I certainly hope we get to return to Ireland again some time. It was magical.
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