Dublin

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Day 1 - Dublin
After traveling 16 hours we finally arrived in Dublin. The plane rides were pretty uneventful except for the wicked landing in Dublin. Cross winds had us bouncing side to side when we landed. Freaked out many passengers. It was kinda funny to see their faces during and after the landing. I have to admit I was a little concerned myself. It was kinda weird we saw Jerry and Judy (Flaaskrud) in the London airport. They were going to stay in London to site see before meeting us in South Africa next week. Our main flight was from Seattle to London 1st class on British Air. Let me tell you it’s pretty overrated. Yeah, it’s nice you get wine and champagne, a choice of menu items, and you get to sleep lying down but… I wouldn’t pay the price they want for those seats. Thank goodness for travelers points!
We got to our hotel around 7:00pm and called Mike & Sandy (Mirenta), Butch and Suzanne (Gaul), a few of our travel companions from home. They went to Scotland and England for a week before meeting us in Dublin. We all went out for pizza and then called it a night. Ted and I were pretty burnt.

Day 2 - St. Patrick’s Cathedral & Christ’s Church
We started the day with a taxi drive across Dublin to St. Patrick’s Cathedral. It was early so the traffic was heavy. It went quickly as the taxi driver was eager to tell us about the sites and places to see. We got to the Cathedral in time for the morning service. There were 6 Irish choir boys singing in the service, ages ranging from about 7 to 12. Their voices were unbelievable. You would have thought there were 20 or more singing in that Cathedral. Once the service was over we were allowed to take pictures. The Cathedral was huge with all kinds of marble statues and plagues honoring those that fought in the civil wars here in Ireland, besides the many priests that have passed. Circling the ceiling are battle flags from the many wars fought here in Ireland. They are charred and torn, some not even recognizable. Pretty awesome to see. The choir area was surrounded by knight’s helmets on both sides. I never did find out what they meant or represented. Stained glass was everywhere. Very beautiful.
We took a short walk up the hill to Christ’s Church. Before going in, there was a small expo on the Vikings that we decided to do before walking through the church. Outside the entrance we got our pictures in the Viking cutout. I’d have to say that was the best part of the Viking adventure. Yes….it was lame. It only cost 5 Euros so I didn’t feel too ripped off. Anyway, the church was beautiful. More statues, plaques, and stained glass. We had to make a quick trip of it because we were meeting others back at our hotel to catch a taxi to get to the train station for Tralee.
We’re on the train now. The guys are playing cribbage and Sandi and I are writing our blogs. Suzanne broke her foot a few weeks back so she riding out a pain pill. She’s looking pretty sleepy. Anyway, we’re due to meet Mike and Carol (McGinty) in Tralee to continue our Ireland trip. Can’t wait to see them. We’re staying at Sean Og’s B&B in Tralee, supposedly the place to be. I’ll write you about it next time.

Miss you Bre and Amanda!

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