We met a lot of friends today!
We started off by going to Matins service at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. The cathedral was absolutely stunning! The boys’ choir was so talented and reverent – it was like tasting a piece of Heaven here on earth.
After the service, we walked into The Old Marsh’s Library. It was filled with really old books from the 18th century. The two men that worked there were very friendly and asked us where we were from. They had both been to the states before and shared their experiences with us. In the last room, we signed our names in their guest book with a quill!
After wandering around for a bit, lost, looking for a coffee fix and wifi, we stumbled upon Fumbally, a quirky cafe. It was a very friendly environment, kind of hippy actually.
Next, we visited the National Gallery of Ireland. They had all kinds of beautiful paintings from Caravaggio, William Turner, Jack B. Yeats, and many others. After that, we visited the National Library of Ireland. There, we talked to an Irish genealogy specialist who helped Kathleen get closer to discovering her Irish roots.
St. Stevens Green on the way to the National Gallery.
For lunch, we went to Peter’s Pub – it is a privately owned pub with a very peaceful environment and the sweetest owners! We split a toasted ham, cheese, tomato and onion sandwich, and a beef and vegetable soup. It was such a deliciously comforting meal.
The owner gave us pamphlets and great advice on where to visit next. So we decided to take up his suggestion and visit Dublin Castle that evening.
Dublin Castle
Dublin City hall in front of the city crest.
The people here in Ireland are the nicest people ever! Everyone is so willing to point you in the right direction or tell you about their grand Irish history. At the castle, we met a very kind older gentleman who readily gave us a tour of the outside of the castle and took us to their city hall. He insisted that the tour would be free. He gave us Irish candy and a bunch of tourist pamphlets. When it started getting dark, we told him we had to leave, so he gave us his business card in case we wanted more tours!
Well, that’s it for tonight!
Cheers,
❤ i&k
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