Friday

The plan for today is two sightseeing destinations, Trinity College Library and the Book of Kells (on my list from last June as a high point) and the Irish Archeological Museum with bog bodies, Celtic gold and an Egyptian display for Hannah.

We trek off in the mid-morning by taxi for Trinity College, wending our way down Grafton Street (a pedestrian mall) to Bewley’s Tea House for lunch. Now Hannah is catching her breath, but Jacob is de-adrenalized and wants to curl up in a corner and snooze.

Grampa discusses jetlag recovery techniques with Jacob.

Bewley’s is marvelous, old-school and the food is … well … decent. But the atmosphere is great. On the way back to Trinity College Grampa stops at J.J.Fox, tobacconist, and snatches a couple of real Habanos, albeit from a surprisingly modest selection for a famed tobacconist. Maybe it’s cuz they cater to a student and tourist trade.

The Book of Kells, and the display describing its history, creation, structure and survival is marvelous. The exit is upstairs through the library.

Who was I to know that the real experience, a breathtaking panoply of old books, was about to unfold, the Long Room at Trinity College’s Library.

Here it is.

The Long Room at the Trinity College Dublin’s Library, a bibliophile’s dream (especially if you read Latin.)

That’s enough, though, and we snag a cab back to the Clarion.

Gramma and the Kiblets fade. Grampa says, ‘I’m going for a walk.’ It’s my way of seeing and feeling the city, aimlessly wandering here and there as the spirit moves.

It moved up the Liffey.

They have bascule bridges in Dublin, just like the one in Mystic.

This is the Ha’penny Bridge.

I discover my niece Abigail’s home-away-from-home in Dublin.

Abigail’s Budget Accommodation, Back Packers’ flophouse.

Downriver I stop for a pint at the Ferryman Pub, then back to the Clarion where we go fully tourist (to the raised eyebrows of the Clarion’s front desk staff) and head to Temple Bar where we found The Boxty (named for an Irish delicacy, a potato pancake) and eat Cottage Pie.

Satisfied diners at The Boxty.

The taxi driver who takes us to Temple Bar imparts some useful advice in response to observations on the difficulty on driving on the left. ‘I have relatives in Connecticut, visit them every year or so and drive there. The secret is to remember that the driver’s always toward the middle of the road.’

That came in handy more than once.

Tomorrow we leave for Springfield Castle to meet up with the family.