We had to set alarm this morning, and that is never a good thing. We were both up later than planned, but in order to get the train to Dublin early enough to check things out and get back on the train early enough to do things like get our car out of the car park and pick up our laundry before the laundrette closed, well, we sucked it up and used that alarm.
By the way, the train was actually the DART, for Dublin Area Rapid Transit, which I think resident's of the Bay Area will enjoy.
The day began with eggs benedict for all. I certainly hope someone in the USA began their day with eggs benedict.
Obelisk! This one is in Bray, the town near our hotel where we are getting onto the DART train.
There it is, DART.
There is nothing stranger than sitting on a train a continent and ocean away from home and seeing an advertisement for the people who live there to visit your home.
Dublin. Rainy. Industrial.
Dublin. Rainy. Industrial. Stout.
Georgian Dublin. I know it's dam out there, but they're quite nice looking buildings and rather old. "Georgian" refers to not one but several King George's. From 1714 to 1830 there were four of them.
Wet shoppers.
Barbie knew full well there was no reason to visit Dublin Castle, but I just had to see it for myself and she was kind enough to tolerate it.
Dublin Castle. There is a lot of history to it, and it is a shame none of the pictures came out terribly photogenic, but it is essentially a functional building. But everyone from King John to Michael Collins have used the site, so there.
Behind the castle, we found this garden. I like anything with the tradition spelling of Black Pool.
The Dubh Linn Garden.
We passed this newish statue, and, well, it is joyful, is it not?
Christ Church Cathedral on the right and Dublina on the left.
Here we are, the Guinness Storehouse.
In the floor you find the famous lease that Arthur Guinness signed in 1759. You see, the St. James's Gate Brewery had stood vacant for years and Arthur Guinness agreed to lease it for a 9,000 years at £45 per year. To this day, Guinness still pays the same amount, though in Euros. Hard to imagine.
Barley.
Water. Okay, so the pictures of the Hops and Yeast didn't make the blog.
This pic marks the first appearance of Barbie's finger.
People had warned me that the free Guinness tasting (ignoring the €15 ticket) inside the brewery was underwhelming. It was tasty and fresh, but as you see, it is no pint.
For lunch I had the Beef & Guinness Stew. Yes, there is Guinness in there.
Barbie had the chowder. Not clam, but salmon. Yes, there's salmon in there. And no Guinness.
High above the brewery they have built the Gravity Bar. It is around 7 stories above Dublin, with a panoramic view.
And there are handy labels on the glass walls pointing out landmarks.
As you can see, Dublin is a working, industrial town. Not too showy.
Yours truly, in the rain. I carried this jacket through four very sunny countries, which means I am actually grateful for the chance to use it.
Barbie insisted I take a picture of this Guinness door, as it might reminds us of Blazing Saddles.
Get this. That building is the... Museum of Modern Art. Fantastic, using a building like this for your modern art museum.
Obelisk!!! The Wellington Monument (or more correctly the Wellington Testimonial) is an obelisk located in the Phoenix Park, Dublin, Ireland. This obelisk marks the great man who created rain boots. No, no. It was built to commemorate the victories of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington. The "Iron Duke" was born in Dublin and went on to win many victories for the English Army, which I imagine can lead to a pub conversation that get a bit hairy in nature.
Brüno! (Odd how the switch from Southern to Northern Europe has changed the trip's theme from Picasso to Brüno.)
Pearse Station, Dublin. I will always love train stations. Compare their casual nature to an airport and tell me which form of travel is more civilized.
Barbie wanted me to show you this example of English with Roman letters.
And this example of Irish in Gaelic script. We've yet to meet an Irish person who cannot speak English, so one begins to think there are political reasons behind the double-signage everywhere.
As we leave Dublin, I have one observation to share. Cities which reach their height, or a certain level of importance, wealth and power, before World War II, are generally beautiful, well planned, and designed to impress the visitor. Cities who had their rise or a population explosion after World War II are generally functional at best. This includes my hometown of Los Angeles, and Dublin.
This Irishman sat across from me on the train and slept in this exact position for 30 minutes. Not a limb moved. He likely takes this same train at the same time five days per week, morning and evening. The image struck me as truthful, and I could not help but take his picture. I always prefer portraits in black & white.
In Bray there is... a bowling alley! We didn't have time to roll a game, but to have bowled in another country for the first time in my life would have been brilliant.
Homes in Bray. Damn if this shouldn't be in black & white as well.
After seeing rain all day, the sky cleared and the sun came out as we returned to Enniskerry. Since yesterday's picture of the roundabout monument was taken under coloudy conditions, I felt it desrved a chance to shine in the sun.
The wonderful laundrette woman. A young man with blue hair walked in just before simply to flirt with her. I should have taken his picture, and the punk girls waiting for him outside.
Sugarloaf Mountain behind out hotel, in the sunshine.
The building in front of Powerscourt Gardens. Our hotel was built on Powerscourt Estate, which is a wicked display of wealth in its own right. From Wikipedia:
Powerscourt Estate is a large country estate which is noted for its house and landscaped gardens, today occupying 19 hectares (47 acres). The house, originally a 13th century castle, was extensively altered during the 18th century by German architect Richard Cassels, starting in 1731 and finishing in 1741. A fire in 1974 left the house lying as a shell until it was renovated in 1996.
Back at our hotel, Barbie had work to do and I headed to the indoor pool which neither of us had seen before. I brought my iPhone along in case I wanted to listen to music, and good thing I did. As soon as I saw the pool, I sent Barbie an email that read, "Best Pool Ever. Come ASAP."
This is the pool. This is the pool! And that water is skin temperature.
You saw this coming, did you not? Those lights on the ceiling ripple with the water, as they are lights aimed upward from the bottom of the pool. A simply gorgeous effect.
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