Day 14-Dublin

Suitcases are organized and spent another 2 hours in our B&B kitchen talking with our hostess Anne after our Irish fry breakfast was completed.  For those of you who might not know, a traditional Irish breakfast consists of the following:  1-2 fried eggs (sunny side up), 2 sausages, 2 slices of bacon (which to an American are two slices of ham), beans (like pork & beans), a broiled half of a tomato, fried potato, orange juice, cereal (wheatabix – a bar of grain kind of like a granola bar but much dryer, corn flakes, or rice crispys), sliced fruit, coffee/tea, brown bread, scones, white toast, and, for the very, very brave – white or black pudding (made from blood – yum). And for those of you, who turned up their nose when reading about the ‘pudding’, ponder that our good ol’ American gravy is made from water, flour, and the drippings from cooked meat.  Those drippings?  Blood. To say that lunch is generally unnecessary after this breakfast is an understatement.  Serving sizes are huge.  The Irish Fry is also known fondly as ‘a heart attack on a plate’.  I can honestly say that if I don’t see a fried egg for a month it will still be too soon.

Made it into Dublin without having to pay a toll (3 euro) by following the old roads.  The Motorways (M) completed in the past two years are super efficient, but I prefer the smaller routes (N and R); one hasn’t experienced Ireland until one has to pass a cyclist with a tour bus or hay wagon bearing down on you.  With you on the wrong side of the road.  At 120 kilometers.

So, now we’re in The Vat Pub back at Blooms hotel in Temple Bar having coffee and awaiting the end of the rain so we can walk to Christchurch Cathedral and explore the underground crypt and check out the heart of an Irish saint.  Seriously.  His heart.  Yesterday, I forgot to do what Jeannie told me to do in Co. Meath – visit the embalmed head in the church there.  The Irish really do some crazy stuff with the body parts of popular people.  Makes you glad to be a nobody.

Back from Gogerty's in Temple Bar.  Had a great time and since we brought our hardshoes, managed to get in about 5 treble reels each.  This time Diane and I split up so that she was on one side of the bar, and I on the other with the musicians between us.  They were really great about our dancing and gave us a long, long set of reels.  Was having so much fun that I didn't notice my black/blue great toenail until later tonight.  Guess I really gave it a wack ... don't even remember doing it.  But what a great last night in Ireland!