After debarking the long plane ride I can bet Josh and I will be both tired and stiff but extremely excited to begin our excursion! There is no way we will be able to sleep, so onward to adventure.
Thankful for a safe flight and praying for a wonderful trip, as a good Catholic, my first destination on Sunday morning at 9:15 will be to attend mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral. Living near Lucan, Ontario, my home parish was built by the many Irish Immigrants which came to this small town, so it makes sense the parish was dubbed St. Patricks. Hence, as St. Patrick is one of my favourite saints and it would be such a moving experience to celebrate mass on the sacred ground he stood upon (LP 82). Though my boyfriend is a non-practicing Anglican (aka Atheist) I will still drag him to Church, but instead of focusing on the spiritual aspect of it, he can admire the architecture.
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| Wow... Look at those archways~ Josh |
We will definitely be hungry, so once Mass has finished we will rejuvenate ourselves with a tasty brunch and coffee! According to tripadvisor.ca the Bewley Cafe is one cafe that cannot be overlooked. Josh and I love our coffee (it is known for its coffee too), but Josh is very excited to have a good ol' fashioned Irish breakfast with delicious Irish potatoes and black pudding (a specialty our travel guide "dares" us to try so I will be brave and have a spoonful, maybe it'll be delicious! LP 45) But, I have a feeling I won't like the pudding so this time it will be my turn to view the architecture of the building instead.
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| If any place could rejuvenate me, it's here! |
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| Bewley's Full Irish Breakfast |
Josh and I wanted to stay in quaint little hotels with character, no generic chains. We want to experience Ireland! So The Harding Hotel seemed like the right choice. In fact, we picked our hotels for that reason throughout the entire trip, quaint and located close to our activities. Booking.com is an amazing website that provided us with great rooms for great prices. The majority of the places we will stay in are around $100 CDN a night and some are less and we did not pick any rooms rated less than 7.5 out of 10. The Harding is close to the Temple Bar district, meaning close to pubs and that is another reason why we chose it. The hotel also has a nice Bistro where we can eat breakfast as the site claims.
After dropping off our luggage and touring around Dublin on foot, we will make our way to the National Museum of Ireland which is open from 2-5 (LP 75). Josh and I are excited to learn more about the history of Ireland. We are looking forward to seeing the Viking Exhibition the most, especially since Josh believes he is a viking himself because of his anglo-saxon roots ... We will also stop and see Irish Celtic religious artifacts such as the Cross of Cong and Ardagh Chalice for me (LP 76-7). The guide book suggests a "pancake on the go from Lemon" restaurant which would be perfect for Josh and I considering we had a big brunch (LP 76).
Having been inside for a few hours, it will be nice to see the greenery in the beautiful Merrion Square. As Josh and I are both outdoorsy active people, walking outside in the fresh air is welcoming especially since Josh and I will spend the majority of our lives sitting at desks either marking papers and planning lessons or fixing computers. I also have gone interior camping a few times with friends in Algonquin (I know most people would not find carrying only a backpack and traveling with just a canoe to be their ideal vacation, but not this girl). Having a major in English Literature, and also being a big fan of The Picture of Dorian Gray, I look forward to taking my picture with the infamous Oscar Wilde while traversing the Square (LP 80).
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| Oh Oscar Wilde that is quite the smirk you have! |
As we will barely have slept on the plane, we will call it a night and make our way to the hotel in order to rest up for the next day ahead of us!
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