It's beautiful in Ireland!

The weather here has been unbelievable!!!  Sunny and comfortable temperatures have followed us over from the US and everyone is loving it.

After arriving on Tue. we stayed awake as long as we could so that we could adjust to the time change - so off we went on a bus tour on the Hop On-Hop Off line.  That is the best way to become familiar with a new city.  They run a specific route pointing out important places to see for a price and that includes 2 days.  We just rode around the first day and then figured out where we wanted to stop and see the next day.  Our first stop was, of course, at the Guinness Factory at St. James's Gate.

 Over 200 years ago, Sir Arthur Guinness started brewing a special type of beer on 40 acres that he signed a lease for 9000 years.  You read that right, 9 thousand years, for $45 a month!  The factory tour gives you a great insight into how the beer is "created" and why it is so special.  It took us about 2 hours to go through the museum and some of the exhibits weren't even open.  So you can imagine how much longer it could have taken.  And for those who asked me to have a Guinness for them - here you go!

 In my hands are a certificate for pouring a picture pint of Guinness and the actual pint!  Didn't spill a drop, didn't slop over the side and had the perfect size foam head.  Now I'm an expert.  Oh yeah, tasted good too!

Our next stop was at the Kilmainham Gaol.  This prison was built in 1796 and was in service until 1924.  All of the leaders of the 1916 Easter Uprising (which lead to the War for Independence) were jailed and executed there.  The walls were thick and the cells were small.  Windows were dinghy and the whole place was cold.  Not a great place to be.

This is the "great room" where there was three floors of cells with about 30 cells per floor.  The staircase shown was for the guards because it was large and straight and the guards could run quickly down in case of any disruption.

This spiral staircase, on the opposite side of the straight stairs were for the inmates because it was impossible to move quickly down them, hence they couldn't rush the guards.  They went down into the floor where the kitchen was located.







Tonight we went to The Brazen Head Pub which is the oldest pub in Dublin (1198) for dinner and a show that talked about food, folklore and faeyres.  It was a good time with good friends.

Tomorrow we are off to rent the motorcycles for our tour that starts on Sunday.  Hopefully the weather will co-operate.