First Day

We landed at Dublin Airport ahead of schedule. Went through immigration quickly. Stopped at the Caffè Nero for breakfast. We found the Dublin Express bus that would take us into Dublin, dropping us at Wellington Quay. We walked for about 5 minutes, over the Ha’penny Bridge, and dropped our bags off at our hotel, Zanzibar Locke.

We then walked around a bit, and found a Starbucks for a snack. We were sitting in front of the big picture window looking out at the street, and a homeless lady was outside, and the Starbucks people shooed her away. We walked around, exploring the area and shopping centers. We walked down to The Old Storehouse Bar and Restaurant, waiting for our 1:00 PM walking tour. Buddy eventually showed up, and we began the tour. Went by a neat Christmas shop that we needed to pop into later. We stopped at Dublin Castle, and Buddy talked about the oppression that the Irish have faced for centuries at the hands of the English, the potato famine, and other bits of Irish problems. Walked up the 40 stairs to Hell, where the prostitutes would wait for the guards at Dublin Castle. Hell was not a very nice place back then. We then walked over to Christ Church Cathedral. Ended up outside Trinity College, where if you were Catholic or Irish, you would not be attending for your schooling. Heard about the Catholics girls who would get pregnant being made to work in the laundry, and their children would be given up for adoption. Very tragic.

After the walk, we went to find a grocery store. Stopped at the SuperValu Aston Quay and picked up supper, as well as porridge, oat milk, and blueberries for breakfasts. We then checked into the Zanzibar Locke for the night. We watched some Friends, and ate our supper.