Dublin - day 1

Looking down O'Connell Street.  The Spire of Dublin is the world's tallest sculpture,
erected in January 2003.



Trinity College


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Customs House



Georgian Style house.  Each door is different, all down the street, the building look exactly alike except the doors, which are various colors and styles. Notice the windows get smaller on the upper floors.  There was a tax on the glass, so the windows on the ground floor were large and got smaller with each floor.  The servants stayed in the top floor with very small windows.  This house is covered with wisteria, can you imagine how beautiful this house will be this summer?

Christ Church

The entrance to the residence of the American Ambassador, located in Phoenix Park.



This is the official residence of the President of Ireland, it is located in Phoenix Park.



Phoenix Park is located in the center of Dublin.  Notice the deer that are grazing in the park.
They have a lot  parks. One park that stood out is St. Stephen's Green.



Dublin is the home of Guinness Beer, I toured the Guinness Storehouse, at the end of the tour, you were given a pint in the Gravity Bar, which is on the seventh floor.  As much as I tried, I just couldn't drink it.  I don't like dark beer!  I don't even think lime and salt would have made this any better!

Looking over Dublin from the Gravity Bar, seventh floor of the Guinness Storehouse.



Kilmainham  Gaol (jail) was built in 1789.  This is a door to one of the cells, they all had peep holes so the guards could look in on the prisoner.  The last prisoner was released from the jail in 1924.

 

Look how thick the walls are.



This is where prisoners were taken to face the firing squad.  I had the same feeling here as I did when we visited Alcatraz, I never want to go to prison!

 My first day in Dublin I spent the day sightseeing via the Hop-On Hop-Off bus.  This is such a good way to see any city!  I know I have said it before, and I will probably say it again, I love Arkansas!  All these big cities are wonderful to visit, but I really wouldn't want to live there!  My hotel was wonderful, it was located on O'Connell Street which is one of the main streets.  I was certainly expecting to see a statue of St. Patrick, I asked the tour leader about St. Patrick and he said that the only status of St. Patrick would possibly be at St. Patrick's Church and he was not even sure there was a statue of him there.  OK, I admit when I think of Ireland, the first thoughts that come to mind are shamrocks, leprechauns, and St. Patrick, I didn't see any of those things..lol