IRELAND

   Well, we've finally made it to Ireland. We had a slight mishap - my luggage was left behind in New York. For the flight I decided to wear light clothing which was fine for the trip over but somewhat unsuitable for the bracing weather in Ireland. Fortunately the luggage did catch up to me the next day.
   From the airport, cold, tired, and a bit stressed, we picked up the rental car and foolishly plunged right into rush hour Dublin and tried to navigate the convoluted streets of that city. I had the naive idea of Dublin being a sleepy city, filled with aging Irish shepherds leaning on fences whilst tending their herd and smoking pipes. The reality was slightly different - fewer shepherds (none) and somewhat more cars, trucks, and buses, and all the hustle and bustle of a busy modern city.
   In short we got lost(ish) and decided to head for the safety of the Carter household and get some much needed sleep. That evening we got our first taste of the legendary Irish hospitality in the form of dinner with Alison and Palmer and their son Farley whose visit from Zimbabwe has happily coincided with our stay. During dinner Alison enquired about my father and his progress with his memoirs - we were delighted to be able to whip out a bound copy of the finished book.
   The next day Farley was kind enough to take us on a fantastic guided tour of Dublin. Then in the evening we had yet another fantastic dinner with the Budds, more relatives who live close by. Once again conversation turned to my father and the memoirs were pulled out again and marvelled over.

This is Sandycove, about 15 minutes south of the centre of Dublin, where we are staying with the Carter family.









The two travellers at Sandycove.













In the corner of Merrion Square, Dublin, we found the statue of a rather drunken looking Oscar Wilde reclining on a rock. Rachel tried her best to match his demeanor.











We had to take a look at Trinity College, the ancient university in the heart of Dublin.




















Farley navigated us to a bench in the heart of Trinity College with an inscription dedicated to Gardner Budd, my fathers uncle, who was an Irish Supreme Court Judge amongst other things.










Temple Bar is the name given to a lovely area that has been transformed from a seedy old town quarter and restored to backpacker/tourist area.