Tourists in Dublin, Sunday, May 1, 2011

We did the really, really touristy thing today, and rode one of those hop-on, hop-off buses around Dublin. It was actually kind of entertaining, in an Irish corny kind of way. I didn't really want to take a bunch of pictures, but I got this one, called the Millennium Spire, a 390-foot-tall, stainless steel spike into the air. It was chosen after some sort of contest to put a monument here, to replace a statue of Admiral Nelson (blown up by the former IRA lads on the 50th anniversary of the 1916 Easter uprising, the beginning of Irish independence). According to some Dubliners, it was a huge waste of 5 million euro. They have several nicknames for it: The Stiletto in the Ghetto, the Stiffy on the Liffey, the Pole in the Hole, etc., etc. It is located on O'Connell Street, north of the Liffey River, which has been considered the poorer side of town.

 When we got off the hop-on/off bus, we did some shopping, then stopped by this restaurant, called Bewley's. Food was good here, too, and these stained glass windows were in the dining area.

 As we continued our walk down Grafton street, we happened upon another street musician, and I had to get a photo of this guy's guitar--it was a Castrol oil can, made into an electric guitar! He was actually playing it, and it didn't sound too bad. Just thought it might interest some of you.








Another beautiful day in the Emerald Isle. It seemed to be a little cooler, but still great! Have several more interesting things to see and do. Keep you posted.

THE IRISH

Be they kings, or poets, or farmers,

They're a people of great worth,

They keep company with the angels,

And bring a bit of heaven here to earth.