Finally in Tourist Mode - Dublin
Dublin photosDublin wasn't all about food, although I inexplicably missed listing the visit to Yamamori, bringers of sushi to the deprived. My trip to Tokyo unexpectedly sparked off a love of Japanese food, if not chopsticks. There was no mistaking I was in Dublin though, as the radio news not only informed us of what the Pope was doing at Easter but what he was wearing.
This trip saw my first ever use of Dublin's bright yellow buses. Riding on the double-deckers is disorientingly like being on a London bus, except without the magic Oyster card. Weekly travel cards and the like can be put on a card but it doesn't do pay as you go for some unexplained reason. Don't talk to me about trying to plan routes from the north to south of the river either. Never the twain shall meet indeed! Fortunately, there were plenty of nice people prepared to drop me off places, which made life a whole lot easier.
Penny and me met Colm for lunch at the Google offices and he took the time to give us a tour. Now I truly understand why so many people I know got sucked into working there, it really isn't your standard office - everyone's persistent enthusiasm was infectious. All the different languages I heard made me warm to the place as well. (Maybe I drank some Google-Aid in the canteen, it looked like apple juice at the time. Colm tried to tempt me with Ben and Jerry's as well, but I was strong.)
On sshi's recommendation, I visited Number Twenty Nine, the Georgian House Museum. After a slightly naff video hosted by the ghost of a previous owner, a guide took the group to view the rooms. She gave lots of context and it was a very enjoyable and informative tour.
Next up was Marsh's Library, the earliest public library in Ireland, built in 1701. It features wonderfully dark shelves filled with wonderfully dark books, old wire gates across the bookshelved alcoves which once shut in potentially light-fingered readers, and the world's most chatty and multilingual doorman. There was a very good exhibition on, of all things, English books, which included works by Locke, Swift and Hobbes, among others. Highly recommended.