We were awake at 5am (body clock not being quite in sync yet). At 6 we went for a bit of a walk and then back to Cassidy's for an excellent (cold/hot) breakfast.
In fact we're pretty impressed with Cassidy's – an older pub but the rooms, although a bit small, are well kept and clean – and we're not too far from everything. Having said that, most of the tourist sites are south of the River Liffey and we're on the Northern side. The Hop On Hop Off bus is just down the road.
We headed off to catch the HOHO at 9am - thought we might beat the crowds. Had a very entertaining driver on the bus.
Hopped off at St Stephen's Green and visited the Little Museum – quite a detailed history of Ireland, before having a stroll through the park (St Stephens Green), a popular spot for locals and tourists to stretch their legs. What a beautiful spot. Hard to think that it was very different when it was the centre of the Easter Uprising back in 1916.
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| St Stephens Green |
From St Stephen's Green we walked along Grafton Street (upmarket Dublin Shopping) and ended up at Trinity College (via the statue of Mollie Malone).
Our intention was to see the Book of Kells but as the queue to buy tickets was over 100 metres long we decided against it. Obviously need to book these sort of things on line. Magnificent buildings all the same.
Back on the HOHO we headed for the Guinness Storehouse which we thought would be an appropriate spot for lunch. Bad idea – it was so crowded that it was hard to appreciate.
We did grab a fish and chip lunch but then headed back to the bus. It had just starting to rain so we appreciated a couple of seats downstairs as we wound our way back to Upper O'Connell Street.
Time for a nap before heading off to the Irish Night and Dinner at the Belvedere Hotel. A nice meal and an entertaining night of Irish Music and Dancing.
