Ireland 2019
July 1 — Dublin

We woke up this morning to Nancy’s horrible alarm, 90 days by Pink, and while it might be a good song, it is not a pleasant song to wake up to. Just sayin’. We started the day by going to the complementary breakfast at the Hotel. It was huge and delicious. Interestingly, they serve their bacon thick and very large, almost like a small piece of ham. It is a little different flavor, but delicious.

After that we went to Kilmainham Gaol (Jail). I’m not a huge fan of jails, but the history was interesting because of all the political prisoners. The story of the wedding of Joseph Plunkett and Grace Gifford in May 1916 was unusual. The couple were married by Father Eugene McCarthy; the scene was lit only by prison-issue candles, and excepting their vows, they were bound to remain silent. Two soldiers bore witness. A few hours later, Plunkett was executed.

I was impressed by the iron work throughout which was very ornate and beautiful. The spiral staircase in the newer part of the jail (late 19th century) was beautiful and would be so expensive in a different setting. Our guide was named Martha and she was pretty darn good. She did flip her hair a lot. But I thought she was thorough and engaging. She is from Waterford and gave me a couple of ideas about where to go to eat.

Next, we tried to go to the Ireland Museum of Modern Art and it was a lovely walk to get there. I met a sweet, sweet French bulldog who allowed me to love on him. His mom spoke French and carried a cute baby...but I was more interested in the dog. When we got to the museum, we found out it isn’t open on Mondays. We saw enough to know that we want to go back, so we will tomorrow. The cafe was open so Dad got coffee and we hung out in the courtyard for a few minutes.

Lunch was at the Calvary Hooker; it was lunchroom style but the space was cool and the food was good. Nancy’s back was hurting so she couldn’t eat, but I had a chicken and mushroom pot pie that was delicious. Nancy also commented on how the proportion sizes in Ireland were supposed to be smaller than the US, but so far (and particularly here) the amount of food was too much.

Next we walked to the Guinness Storehouse and went on the tour. It was 7 floors, but the displays were awesome. I was particularly impressed with the information graphics and the motion graphics. The tasting was funny; the man walking us through the tastes and smells we were supposed to experience when enjoying Guinness asked if any of us had never had Guinness. I was the only one to raise my hand and this man standing near me gave me the most incredulous look. It was so funny...to me. The man walking us through the tasting also told us the blessing (be in good health) Shalauntamach (sorry for the phonic spelling). Nancy liked the waterfall and the hops displays. Dad seemed to like it, though he says he doesn’t care much for beer. He did like the blonde Guinness. I’m still not a fan of beer.

We got reservations for dinner. Dad wanted white table clothes. We ended up at Brasserie Sixty6 which wasn’t white table cloth, but the food was top rate. Our waiter was from Russia. He was intense and couldn’t hear a word dad said. I had to repeat everything to him. Dad does mumble. I had a great Caesar salad. I wish I had that dressing recipe because it’s one of the best I’ve ever had. My steak was also amazing and cooked perfectly. The design of the restaurant was very clean and simple except for the plates lining the walls, but even that was done in a contemporary way. The plates were displayed with a measured and precise grid that really helped each plate stand out on its own. I have never liked plate rails or display plates, but this was beautiful. It is also in a lively part of town. There were seemingly hundreds of restaurants and shops. After dinner we walked around a bit and decided that tomorrow we should come back for a longer walk. Nancy liked the chicken but wishes she ordered the steak.

Other interesting things: we talked about Dad’s mom and how she wanted to be a doctor. Dad thinks that her father put a stop to it because it wasn’t appropriate for a woman. She did go to preparatory school until she met grandad. We also talked about how much she loved to go to the doctor. Apparently, Dr. Bradshaw had his hands full with that one!