Ireland - Day 2...

We woke up on Day 2 and decided to grab breakfast at the hotel restaurant. We'd paid €10 per person upon check in for it and, I have to say, it was worth every euro. It was a traditional Irish breakfast everyday, which means it included things like stewed tomatoes, grilled mushrooms and baked beans, but it also had the makings of a traditional American breakfast, too. Eggs, sausage, waffles, toast, cereals; and it was all excellent.

Breakfast at the Crowne Plaza Dublin. I now buy Irish butter at the grocery store. Yeah... really...

Now, for those of you who might not know, my brother's a biker. He's not a biker in the Sons Of Anarchy, never-take-a-shower mold, but he rides a Harley Davidson Street Glide and is pretty serious about it. Anyway, he brought a couple t-shirts and poker chips from Adamec Harley Davidson in St. Augustine (hey, hometown gotta' represent!) to trade out or gift to other bikers he might see during the trip. He'd met a guy in the hotel bar who was sitting with his girlfriend and friends, and he gave the guy a poker chip. The guy was all happy and Greg felt good about it and all was right with the world.

Well, the morning of our second day, we step outside the hotel and here's this guy and his friends, and he's wearing a Prague Harley Davidson shirt. Greg walks up to the guy, reaches into his back-pack and hands the guy an Adamec Harley-Davidson t-shirt. How does the guy respond? He takes the very shirt he's wearing off his back and hands it to my brother. It was one of the cooler moments of our whole trip.

My brother and his new friend, who is from Holland...

So, after the conclusion of the international Harley-Davidson t-shirt swap, we grabbed a cab into downtown to pick up our hop on/hop off bus for Day 2.

Before I go any further, I would be remiss if I didn't point out how good a choice the hop on/hop off bus is for getting around Dublin. There are a number of companies which operate these buses. We opted for City Sightseeing Dublin, but I would have to imagine that they're all pretty comparable. Also, go for the two-day pass. It's only a few more dollars than a single day pass, and there's no way in Hell you're going to see everything you want to see in one day. Hell, there's probably no way you're going to see everything you want to see in two days, but at least you'll not see less.

Now, the Irish are big on their churches, primarily Roman Catholicism and the Church of Ireland running a close second. Christ Church Cathedral, also known as the Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity is officially the seat of both the Church of Ireland and Roman Catholic archbishops of Dublin.

After our cab ride into the city, we took the bus to Christ Church Cathedral. One of two medieval cathedrals (the other being St. Patrick's Cathedral), it was founded in the year 1030 and, while it has gone over many changes over the ensuing (almost) thousand years, the history contained within its walls is undeniable and almost crushing in its weight. Christ Church Cathedral, which was founded in the year 1030, is enormous, and is only one part of a larger complex which also houses the Dubliana exhibit. While the exhibit is more museum than anything else, it remains a part of the Cathedral.

Now, I'm not the most religious guy you're ever likely to meet but, as a photographer, I can say that there are few forms of architecture that are as awe-inspiring as a really big, really old church. People have been coming to worship at Christ Church Cathedral for nearly 1,000 years, so it definitely has the "really old" part covered. The "really big" part? Well, you be the judge.

Christ Church Cathedral...

Christ Church Cathedral...

 

Christ Church Cathedral...

Christ Church Cathedral...

Christ Church Cathedral...

Christ Church Cathedral...

Christ Church Cathedral...

Of course, Christ Church Cathedral isn't the only game in town when it comes to impressive houses of worship. St. Patrick's Cathedral, which is within walking distance of Christ Church Cathedral, is another grand example. It's also the final resting place of writer and poet Jonathan Swift (Gulliver's Travels), who also served as Dean of the church from 1713 until his death, at age 77, in October of 1745.

St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin, Ireland...

St. Patrick's Cathedral...

St. Patrick's Cathedral...

St. Patrick's Cathedral...

Jonathan Swift's grave...

After a full day of walking and exploring old churches, we decided to head back to the hotel and think about grabbing some dinner. We opted for the Gourmet Food Parlor, which was just a brief walk from the front door of our hotel. We thought we were going to be in trouble when the hostess asked us if we had a reservation (we did not), but she got us seated in pretty short order. The service was quick and the food was pretty damn tasty. I went with their "Signature Burger" which, for €16.00 may have been a bit spendy but, damn, it was good.

The €16.00 "Signature Burger". It was pretty amazing...

I couldn't help myself...

We walked back to the hotel and Mom was calling it a night. My brother and I, however, were far from done. We decided we'd extend our evening and head down to Temple Bar for a few drinks. Temple Bar is probably best described as Dublin's Bourbon Street. The joke among the locals is that you'll never see the Irish there. Whatever; it was a lot of fun for us!

Ha'penny Bridge...

The Palace Bar...

The Dublin Hard Rock Cafe...

Bars and restaurants abound...

Tattoo shop in Temple Bar...

It's true; This was one bad ass bar...

This guy was advertising for €5 lap dances...

The main drag in Temple Bar...

We're not sure if they lost a bet or are just big "Where's Waldo?" fans...

Of all the bars we hit that night, Merchant's Arch was, by far, our favorite...

Here's Greg wasting little time in getting into Merchant's Arch...

The man is like a ghost...

What I found more amazing than just about anything else in Temple Bar were the crowds that turned out for the entertainment that was on hand. In the United States, if you want to pack a bar with people, you bring in a band. In Ireland, though, you just need a couple of guys with a couple of acoustic instruments and they'll own the joint. That was the case at every bar we visited, and I thought that was really cool. Above is a video clip that I shot at Merchant's Arch in Temple Bar.

So, with a full day of playing tourist and several Guinness' (Tullamore Dew, too) behind us, we found our way into a cab for the trip back to our hotel. If anything, the evening out in Temple Bar told me that this could be reason enough to come back...