Saturday, June 27, 2009


Yesterday we headed into Dublin, the city center. We went on a 20 minute walk down to the DART station where we purchased a train ticket to Pearse Station near Trinity College. Mariella and I decided to jump on the Dublin “Hop on Hop Off Bus” to get oriented with the city. This is a bus line that stops all around the city. We were able to jump on and off all day long while exploring the various areas of Dublin. While riding on the bus we met a nice South African family who were on holiday. We enjoyed dialoguing with them as we soaked up the sights and sounds around us. Some highlights of the day were sitting with my wife and having a delicious cup of coffee while watching people walk by in front of busy Trinity College where the “Book of Kells” is displayed. The book was penned around AD 800, four Irish monks squeezed multicolored ink from bugs and plants to illustrate a four volume edition of the Gospels. Another highlight was having lunch at a shaded park bench at St. Stephens Green, a magnificently manicured park. The park was filled with people enjoying their lunch break. Ken, the Irish man sitting next to us described it as an oasis in a bustling city. We enjoyed our conversation with Ken as we communed on the park bench.