Boy what a good nights sleep can do! Another gorgeous morning for walking and then after breakfast we toured Trinity College, saw the Book of Kells and the Long Hall. All of it was fascinating. The architecture of many buildings and the Hall date back centuries. So much knowledge and history in one place.

With an afternoon stop at a local pub we met Ronan, a freelance journalist from Dublin. Before long Ronan had joined us at our outdoor table and we enjoyed a spell of good conversation over a couple of pints.

We parted ways with Ronan and ventured over to St. Stephen’s Green to enjoy a snack on the lawn. The Green is a very large park that reminded me of High Park in Toronto. The place was packed full of people enjoying the beautiful day. I suppose when the weather is typically wet and grey, the sunshine will bring most folks outdoors.

The day wound down with a little shopping and finished with a night of Irish music and great folks just around the corner from our hotel.

Worth noting: Bringing a wedding dress on the plane will improve an economy flight with free champagne, chocolate, cocktails and comfort goodies like super soft blanket. Not to mention the envy of other passengers.

We arrived in Dublin at 7am and were greeted by a cheerful driver named Sean. Sean gave us a scenic tour of the city on the way to our hotel. Much to our relief the hotel let us check in early. After having slept only two hours on the flight, it was so tempting to dive into that king size bed for a few zzzs. Instead we resisted the urge and ventured into the city in search of breakfast.

We were surprised to find out that thousands of Americans were in town for a Notre Dame v Navy (American) football game the day before. Apparently Notre Dame won 50-10. That was certainly a long way for Navy to travel for a butt-kicking. Dublin rolled out the red carpet for the fans with American flags hanging all over the place. Nice to see their tourism getting a boost.

It was a gorgeous sunny day. After loading up on food and caffeine, what better way to continue our introduction to the city than a double decker bus tour? Next was the Jameson Distillery. The wait for the tour was TWO HOURS, so we decided to skip the tour – after having worked at a distillery, what’s the difference? – and headed straight for the bar!

We covered much ground on foot – Grafton Street, Temple Bar, along the Liffey and a pub or two. We enjoyed fish and chips with a pint in Temple Bar, then made our way back. It was a great first day, but we were ready for some sleep.