Our first day in Ireland was wonderful! Avonie and I bought tickets for a “hop-on-hop-off” bus that circled around Dublin, eliminating the need to park and drive in the city. We enjoyed walking around in the cool 30 degree Fahrenheit weather, bundled up in our coats, boots, scarves and gloves. We toured the library of Chester Beatty and had the privilege to see some of the oldest manuscripts in the world! The highlights for me included ancient Scriptures in original text and an authentic Egyptian document from the “Book of the Dead.” Huge thanks to John Rutter, Matt Lansing and Patrick Horn for introducing me to the Mummy – I actually learned something from it!!! Pure evidence that history can be learned from fictional films…right? As we walked through the final exhibit (art, yuck), the gentleman who looked after the paintings engaged us in conversation, offering up tidbits of information regarding each piece. I enjoyed his monologue for about five minutes. A half hour later, Avonie and I were still backed into a corner listening to the droning of his voice. I told Avonie, “Never again.”

After the museum, we wanted to tour the infamous Dublin Castle. However, the entire property was closed off and guarded by the Garda (Ireland’s National Guard) due to the Irish Presidency of the Council of the EU (European Union). Apparently, there were quite a few very high level officials using the venue for this “meeting.” It was rather uneventful… until Avonie and I had a run-in with the Irish National Guard!! While searching for the elusive castle gift shop, we accidently stumbled up the steps towards a fancy business building that was apparently “off limits.” We came to this conclusion as a firm “NO!” rang across the cobblestone courtyard and we halted feet away from the door. We slunk over to where the two guards stood, arms crossed menacingly. Avonie apologized with a sheepish grin on her face. The stone cold eyes stared back at her, unflinching. “The sniper was just about to shoot, but I caught you in time.” Finally, I could see the glimmer in his eyes. We had a laugh about it and went off to (successfully!) find the gift shop.

We finished the day with an early dinner of famous fish ‘n chips from Leo Burdocks.  There is a list of celebrities who visit often, and rumor is that a Roll’s Royce stopped in front of the shop is no uncommon occurrence. There are no tables or chairs inside the stop-and-go shop, so we ate out of a brown paper bag as we wandered the streets.