Looking for Leprechauns

James Joyce, Dublin, Ireland
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Top of the morning to you all! My last day in Dublin and I'm trying to do as much as possible without too much exertion - it's rainy and cold and I think my body may just be going on strike. But, enough moaning. I won't even begin to describe my hotel except to say that they make incompetence look like an art form...

They have a lovely tram system here, called the Luas. It's wonderful, except it's always crowded, although not as bad as the Moscow metro. I am taking the double decker tour bus around the city, which is working out quite nicely, except it's so windy and cold, I can't sit up top..Perhaps later.

my favorite curmudgeon, Oscar Wilde

I did the circuit on the bus and then went to university, Trinity College to be exact, alma mater to my favorite curmudgeon, Oscar Wilde. Trinity College is also home to the Book of Kells, copies of the Gospels from the 800s. Wonderful examples of illuminated manuscripts if you can get past the tourists to look at it. It's a great exhibit with information on how books of this sort were created.

I headed to the National Gallery of Ireland for one purpose only and that was to see 'The Taking of Christ' by Caravaggio. The painting was actually residing in a Jesuit residence attributed to another painter mistakenly. I was reading a book about the discovery of the painting, and it was good, I thought it was a mystery story. Truth is stranger than fiction! It's quite a wonderful painting.

I have no idea what the rest of the day holds, except visit to the one constant on this journey, a visit to the Hard Rock Cafe. My soaps are on tonight, so I may stay in at the Hotel D'Uh for the evening. Who knows? The Guinness brewery is nearby, but I have no desire to do that. A drunken Englishman offered me a tast of his Guinness once, and that was plenty.

I have uploaded some more pictures from Paris, and London. Something happened and most of my London pictures didn't get on this disk. It may be a while now.

I am going to try and pull some multi-media show together for anyone interested. For better or worse, you know where to find me.

Slainte

tracy