Farewell, Ireland

As today was our last day we sort of took it easy. Tomorrow is our hardest travel day. We will take a car from our hotel here to the docks where we catch a ferry to England. Once there we take a train from Holyhead to Crewe and change trains at Crewe. That second train will take us to Stratford-upon-Avon. Thursday the Sasha festival registration is in the afternoon but we should have the morning free. But back to today…

Our hotel is on the Grand Canal. It links the Liffe River here in Dublin to the Shannon River at Shannon Harbour. Construction started in 1756 and the canal was completed in 1779, It carried both freight and passengers. The last working cargo barges ceased operating in 1960. It is still maintained for recreational traffic.

Portland prides itself on being bicycle friendly but Dublin may be one up on them. How many 2 way bike paths do you see in Portland?

Today Carol and I had soup and sandwich at a pub just down the block from our hotel

I ordered the ham salad sandwich and got a big surprise. The sandwich had two slices of bread and two slices of ham and in between lettuce leaves, tomato slices and onion. An absolutely perfect ham salad sandwich but not at all what I had expected.

This afternoon we took the bus across town to O’Connell street. Like many Irish citys Dublin’s main street is named for Daniel O’Connell who did much to further the cause of religious freedom and Irish independence while serving in Parliament in the early 1800s. This last photo is of the Millennium Spire, one of many monuments and memorials along the pedestrian walk on that street.

Tom'

As we will be mostly traveling tomorrow I may not get an update up.