day 11: back to Dublin for a walk around

location: Tralee to Dublin
transportation: train from Tralee to Heuston Station via Mallow
distance on foot: 7.94 miles
distance by rail: approximately 200 miles
entertainment: Kindle books and whatever the free WiFi afforded us on the train; people watching in St. Stephen's Green; live music at a pub after dinner
sights: Book of Kells at Trinity College, St. Stephen's Green
lodging: Townhouse Hotel
dining: tasty Italian joint in Talbot Street for lunch; tolerable but underwhelming traditional pub food at a hotel in Gardiner Street for dinner

route: up early to catch a train to Dublin and make the most of our one full day in the big city. lost a contact down the drain in the B&B but clouds made sunglasses unnecessary for the first time on the trip. after sitting for 200 miles, we opted to walk from the train station to our hotel in Gardiner Street Lower a few blocks up from the Liffey and the Customs House. arriving so early in the day, our room wasn't prepped yet so we went in search of a hearty lunch. took some getting used to Dublin prices and Dublin options. ended up with a pleasant Italian place around the corner.

reinvigorated, we headed off for Trinity College and the Book of Kells, something I'd eschewed on my previous visit to Dublin to my eventual chagrin. we managed to take a left when right would have proved more useful and walked the perimeter of the campus before finding an entry pointing towards the library and exhibit. the presentation on the lower level was fascinating - about the manuscript, possible authors, history surrounding the book and monasteries: everything you could think to ask about the Book. however, there wasn't much in the way of climate control and with the unseasonable weather, sizable number of bodies exploring the exhibit, and heat-radiating incandescent lights, I wasn't inclined to linger. (especially when it turned out the room housing the Book was climate controlled.) if you're ever in Dublin, I recommend taking the time to visit.

from Trinity we wound our way up Grafton Street to St. Stephen's Green, where we rested a spell while rehydrating, watching all manner of pedestrians, and (in Andy's case) catching up on the Cromwellian plantation period of Irish history. recovered sufficiently, we walked back to the hotel to find ourselves booked into what must have once been a linen/storage closet or servants quarters, situated in the stairwell between two floors. turned out fine enough in the end. the likelihood we'll lodge in Dublin again, much less that place, is slim.

found a passable dinner at a touristy hotel up the road - one that advertised live music starting at a certain time and was staffed mostly with immigrants (another thing to adjust to in Dublin, compared to all the family-run places we'd eaten and slept on our hike). the food was tolerable but service slow and we decided to give up on trying to get another pint while waiting for the promise of music. and in the end, we found ourselves at a different hole-in-the-wall place around the corner, taking a seat right next to where the musician set up a few minutes after our arrival. it was exactly the craic you'd hope for on your penultimate night in Ireland after more than a week tramping around the hills of a far corner of one of the peninsulas. absolutely smashing (and right up there with the time a couple of us went out to an unmarked pub in Drogheda and the old ones got round to singing unaccompanied later in the night. stuff to give you chills.)