We drove to Chicago to catch the plane. Snapped a couple shots of the Sear's Tower because, hey, it's Chicago.
This is the Bed and Breakfast where we stayed. The proprietor was very nice and extremely helpful; she cooked a mean breakfast that included beans.
This little canal was just a couple block up the street from us.
Everyone has very tiny yards, occasionally completely paved.
This building sits in the middle of King's Inn Park. I'm not sure what it's function is.
The tree has swallowed a bench.
The river Liffey, which divides Dublin into north and south.
Inside the visitor's center.
The Temple Bar area is quite famous. This is the epicenter of all happenin' things in the Dublin night scene.
Columns at the National Bank.
We found a very cool Irish whiskey shop. The guy that helped us was maybe 19, but absolutely knew his stuff. He gave us a couple of tastes, and recommended a few bottles that we couldn't get in the states.
The Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin.
On the train to Northern Ireland.
You'd think we were still in Indiana.
Our tour guide for the rail and bus trip.
Shots of Belfast in Northern Ireland. This is where the train ended and the bus began.
Samson and Goliath are two huge cranes in Belfast. They're situated in the shipyard of Harland & Wolff, builders of the RMS Titanic. Together, they can lift over 1,600 tons.
This castle in Belfast is booked for weddings three years in advance.
There's Scotland back there.
We stopped the bus to stretch our legs at this little coastal town.
These are all at Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland.
We got to spend a couple of hours walking around here, but all day would have been more appropriate.
The trail runs along the cliff top all the way past that spire in the distance. We didn't have enough time to walk down there.
There are no rails at the tops of the cliffs. It's not uncommon for a visitor to get blown off the edge in high winds.
These basalt deposits are what makes the Giant's Causeway special. It was declared a World Heritage Site in 1986, and is made of 40,000 basalt columns.
"The dramatic sight has inspired legends of giants striding over the sea to Scotland."
This is the first thing we see upon exiting the plane in Ireland. This man appears to have had a drink or two, and is begging the police to let him go on his merry way. "But I'm just on holiday," he repeats.
Our tiny, tiny bathroom.
With its tiny, tiny electric shower. I'm not sure why the shower is electric; there's plenty of water pressure in the sink.
Our room at the B&B.
We were at the very top of the stairs, about three flights up. Even the TV is extra small.
I volunteered for the whiskey tasting at the Bushmill's distillery. (Who wouldn't?) We compared three Bushmill's varieties, one scotch, and one bourbon. Of course they chose some of the worst bourbon and scotch to put it up against, but good none the less.
The most photographed ruined castle in Ireland.
Checking the GPS. Yep, we're still in Ireland. (Actually, it was to geotag a few of these photos.)
Ah, now I feel like we're in Ireland.
Where the men are men and the sheep are scared.
Heading back to Dublin. We happened to be there during the huge rugby match against Great Britain. 80,000 rushed out of the stadium as we were pulling into the train station. The sidewalks were packed like rush hour cars.
Lots of cobblestone downtown.
These guys were having a friendly rugby conversation at the Temple Bar.
Inside the Temple Bar.
Finnegan's Wake was the act that night.
Middle aged Irish men are not afraid to get up and dance.
This was not the first time we'd seen bald men dancing. Another decided to get up in the middle of dinner and shake his stuff with the belly dancer at the Italian restaurant.
We found a nice little Indian restaurant just like the Shanti. This one was named Shaun.
A night shot of the building at King's Inn Park. Four second exposure.
The waterfall exhibit in the Guiness factory.
I'm just hanging out waiting for my free beer.
Original Guiness artwork.
The Gravity Bar is at the very top of the Guiness Storehouse, and you have a 360 degree view of the city.
A little vegetarian restaurant that we found. They had some of the tastiest food we ate.
Inside the Jameson's distillery. They didn't have a tour, as I think they were renovating.
A lovely little cheese shop that we searched for all day. We got there about 10 minutes before they closed, and were treated to half a dozen samples. We bought three cheese, two of which turned out to be really good. The other, well, I thought I had licked a sheep.
The very essence of dichotomy.
Lush. The displays remind me of a candy shop. I just want to buy buy buy.
This place really involves all your senses. Bright colors, wonderful smells, and they encourage you to handle everything. I smelled like an expensive whore when I got out of there.
Our plane back to the states.
