grand holiday

first time since i was 10 years old 
to travel without a camera. 
traveling light this time, 
armed only with a cell phone.

sfo to dublin

our hotel at merrion street (view from the bus)
jet lag? what jet lag? sleep is for old people. :)
dublin city and the river liffey


p.j., chemist, at the james joyce pharmacy. p.j. sang us a ballad and asked us to join him for a pint at kennedy's.
i thought he was delightful.
national gallery cafe and visit




parliament


notorious doors of dublin and the protected georgian blocks






centennial of the 1916 uprising
dublin castle yard

the chapel at the castle



bumping into our neighbor who literally lives five houses away








ancestor?


jameson tour and customized gift for gary
river liffey as we cross the bridge


bye bye dublin

hello kilkenny


our holiday house and car.

integrated appliances
first pub stop: kyteler's. old when christopher columbus 
embarked for the new world.
scott and jennifer as guests on the local radio station kclr,
 promoting international torch run for special olympics
kilkenny castle




butler house & garden




castle stables turned in to artists shops
kilkenny design centre


the gallery at kilkenny castle











some of our favorite food at left bank


cafe upstairs i want to go to next time




st. canice's cathedral and round tower 
(1 of only 2 still climbable)
so we did. 
 view from the top

wonky phone lenses but here's the exterior and interior







the true focus of our trip:
parade time

my view from the back, holding the second torch


huddle
photo opps nonstop
lots of new friends

message from home during the festivities
presentation for special guests in the castle tower
presenting plaque to mayor of kilkenny

gary with athletes 
some of kilkenny's special olympics athletes
two hours of this. there was no blending in.
the locals were incredibly welcoming and curious about the foreigner
family in back the owners of our holiday rental.
they were kind and gracious. on friday, 
the family brought us two homemade apple pies,
still hot from the oven

notice the garda to left. this boy has lost his mum. 
the officer was helping him call her.


a few more parade shots.
below, passing the international torch 
between northern ireland and the u.s.



tour of the garda station and presenting the 
chief superintendent with a plaque.
one more - for gary, who deserves a holiday for 
all the details he coordinated for this
shenanigans. 
wondering how long it took them to find all our magnets? 
tower tour at the viking triangle, waterford (where the crystal comes from)

smithwicks brewery tour
(better than guinness if you ask me)
dylan, matthew, sarah, james, plus mandy and dave, n.i.
scott, patricia and i


this guy
last night in kilkenny




police association sponsors a meet and greet/finger food event 
at the local pub by our holiday house
sophie, gary's daughter. not shown: johanna, gary's wife


subdued, quiet ride on the minibus back to the dublin airport



gary has early ideas about 2018. if so, we'll be back. :)










2 comments:

  1. This is a brilliant blog. Never seen one before and I love it. 😁🍀👍

    ReplyDelete
  2. Beautiful photos. It looks like a wonderful family experience!

    ReplyDelete