Europe 2007: Day 5 (Dublin)

Mike had a full Irish breakfast (toast, bacon, three kinds of sausage, eggs and beans) downstairs but I skipped it, trying to get my stomach under control again for the day. We took the Dart back to Pearse Station and walked to Trinity College to view the Book of Kells. The Book is an illuminated (high detailed/decorated) copy of the four gospels and it was absolutely stunning to see how vibrant the colors remain over so many years. Somehow we missed the Brian Boru Harp at the college but by the time we realized it, it was too late.

We walked down Grafton Street which is a major shopping destination, stopping at a Starbucks along the way and also passing by St. Stephen's Green. Starbucks is the only US chain we allow ourselves to stop at when we travel to Europe.

Next, we took the Dart back to Grand Canal Docks station to meet with Simon and Emily at the Google IE office. Long story but Mike was put in touch with them through a cold contact he found in the Duke alumni database. They showed us around the facilities - we ate lunch in the cafeteria before touring the office areas which include an onsite gym, game rooms, break areas with free snacks, open desks and a very laidback atmosphere. Emily and Simon had only been in Dublin for about two weeks after spending six months setting up teams in India.

After lunch, we took the Dart back to Pearse and walked to Christ Church Cathedral. We visited the Dublinia exhibition first which was all about the Vikings in the ara. Once we finished in the Cathedral and its crypt, we walked a few blocks to St. Patrick's Cathedral. We only had a short time to view it because we wanted to go to the park outside to view the well where St. Patrick converted people to Christianity.

We ended another full day with a recommendation from our hotel for dinner. Ouzo's Bistro was only a couple of blocks away and it was delicious. We started with mussels, which neither of us had eaten before. Mike really liked them. I liked the taste but the texture was kind of icky. I had sirloin steak with fries and onion strings while Mike ate herb-crusted cod. We split a tiramisu for dessert and then headed back to the hotel for some jacuzzi time before bed.

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