August 1st - A Day in Dublin or the Day of Amy

We started the day with a walk to St. Patrick's Cathedral. A beautiful church with a rich background. Pretty sure this will be out last church of the trip! We wandered around the cathedral and listened to the audio tour. I love when they are included in the admission price!  


Then we went to Dublin Castle. Again, we had the option of an audio tour and learned all about what happens in the building that is still in use today as a government building. We saw the amazing staircase and the drawing room. I learned that it is called this because people withdraw to it after dinner for quiet conversation. Then we saw the throne room and the ballroom, where galas are still held. JFK danced in this room. One room had drawings in them that were amazing. They were flat, but the artist shaded them so well, that they looked like they were carved out of marble.  


We stopped at a cafe for lunch and I had an amazing sour! Then I finally followed through on years of saying I was going to get a tattoo! We made the appointment while in Portugal and went to the same tattoo parlor where Kate's son Eddie got his tattoo. I sent them pictures of what I wanted and Shauna put them together into exactly what I wanted! It was not as bad as I expected and I am so happy with the way it turned out. Kate got a small shamrock that matches one that her daughter has.


After we stopped for a much needed pint and some baby Guinnesses to celebrate. We stopped at the Ha'Penny Bridge Pub and had a great afternoon. We talked with David and Daniel and Sean, who were the bartenders. I found the patches from the Buffalo Police and Fire Department right above me.  

Our final stop of the day was at Dalymount Park to see Bohemian FC v. Drogheda United FC. What an experience it was. We had Thai food at a bar before hand and walked over to the stadium. We sat in the Des Kelly section which had open sitting and standing areas. The away team had a small section behind the benches and there was the Jodi Section with "stadium seating" Well, before the game started there were flares set off in the stands, which was interesting. The game was pretty even, but with about 15 minutes left the visiting team scored and holy shit, their stands went crazy. More flares were set off and the chanting was incredible. Unfortunately, the home team did not score and lost the game. It was such a fun experience and being in a smaller local stadium was a cool experience. I'm hoping I can insert the video clips.  

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