August 5th - Book of Kells and Guinness Factory, oh and TK Maxx!

This morning we decided to do some window shopping before our tours. I was on the search for a Christmas ornament. We walked down Grafton Street checking out the shops and looking for something original, which was never found :(. At the end of Grafton Street is a mall that we popped into and found a TK Maxx. Yes, that is right TJ's little brother TK. I was happy to find a Buffalo shirt and a Bills Hat. It was flat brimmed so it wasn't for me. But I did find a super cute pair of sneakers that I bought!


Then we headed to the Book Of Kells tour. We have been staring at the signs from our windows since we got here and finally decided to see it. The book was "written" in the 600s. It is a copy of the four gospels completed by monks in Scotland and moved to Kells. When the Vikings came they took the book for the gold that was on the cover and left the book. It was then "buried" under sod and taken out a few months later without its cover. The draw to the book is how intricate it is and how it has lasted so well for so long. The colors are still extremely vibrant and the drawing are so intricate it is amazing.


Then we ended up in the Old Library's Long Room. It has been a working library since 1732 and is still used to this day. Right now they are working hard to try and preserve the books that are in the library and figure how to display them without them decaying due to increasing air pollution. Over 200,000 books have been removed, cleaned and are being stored in climate controlled areas. They are hoping to redevelop the whole area and integrate the library with the Book of Kells experience. Also kept in the library, is an original copy of the declaration that was read at the start of the Easter Revolution and Ireland's oldest harp.  


Our afternoon was a complete 180 from the Book of Kells, a tour of the Guinness Factory. Though they no longer make Guiness at the sight, they still so some of the work there. The tour is a super cool walk through what they use, how they make it, the advertising they use and, of course, a tasting. We started our tour with lunch at one of the bars and then did the tour, ending with a drink at the Gravity Bar. It had great views of all of Dublin and we were lucky enough to get a table.  


On our walk home we stopped at Vice Coffee, one of the stops on our food tour. Kate really wanted the brownie and we kept missing them due to our tours. Then Kate bought a new pair of tennis shoes and we headed back to pack and have one last night of watching Modern Family.  

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