Antiquities & Guinness

July 1, 2014

It didn't quite feel like Canada Day, (sorry we forgot our hat & headband, Anna-Maria!) but it was a great day of discovery while fending off jet lag.

We arrived at Avalon House yesterday around noon, and after briefly settling in, ventured out to find Dublin Castle.

The view out our window:

The Chester Beatty Museum showcases the private collection of Chester Beatty, who collected ancient books and art pieces from many different religions. Though many religions were represented, we counted it an especial privilege to witness some original icons, as well as some very old manuscripts. The chapter of John where Jesus tells Mary and John to be family to each other was preserved on a piece of parchment from about year 150 AD. Also in the collection was the oldest known copy of Paul's chapter on Love, and a complete copy of St. Augustine's confessions. There was also a video display on how the paper, leather covers, and gold painting were done. Having worked for a modern book printer, it gave me real appreciation for how precious and costly making a book used to be.

From there, we walked down towards St. James Gate in search of food. Many pubs were open, showing the soccer game between Argentina and Switzerland and populated by locals, but food service was done for the day. We were referred to the next pub down the way a couple times before finding our bangers and mash and fish and chips. Andrew had his first real Guinness--it's actually tasty!

We ate, watched the game (it's funny, but watching the World Cup games has been the most constant experience in our lives these days), and found our way to the original Guinness brewery.

The tour felt a little American in it's breadth, but it was still neat to see the old and new ways of making the beer, models of ships used to transport, and ended up in the lounge looking at the city from above.

This is where James May and Oz Clark tasted Guinness on their tour 'Drink to Britain' which we've watched many times.

I even got a little beer art

Walking around the city is interesting in itself--coming across churches, restaurants, shops, and just observing the culture. It feels like an overgrown small-town sort of city, and in that way, feels familiar and welcoming.