Before the water portion of the trip we had to stop and put on lifejackets. Snookums was a little worried that he’s be seasick, but he soon realized how silly that was. Given how heavy the thing was and how slow it traveled, we barely moved at all.

So here we are puttering around the Grand Canal Basin. The tour guide told me that the wheels of the thing keep turning, even when it’s in the water and the propeller’s going. It’s so that if you hit a low spot, you can just drive right over the top of it. The army used ’em to deploy troops.

This ranks up there with the most unflattering photos I’ve ever had taken in my life. I was having fun though, so I thought I’d share.

After the boat we headed towards Trinity College to see the famous Book of Kells (again, under Joe’s orders). The weather was getting a bit nasty by this point. Here’s Snookums crossing the main quad.

The Book of Kells, in case you don’t know, is an ancient manuscript that consist of the four gospels in Latin. It’s breathtakingly illustrated and, as Joe told us, “It is history.” A point that I’m afraid was lost on the several screaming babies sharing the exhibit with us. Why can’t people NOT bring children to inappropriate places? *sigh* Anyway, here are some websites where you can see more pages from the book.

By the time we left Trinity is was pouring rain. Seriously, rain like I’ve never seen in my life. We’d planned on visiting the Jameson Distillery, but the weather killed that idea. As a last resort to keep dry, we ducked into a movie theater and saw “Moulin Rouge.” Alas, it was still pouring when we got out more than two hours later.

So we ended up here. Yes, Eddie Rocket’s. A 1950’s American-style hamburger joint staffed entirely by young Asians. It was across the street from “AbraKEBABra”, which – according to the sign – served “Magic Food.” It was a surreal experience. At any rate, here we are, damp and happy, downing chili dogs and french fries. Isn’t Snookums a sweetie?

And that’s it, folks. We headed back to the hotel to hang our wet pants on the radiator to hopefully dry by morning. Then I called Joe as promised – Please God! – to come pick us up the next morning. Thus at 5:30 a.m. we found ourselves whizzing through Dublin on the way to the airport and London. A good trip, but a wet and tiring one as well.

The End

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