Ireland . . . day 2

an Irish breakfast varies a bit depending on who's serving, but it generally consists of some combination of eggs, sausage, bacon (ham to southerners), roasted tomatoes, toast, and black pudding. that's what they served in the hotels every day, with a selection of cold cereals as well. now, I know what they put in black pudding, so I skipped that. however, after a week of these hearty breakfasts and hiking all over Ireland . . . I had to go out and buy new jeans because my old ones were too loose.

St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin (there are others of that name in Ireland) was only a couple of blocks away from our hotel, so we walked over there for the second lunchtime concert on Monday. it's lovely and full of history, as most of these places were. in one part hangs the flags carried into battle over the centuries. some are so burned and blackened that the fabric and colors are no longer distinguishable, and a sort of net has been attached to hold the remaining pieces together. they hang as part of the memorials to lives given and lost over the centuries.

my favorite photo at St. Patrick's was one that I took from behind the altar. there is a space behind where the choir rehearses before the concerts and services. sort of a backstage area that is only separated by half-walls and wrought iron gates.

Melody and I stayed long enough to take some pictures of the concert, and then headed out to explore more of Dublin. we headed down to some of the shopping areas. I had to stop in the music stores, though as it turned out both shops that we passed were for sheet music and instruments, respectively. I didn't see any record stores. odd. eventually we headed back to the hotel and I did some reading and rested before getting ready for dinner that night.

Gogarty's Pub is in the heart of Dublin, and has a "beer garden" on it's first floor. we went up to the third floor restaurant for dinner. if you travel to Ireland, keep in mind that though the menu prices seem high, you're actually getting enough food for two people. if you want to try to eat it all yourself, you're welcome to, but it won't leave much room for beer. just saying . . . anyway, dinner was delicious. the cuisine is generally simple everywhere there, but the quality of the ingredients more than makes up for it. after stuffing ourselves we headed down to the second floor to hear live traditional Irish music. it was fantastic, and it's a tradition at the pub. if you're ever in Dublin, go find this place - it's well worth the trip.