The Emerald Isle

Our first few days in Ireland have treated us far better than our last few in New York. We landed Saturday morning to sunshine, green trees, and hordes of drunken rugby fans in town for the very important Heineken Cup Semi-Final. We've been struck by the chilly damp air and the streets that actually smell like Guinness, but have really enjoyed learning about Ireland's political history.

Our activities haven't strayed too far from the Tourist path, but everything has been excellent from the Book of Kells at Trinity College

to the Kilmainham Gaol (an old jail that closed in 1924 with a fascinating history)

to the Guinness Storehouse (a really fun tour in a very well-designed building, although I found the making of beer to be less exciting than the Guinness people obviously do!).

We've really enjoyed the pubs, where we saw Leinster defeat Muenster in the aforementioned rugby match and I've discovered pear cider, which will now replace champagne at all my future parties if I can find it in the US.

Including a run through St. Stephen's Green and a walk through Christ Church Cathedral,

our stay has been really comfortable, and we feel pretty well oriented in the streets of Dublin.

So we're going to test our mettle in the streets of Greater Ireland and rent a car to the West Coast tomorrow - driving on the left - fingers crossed!