bicycle thief

Dublin seems to be a pretty relaxed place but they are quite strict about some things.


Before:

(the sign says 'Bicycles will be removed')








After:
















I visited the Book of Kells and the Long Room in the morning. I wrote a bit about it at the Café here. Then I wandered about Grafton Street and lots of other streets -- I got a bit lost and am not exactly sure where I was all of the time. For those of us who live on a grid, figuring out how things connect up in the twists and turns of these old cities can be quite a challenge. My time in the Long Room made me crave the company of books so I pipped into several bookstores along the way. I had a picnic lunch on Stephen's Green and then spent my last hour or so in Dublin by the river and in a couple more book stores.

dublin

Today I travelled to Dublin. Ireland is the centre of attention in the news right now because of their rejection of the Lisbon Treaty to amend the European Union constitution. 27 countries have to ratify the treaty for it to pass. Ireland's constitution has a provision that any major proposed changes to the EU constitution have to be put to the people for a approval via a referendum. The people said no. Oooops.












There was some the-sky-is-falling-rhetoric but the Europeans are as used to constitutional crises as we are here in Canada and most took a more measured stance. Constitutional crises can be fun for news junkies but mostly they are not really a crisis but just a little snafu that people of good will learn to work through or to live with.

I stayed at Trinity College
















in a very well appointed room.













I was a bit late arriving -- the plane was late leaving London ostensibly because George Bush was also travelling in the region. I am not sure what that had to do with my Aer Lingus flight leaving from the Aer Lingus tin can at Heathrow but I am used to people making silly excuses so let it pass. After I checked in, I spent the evening wandering about O'Connell Street, Henry Street, Temple Bar and Fleet Street. I saw some evidence of the Play Nice Campaign as the Garda tried somewhat ineffectually to roust a few people from their perches on the pavement but apart from that Temple Bar lives up to it's reputation. No pics because the light was low.

islington wander

We spent the day in Islington wandering about. I did not take any photos. Why? I forgot my camera. But it looks something like this:

Then we had dinner at Fifty Six on Newington Green. Dinner was very pleasant and the restaurant very comfortable. Just as we ordered coffee the Turkey versus Czech Republic UEFA cup game ended. Turkey had won and the streets filled with honking cars. It got too noisy to stay out so we went home to continue our chat.

train luck

After lunch I left Belmont Close to head back to London. When I got to the train station there was a sign that read very simply 'No Trains'. Wha?!?!











I had to take a bus to Sevenoaks. It was kind of great to go bashing through the winding country roads on this great big double decker picking up all the train passengers between Maidstone and Sevenoaks. I called LondonBuddy to tell of the change in arrival time and he said to try to get a train to London Bridge rather than Victoria as that would be easier. When I got to Sevenoaks station there was one train waiting there and the only place it was going was London Bridge! We met up effortlessly and he treated me to a fantastic dinner and debate at La Petite Auberge in Islington.

home for lunch

Who says
Friday the 13th
is unlucky?

visiting fred