Dublin Arrival Day I

Business class to Dublin, thank you British Avios and Chase bank.  A $3000 ticket cost me $68 and 40,000 Avios Points.  The seat wonderfully comfortable as it extended like a bed.  The food a lobster, salmon tart was delicious. I actually slept.

I got off what seemed like a brief flight and headed to the bus stop outside the terminal. The morning rain pelts me as I await the bus. The ride with early morning Dublin traffic took about an hour.  The rain was coming down hard that I could not see out the window for my stop but luckily the driver is easy to understand.  The bus arrives less than half a block from my hotel; The Harding House.  I did not want to go to the room and relax or I would have fallen asleep.  After twenty minutes, I was given the key to room 510 to see if I liked it.  The room was modern, clean, with a big bed, nice bathroom and skylight.  More than adequate for my needs. I unpacked my bags and headed out for my first stop.

Across the street from the hotel is Christchurch.  Christ Church Cathedral is located in the former heart of medieval Dublin.  The cathedral was founded probably sometime after 1028 when King Sitric Silkenbeard, the Hiberno-Norse king of Dublin made a pilgrimage to Rome. Christ Church also contains the largest cathedral crypt (63.4m long) in Britain or Ireland, constructed in 1172-1173. Having been renovated in the early 2000s, it is now open for visitors.  I paid my entrance and pick up the audio guide. The audio gave an interesting presentation about the church and its history.  I was not over wowed by the church but did find some interesting tidbits. The rat and the cat two mummified corpses that got stuck in the organ pipes only to be found hundreds of years later during a restoration.