Legends of the Sun Pig

Friday morning in Dublin Abi and I got up early enough to enjoy some breakfast at the hotel. (Alex and Fiona were still sound asleep.) When we managed to rouse them, we all walked to Trinity College and saw the Book of Kells exhibit and the Long Room of the Old Library. We visited Dublin with Abi’s Dad on a day trip long, long time ago (after Alex; before Fiona). I don’t remember much about it from that time, but the Long Room is the archetypal library that sticks in your head and never goes away. It’s magical.

We had lunch in a nearby pub (I think it was the Lincoln’s Inn? Their chicken wings were amazing), and then we hopped onto a tour bus. Abi stayed with us for a few blocks, but got off at St Patrick’s Cathedral. She visited some churches while Alex, Fiona, and I stayed on the bus tour. We had hoped to take a tour of Kilmainham Gaol, but places are limited. When the bus got there, there was a “sold out” sign up, so we stayed on the bus instead and enjoyed some more of the driver’s highly entertaining commentary.

None of us felt like eating much in the evening, so we just grazed. Fiona and I went out to see Terminator: Genisys in IMAX at the Cineworld. We both enjoyed it. It wasn’t nearly as bad as the reviews suggested. It’s not a classic, sure, but it had plenty of good moments.

After our time in London during, we left for Dublin on the morning of Thursday 9th July. We left our hotel in Barking early enough to absorb any delays because of the Tube strike, but it all went smoothly. We were flying out of City Airport, so it was DLR most of the way there. It was my first time at City, and it was cute, apart from the toilets, which were in a bit of a state.

We stayed at the Castle Hotel in Dublin, a classic sprawling Georgian maze of a building. Our room was much bigger and more comfortable than the Travelodge in London, and we sank into it gratefully when we arrived. We had dinner in the restaurant downstairs, and then Fiona, Abi, and I went out on a ghost tour walk starting at City Hall South of the river. (Alex was tired; he stayed in the room.) It was more of a historical walk rather than a ghost tour, but our guide did emphasise the most grisly parts of Dublin’s history and its most unsavoury characters. We had a fine time.

Still hiring!

Wednesday after MineCon we met up with Jules & Becca for a (slightly rainy) picnic in St. James’s Park. Then we wandered around the Mall a bit, passed by Buckingham Palace, and finished up the afternoon over on the South Bank.

We split up early because of the tube strike. We walked over the (other) Golden Jubilee Bridge, and caught a very busy District Line train back to Barking before the whole system shut down.

In the evening, Alex, Fiona, and I walked to the Cineworld in Ilford to see Minions, which was fun.

This looked amazing on the enormous screens in the main hall.