Day 15: Friday (6/21/2013)

Our major activity for today was the National Museum of Archeology.  We got there around 10:30am.  We left four hours later.  This is an AMAZING museum and a must-see for anyone at all interested in Irish history, from prehistoric to late Medieval.  It has an excellent collection of artifacts--especially mid and late-bronze age (Irish bronze age, about 500 years later than the middle east) gold work.  There was also a great selection of Viking exhibits, and--strangely--some very nice Roman, Egyptian, and Cypriot artifacts.  All in all, a stupendous place to spend a rainy Irish day in Dublin.

We'd planned to do all the National museums today, but after 4 hours of history we were a bit tuckered out.  So, we indulged Mary in one of her favorite things to do--have high tea.  A short walk later we landed in the lobby of the Westbury Hotel, a luxury hotel right next to Grafton St.  High tea was had, and demolished--delicious.

Hahaha!

From there, we dedicated the rest of the afternoon to shopping for souvenirs and gifts, something we'd avoided completely throughout our trip (no need to carry extra stuff around).  We started on Grafton street, but ended up enjoying the small streets and alleys off the main drag far more.

It was here, on Dawson St, that we visited the Celtic Whiskey Shop.  God, what a great place.  Spirits from all over the world (not just Europe)--and tastings to boot.  We got to experience some very expensive (>$150) whiskeys, comparing two Irish, a Japanese, and scotch.  The differences were pronounced.  This was EXACTLY what I was looking for, since I'm a casual drinker who is relatively new to whiskey/scotch.  If it wasn't for customs expenses, we both would have shown our appreciation by taking some home.  Ah well.

The other shop of note was a small tea shop we found off Grafton with a wide variety of teas from all over the world.  Here we partook heavily, getting some for ourselves, and gifts for others.

From there we continued to wander throughout the small galleries and shopping areas, until closing time (6pm on Fridays).  We dropped our bags at our room, and went for dinner.

Dinner was at a hip local burrito joint called Boojum.  Fast, simple, healthy--it was a killer place, as the line out the door attested.  Worth it.  There's not much here to write a review on--we both had chicken salads.

Relax, and sleep--tomorrow will be our last day in Ireland.  For now.