Day 8, August 5

Felt marginally enough better today to attempt getting out. The tour guide from yesterday told Beau he had another tour today that I could get on enough to see the Trinity Library and Book of Kells, so we were off at 10 am to do that. I had a decadent glass of OJ in the hotel bar waiting for him to come down. He left Jack sleeping and off we went. He dropped me off with Nial, the guide, and went shopping. I am so incredibly glad I got to see this set of Gospels that were hand lettered and illustrated by boys 13-16 years old. That was a requirement because their eyesight had to be pristine to get the amount of detail from the inked letters (using gemstone ink). You only saw one page, this one today was from John 6:28-42. Every month or so, the librarians turn to another page. 

This was wonderful, but the library upstairs blew me away. They are restoring the books but they left a few shelves filled so we could see what it would be like. Mercy. Mercy. I could live in this place. The wood is beautiful, and there is an art piece called Gaia, which from NASA is a suspended globe of the earth that rotates high up in the ceiling area. I’ve seen a lot of beautiful things, but this one made my librarian heart go pitter-pat. 

Beau picked me up and we went to a yarn shop I found. I’m working on a CAL making a scarf, and the 2nd week is before I get home, so of course I needed some yarn! and I found some! This shop was in a cute little mall in a very old building. Can’t say I’ve seen anything in America like it. Then we ate at the Staghead Bar, and went back to the hotel for some R&R.

I had booked a 45 minute boat ride from Howth into the Irish Sea to see some of the coastline, so we took a cab nearly an hour to get there. And the boat tour was cancelled. That’s what I get for not looking at my email all day long. I’m still glad we went though, because the Irish Sea and Dublin Bay were beautiful, we saw Seals sticking up their heads, and a lighthouse. And a Rainbow!! Then we ate at Crabby Jo’s and cabbed back. Early call in the morning. 6 am in the lobby meet for a big day.