I've been in Dublin for a few days now and apart from the distillery tours I think I have seen all there is to see. On Friday Jen and I arrived at the airport knowing that we needed the correct change for the bus (thanks to Bronwyn) but the change machine wasn't really right outside the front entrance as the strange tourist info clerk thought it was (strange because he seemed quite happy to beckon forth the people from the back of the queue rather than the front). At the change machine a not so useful bus official told us that we didn't need the correct change, so when we got on board the bus driver thought we were crazy and insisted that no driver ever gives change 'just like in England', which is completely wrong because all bus drivers in England do give change. So we got off, got some smaller coins and got on the next Number 41, whereupon the new driver happily accepted notes from the next couple to get on board and gave them change. Argh!

   Apart from that it's been a lovely time here. It has rained a bit but mostly it is just cold. The hostel is pretty much deserted and the castle, the cathedrals and Trinity College have not been swamped by tourists. The busiest place has been Henry Street, the main shopping area, which we need to traverse every time we go food shopping.

   On Friday night we had a drink in The Temple Bar (the pub), named after The Temple Bar (the district) which is Dublins cultural heart. It certainly was a nice pub and had a semi outdoors area too. On Saturday we tried out The Left Bank pub and then Fitzgerald's, the latter of which promised live music. We didn't know until he started that it wasn't traditional Irish stuff but Robbie Williams and U2.

   Today we did a lot of walking, along the Grafton Street shops and through St Steven's Park. We had a lot of time to waste before the museums opened in the afternoon. I wasn't expecting much from them since they were free but was pleasantly surprised. The National Museum had a great display of really old gold trinkets and stuff, some dating back to 1500 BC with amazingly detailed craftsmanship. The National Gallery contained a Caravaggio as featured in Ordinary Decent Criminal, that I had expected to see in Museo del Prado. Tomorrow we pick up the car and head to Galway.