Greetings from ireland!

Library, Trinity College
A page from the Book of Kells
Park Plaza Hotel, Tyrrellstown
Le Cafe en Seine
St Stephen's Green
We made it! I wasn't sure if i would have much internet access here, but viola! Tuesday the group/shuttle picked me up and we headed to the airport. We had SEVERAL delays, one being weather on the east coast, another being our plan had a mechanical error, and another being we used so much fuel we had to get more...so we barely made our connection to Dublin. Again, running through airports...it happens a lot. We made our 6 hour flight, but our luggage didn't. We got into the Dublin airport and heard our names over the loudspeaker, which we thought meant our tour service was there. Oh well. I just had to wash my clothes in the sink and borrow a shirt from a prof in the group. But yeah! I am back on the beautiful island! Yesterday we took a tour of the inner city Dublin Centre and spent the afternoon lunching and shopping. We found a great 1920s French bistro where we had lunch called Cafe En Seine, per the recommendation of the French prof we are travelling with. I had my first Bulmer's there (yum : )We spent some time walking around St. Stephen's Green, and I was struck at how fast people move around here. Put your shoulders back and don't get pushed around. Our guide told us Dublin is the 7th most expensive city in world and the 4th most in Europe. Our hotel, the Park Plaza in Tyrrellstown, is outside of the immediate city, but it's very nice, equipped the a US outlet, fancy, 1950s retro rooms, and free internet in the business centre. Emailing has been easier than using the phone, which is much more difficult than I remember. It was about 5 euro ($7.50) to call Corey for about 5 min, so I'll keep those to a minimum. Last night we had dinner at a very nice Asain fusion restaurant that is actually part of the hotel. The fishcakes, shiraz and white chocolate mousse was a great end to a long few days. Today we had a wonderful traditional Irish breakfast and our hotel is equipped with a instant gourmet coffee maker, which is ready to make excellent foam and any drink you would like. We went to Dublinia, a Viking history center, then we went to Trinity College and the phenomenal Book of Kells. I connected with Jane, and she is picking me up at the hotel tomorrow. Tonight is going to consist of a hot bath and a good book. I am not certain how often I will get to email, but hopefully my posts will be consistent! Slainte!