We saw a good deal of Dublin last week - we concentrated on the city center around Trinity College where we saw the Book of Kells and the Long Room. We saw some of the old churches, including St. Ann's, St. Theresa's, and St. Mary's Pro-Cathedral, where we went to Mass. Ate lunch at a pub but also found some familiar chains from home. Tossed a frisbee at St. Stephen's Green during a glorious sunny lunch hour.
We went to the Dublin Horse Show at RDS and saw some amazing show jumping and a highly-entertaining hunt race. The first was a very serious international competition, with riders from across Europe, the U.S., and Egypt. Everyone was reserved, gasping when a horse knocked down a rail from a fence and applauding when one cleared all of the fences with no penalties. The last was a more relaxed team competition, almost like a relay race, with teams from different parts of Ireland, and the fans were whooping and hollering like a college basketball game. The RDS is a unique agricultural organization that sponsors a variety of events related to agriculture, arts, industry, and science. Hint: if you ever visit the Dublin Horse Show, the nicest bathrooms are near the RDS library.
We also made it out to Kildare to visit the Irish National Stud, a horse farm where we saw various stallions, mares, and foals enjoying the nice weather in their paddocks. The horses there are mostly bred for flat racing (around a flat track), not show jumping. We also visited St. Brigid's Cathedral and climbed the round tower for an excellent view of County Kildare.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment