Hello All!
I have been away for a good long while. When I get too busy or just don't blog like I should, I usually blame it on falling down the rabbit hole. Well, this time it was more than that. We went on vacation! A real one, with getting on a plane and going somewhere. We went to Ireland and Portugal. But since I have so many photos, I am going to post in installments. It has been a while now since we went on this wonderful trip and even though when thinking about it, it seems so far away, when I look at the photos it's like being there again.
Our first stop was Dublin, where we met up with Asbjorn's brother Thor Bernt and his wife Inger. Dublin was a beautiful and interesting city. Trinity College is there. And the Book of Kells, which we saw. It is a calligrapher's dream.
But I get sidetracked. Dublin. There is a shopping area with a great pedestrian street.

It always fascinates me to see architecture so different than what we might see here. I like the idea of writing on a building, a poem of sorts.

There are pubs, many of them.

Some have the traditional Irish language. You can also see the Irish language on the road signs. It is imcomprehensible to me. The pronunciation is not at all like you would think.

But in all the pubs, you can get a meal that will surely stick to your ribs. Warm, heavy and comforting. Warm is the key word. Summer is Ireland is like winter here in Los Angeles. So a stick to your ribs meal was a mighty fine thing.

So we wander along and I am busy with the camera, trying to record everything that is different from where I live. There is a lot.

Petunias seem to be a particular flower that does very well here.

But there are flower vendors that sell a variety of beautiful blooms.

All that walking around can make a person in dire need of coffee and chocolate.

There are street musicians lined up along the pedestrian walkway. I really enjoyed this band. Traditional Irish music.

Inger takes me inside a shopping mall so I can hurry and take a photo of the inside. The glass ceiling is a view onto the constantly changing skies.

In Ireland, the sun will shine, the clouds will move in, dark stormy and almost looking like smoke. It will rain. It will clear up and start the cycle over again.

I liked the looks of this tea shop and took a photo of Thor Bernt sitting in front.

I not only like the looks of this shop but also the name.

What a wonderful time in Dublin. A really beautiful and nice city to visit.
The next installment will be Waterford, Ireland, where we stayed and visited with more of Asbjorn's family.