Venice under water....

After we had returned from our drive along the coast, we were scheduled to leave the very next day for Venice.  Well, Mother Nature had other plans!  Venice was flooded!  While rain and high water levels are common this time of year we weren't feeling like swimming through San Marco Square.  Note to self...don't schedule Venice trip in the fall/winter!

So, sadly we called the airlines and the hotel and canceled our trip.  Cathy, Paul, Chad and I had been so excited to ride in a gondola and see the beautiful Venetian architecture.  Hopefully some day we will make it there...before they are permanently under water.

With Venice cancelled we had to come up with a new agenda for some extra time in Ireland.  Since Cathy and Paul hadn't seen much of Dublin yet, we started there. 

The Liffey in the background with the Jeanie Johnston

First stop, Trinity College.  Chad hadn't seen the Book of Kells yet (remember this post) so this was the perfect opportunity. 

Front gate of Trinity College

After Trinity we went the to the Queen of Tarts for lunch.  I had read about this place on Trip Adviser and had been wanting to try it ever since.  It was excellent as described.  They had sandwiches, quiches, savory tarts and soups and of course yummy desserts.  I can't believe I didn't snap a picture of our decadent desserts.

Our next stop was the nearby Dublin Castle.  Chad and I had walked by it's gates many times but never ventured in.  From the outside it doesn't look like much of a castle...and all in all it doesn't once you get inside either.  All that is left from the original castle is a round tower that was used a jail back in the day.

The castle was originally a Norman defense post of the city of Dublin.  Later it was occupied by the Viceroy of Ireland (the monarch of Ireland).  The majority of the buildings were destroyed in a fire in 1643.  The tower below is the lone survivor. 

 The complex of buildings was rebuilt and housed the parliament and other State offices for a while.  Now is serves as a tourist attraction, hosts State dinners and the location of the Presidential Inauguration every 7 years.  There was limited photography allowed : ( Sorry for the lack of exciting pictures.

Probably the neatest part of the tour (which of course I got no good pics of) was the excavation taking place below the current buildings.  They located the foundations and parts of the old 12th century buildings which they are currently exploring.  We were able to see some of the original walls and part of the stairs that would have led into the castle square from the the mote.

The next day, I wasn't feeling well but Chad, Cathy and Paul headed out to explore Christ Church Cathedral and St. Patrick's Cathedral.  Christ Church was originally built in 1028 and at one time housed both the Archbishop of the Church of Ireland and the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin. 

Christ Church Cathedral

Christ Church also contains the largest cathedral crypt.  The crypt holds the oldest known secular carvings in Ireland as well as the "Cat and the Rat".  

The cat and the rat presumably became trapped in an organ pipe in the 1850s and were mummified.  They were later found during the Church's restoration.  Makes you wonder if for a period of time people were wondering "what's that smell"  when ever the organ was played. 

St. Patrick's Cathedral was their next stop.  At this point Chad must have gotten tired of taking pictures for me because this is all I got : ) 

Since 1870, the Church of Ireland has designated St Patrick's as the National Cathedral for the whole island, drawing chapter members from each of the twelve diocese of the Church of Ireland.

 

So while it wasn't Venice we did see some new things in Dublin that we hadn't yet explored.  While I continued to not feel well, Cathy and Paul took a bus tour down to the Blarney Castle and Cork (remember this post).  They had a great time kissing the Blarney stone (well Cathy did) and exploring the grounds.  It was definitely one of Chad and my favorite places so we wanted them to see it for sure!

Loving the fall colors!!

Cathy kissing the Blarney Stone

After a few days of rest I finally started feeling better and was able to rejoin all the fun!