From the Emerald City to The Emerald Isle: The LAST of the Seattle Family in Dublin

Nearly a month has passed since my last post (when I was still wading my way through the Seattle-family visit). It was a very full two weeks and I wanted to share all the photos but our trip to the Netherlands started on July 6th and now I have two weeks of ANOTHER amazing family vacation to share. We have had a love-filled-family-summer which is really what we needed after a long year without seeing anyone from either of our immediate families. I think we can stand it for pretty long periods (just in grit and denial) but for Norah, it's really important that she sees and spends time with her Papa, and Wayne's parents - Nana & Pake. Not to mention her cousins Marko & Simon and two Aunties, Sarah & Mimi. Sadly it has been about 2 years since Norah has seen her Auntie Kelly, or Uncle Nick and has never met her newest cousin, baby Gloria (now over 1). We're not complaining, not in the least, but all this to say, we're so thankful we had all this family time this summer and really needed it to sustain us until we're done here in Dublin.

Taking a walk out to Sandycove and the James Joyce Tower/Museum (from the book Ulysses). 1 mile from our place but a fair trek with 8 people. Thankfully there were some exercise machines along the way so, naturally, the children and my 70-year old dad stopped for a few sets.

Exercise machines out in Sandycove

The kids & Mimi down on Sandycove beach

In the James Joyce museum - this is one of Joyce's trunks. Riveting, I know.

And one of his wallets. Ah, the excitement builds (not). No, in all fairness, this museum is really great, all free, and completely run by volunteers who are all James Joyce scholars and truly love sharing any history about the man and his life. It's a lovely museum and I'd definitely go back. I'm not sure why this was our first time in (after 2 1/2 years of living only 1 mile away). Honestly, I run past it at least once per week so it's a little silly I've never popped in.

This was amazing though - this Martello Tower is the only in Dublin which is open to the public so we were able to walk upstairs to the room where Joyce once was.

This was the room where Joyce met with his editor and another man (his name escapes me) and they drank for a couple days on end. Well, one of those evenings, the unnamed man started flashing his gun around (probably gone a bit mad after 3-day bender) and then thought he saw a black jaguar in the fireplace (what the hell?!). So he started shooting (in this very tiny room) and shot one bullet over James Joyce head. Well, that was enough for Joyce and it is said he left the very next day on a ferry to England and never, ever returned to his home country. He died in Zurich, Switzerland in January 1941.

(the figment of a jaguar, see above)

Coming back down - I was more than a little worried about my Dad coming back down but he had no problem.

The National Museum of Archaeology in Dublin. Always free, and always worth a visit (no matter how many times we've been).

And just across the way, the National Library - one of the most magnificent buildings in Dublin.

Ruh Rohhh, we lost him again. We do 2 museums and pop in for a coffee (Guinness for him) and he's out. Out for the count.

So, we let Dad nap for a bit on a bench (happy as a clam), Mimi went back into the museum for awhile and Wayne and I took the kids over to the Stephen's Green playground. Here's me & Simon having a little snack time together. This hour with just Wayne and I and the 3 kids, (letting Mimi have a MUCH deserved hour of solitude in a museum) was one of my favorite things we did on this trip. The kids had a ball and Mimi got a little break - win-win.

Another stop in the Ulysses book is the Sweney's chemist, (which happened to be on our way back to the train station). So, in we went for a few minutes and spoke to another amazing James Joyce scholar (oddly enough, the same woman who Suzy and I met when I brought her in here). This is another literary heritage site in Dublin, all run by volunteers and donations. They've kept it (the apothecary) exactly as it was in the early 1800s and it's an amazing place to see.