Day 2: Dublin in 11 hours

Dublin might be busier and more of a metropolis than Helsinki, but the buses sure take longer to arrive than at home. We waited well over half an hour today for the service to downtown, where the first thing we did was head straight for the Chester Beatty Library, a fascinating museum containing the collection of a millionare who travelled the world collecting rare manuscripts and works of art. Examining the wonderful medieval books from Christian, Islamic and Buddhist cultures, it wasn't hard to see what makes books so special.

We boycotted the Christ Church Cathedral because it cost 2,50€ to enter, but didn't blink twice at the 20€ bill at trendy "Tante Zoe's" where we had lunch. The jambalaya there sure beats the heck out of its Deutsche Schule counterpart. The afternoon was spent watching an Australian movie we didn't understand at the Irish Film Institute, and after that it was time for the obligatory pub-hopping.

From touristy Temple Bar, we proceeded to a very classy-looking drinking place called Cafe en Seine. After that, a spot of salsa at SamSara. Before that, my fake Kipling rucksack, bought at the fake shoppers' paradise in Zhuhai, China three months ago, went apart at the zippers, so I just managed to rush into a department store before it closed to get a new rucksack. The "Kipling" is currently stuffed inside a public litter bin.

Tomorrow, we're off to the west coast. The bus to Limerick, Ireland's third city (excluding Belfast which is not part of the Republic), leaves at 13:30. From there we'll change to the regional service which will take us to the coast at the town of Doolin. Posting might become patchy due to uncertain internet availability. There's laughter coming from the hall where the others are watching a Mister Bean episode - till later!