Saturday, October 14th – Exploring Dublin – Part One

Blowing Up The Rental

In the morning, we drove into Dublin. Extremely sleepy. We found a parking spot and Dustin told me to plug his phone into the USB charger in the car. Before we knew it, smoke was coming out of the vents of our rental! I yelped and was tempted to jump out of the car. Don’t they blow up if there’s a fire? Dustin realized quick that the USB wasn’t compatible and there was an electrical burning. Luckily, the smoke stopped and all of our electronics were ok!

Brother Hubbard, A Hip Breakfast Joint

We tiredly walked toward Brother Hubbard, a small cafe in Dublin. The place was adorable and filled with yummy pastries and lots of coffee and tea. Dustin ordered a strange cold oatmeal dish and I got a cinnamon “scroll” after hearing the ladies next to us getting one. The tea was delicious. The cafe was quaint and cozy. Very “hipster” with a focus on sustainability. The toilet was re-filled by water that you washed your hands with!

More Cafes? Why Not…Enjoying Cafe Nero in Temple Bar

We were exhausted. It was hard driving on the opposite side of the road in the city while sleep-deprived. We knew we HAD to see The Book of Kells and Long Room at Trinity College. We searched out parking. Unfortunately we couldn’t find a charger at Brother Hubbard so we found a cute little coffee shop to charge our phones for pictures. We decided not to bring out the big ‘ole Nikon for Dublin. It was a lot easier snapping pictures with our smartphones. Cafe Nero welcomed me with warmth and delicious smelling coffee. I ordered a mocha and was delighted that it wasn’t overly sweet and the perfect amount of espresso. We sat and watched groups of people pass in Temple Bar. It was lovely. We laughed so hard at the Stag groups (bachelor parties) who were dressed up crazy. One man was dressed as Snow White and he had 7 Dwarfs with him, pub crawling. Everyone was dressed differently and I was surprised to see so many people smoking! We just took it in and drank long sips of coffee. Dustin laid his head down and tried to take a quick nap while our phones charged. We were immediately proud of our travel savvy selves who made sure we had convertors with us!

Delicious coffee at Cafe Nero overlooking Temple Bar

Trinity College, The Book of Kells and The Long Room

I had meticulously planned our trip to Ireland. I knew the “must-sees” and the things we could pass on. Immediately, we recognized we wanted to see Trinity College. This beautiful campus in the middle of Dublin is home to The Book of Kells, Ireland’s National Treasure. This is an ancient book that was written by monks. The colorful scripts are beautiful and depict some of the New Testament.

We walked over and made sure to get fast track tickets online on our phones. The tickets proved to be faster than standing in the winding line. The space is like a museum leading up to the Book of Kells and then the Long Room. We were excited to see the Book of Kells but it was difficult because there were swarms of people around the glass enclosure. I can’t even tell you what page it was on, but we saw it!

When we walked into the Long Room, we were in awe. None of the pictures do this amazing space justice. From the sculptured busts to the levels of books, it’s gorgeous. The smell was delicious. It smelled old and like old books. I took video, a thousand pictures, and tried to read the different book covers. Along with the space, there were exhibits of famous writings (Oscar Wilde) and a copy of the Irish Declaration of Independence. We also enjoyed seeing the Trinity Harp, which is a medieval harp. It’s one of three existing Gaelic harps. Unfortunately you can’t just take books off the shelves or sit and read. There were a lot of tourists and it made it hard to relax. We spent as much time as we could before saying farewell and walking downstairs into the gift shop. Although the space is amazing, I wish they had a better crowd control system so there wouldn’t be so many people. But, I get it, it’s a popular place!

Ending Our Day In Vienna

2 / 8 / 17

The day in Vienna, however, was long from over! Daddy and Jutka had purchased tickets for us to see a performance. The performance was held at the palace and was not at all what I expected! We walked into the palace’s side entrance and everything was very formal. The seats were set up and there was a concert hall. There weren’t many other people there, as it was a smaller event. I assumed stadium seating or something like that. It was intimate, and classic. There were musicians who were breathing hard to make sure they hit every note on their instruments, ballet dancers, and an opera singer. Each session of the performance was startling and beautiful. Although I don’t know a lot about music, I could tell that music was these people’s lives. The main man who led the group seemed like a brilliant genius. It was hard to take my eyes off the group. But I did, to look around the beauty of the space. I had to keep pinching myself. “I’m in Europe! I’m in Vienna! I’m watching a performance of Mozart in a palace!”

Afterward, we walked back to the train. The lights of the city were so special. I tried to remember it all in my heart. The smells, the sounds. Dustin stopped and purchased a vienna sausage (hot dog) as we walked. Once we were back at the hotel. I slept really soundly.

Love,

A Day To Remember In Vienna, Cafe Central

2 / 8 / 17

I was tired and needing a break. Dad suggested a special place called Cafe Central. Cafe Central has been a part of Vienna’s culture forever. This cafe is one of the most magnificent places I’ve ever had the privilege of eating at. As we walked through the narrow streets of the city, dad pointed out the Hofburg Imperial Palace. The palace was just standing there, right beside you as you walked the street. What shocked me was the quiet. The city was so quiet and the only smell was from horses, the imperial horses, that is. A little bit about the palace: “The Hofburg Imperial Palace has played an integral part of the Austrian government scene since it was built in the 13th century. It has been home to some of Europe’s most powerful royalty over the centuries, including the Hapsburgs and rulers of the Holy Roman and Austro-Hungarian empires. Today it is a museum and home to the president of Austria.”

The Lippizan Stalions are also from Vienna, as we walked, we did pass where they were kept. It was dark in the arena, but I pushed my nose up against it to get a glance at some of the horse’s feet. The inside of the performance space for the horses looked like a palace itself. The Spanish Riding School is a traditional riding school for Lipizzan horses that offers public performances in the Winter Riding School in the Hofburg. “The Riding School calls these performances classical dressage, but most viewers would call it magic. The school has been training horses like this for more than four centuries. The 68 stallions – their ancestors came from Spain – have trained and performed at the Winter Riding School since about 1735. Horses and riders both undergo special training that lasts for many years.”

Finally, we came upon a unique lit up building. It looked like a picture from a travel magazine. Once we walked in my jaw dropped. The architecture! The royal red material! The paintings on the wall! Oh and the desserts! Cafe Central was so special we ended up eating there again later in the week on our way home. “The café was opened in 1876, and in the late 19th century it became a key meeting place of the Viennese intellectual scene. Key regulars included: Peter Altenberg, Theodor Herzl, Alfred Adler, Egon Friedell, Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Anton Kuh, Adolf Loos, Leo Perutz, Alfred Polgar and Leon Trotsky. In January 1913 alone, Josip Broz Tito, Sigmund Freud, Adolf Hitler, Vladimir Lenin, and Trotsky (the latter two being regulars) were patrons of the establishment.” It was so weird to think I was in a building where Freud had coffee or Hitler met with imperials!

Well, the desserts and coffee were delicious. I tried some mini desserts that were the cutest thing in the world. We also had an apple danish with homemade ice cream. Each time you ordered a cup of coffee in Europe, it came with a glass of water “with gas” meaning carbonated. I would ask for it without gas because I liked still water best. The coffee would also come with a small mint. I liked this place so much that I purchased a book with recipes and the history. It was truly magical, even though we had to wait a bit for a seat.

Delicious!

Love & Laughter,

Tiffany