Ireland, day 16

     We had a walking tour of Dublin, where rain is typical.  Trinity college was first on the list and they were exhibiting the book of Kells, but sadly we couldn't go see it.  Apparently, they found it in a peat bog, perfectly preserved. (once, they found a jar of butter that was safe to eat in a peat bog and had been there for hundreds of years)  The tour brought us to the base of the Millennium Spire, which was made so that wherever you were in Dublin, you could find your way to that spot in the event you got lost.
     The coach brought us to the GAA stadium.  The GAA stadium is the fourth largest in the world and you could have two simultaneous football (our football) games payed on it at the same time with room to spare.  The sport(s) it is truly made for, however, is Hurling and Gaelic football.  Hurling is a bit like lacrosse, but faster, even more physical, and a slightly different set of rules.  Its claim to fame is being the fastest paced game.  Gaelic football is football, soccer, basketball, rugby, and volley ball all rolled into one.


     An all day pass to the stadium (there are often 2-3 games a day) costs 5 euros and applies to all of the seats in the stadium.  It costs so little because the sports aren't professional, they're all hobbies.  So you could have a hurling star on the television, and he could be your teacher the very next day.  Pretty wicked.
     We ate at a place called Flannagan's (which was good, in a strange way) and then we had some free time to look at souvenir shops.