Deer Stalking in Dublin

Warning, Deer!

Deer Spotted!

Ok, after 2 hours walk, the best we could do were stuffed ones in the visitor centre.

From the papal cross, with its elvation and papal awsomeness, deer are located!

Close up view.

Yesterday we went deer stalking in Phoenix park. It was a little slow at first with deer slow to materialise, but upon the recommendation of using the papal viewing area as an elevated platform for optimum deer viewing potential we eventually spotted a small herd in the distance. The trophy shots will follow later once I'm reunited with the rest of my luggage including my card reader (RyanAir charge extra for checked in luggage so we're traveling light in Dublin).




After making good use of the fine weather (it only rained once!) and meandering about the park for the better part of 4 hours we made course for the Guinness brewery. It was a much better time than the Jameson tour - this one was self guided rather than led by a dutch guy (not that I have anything against the dutch, and am all for equal opportunities - but really a dutch guy leading a Guinness tour?). The ground floor covered the ingredients including an impressive waterfall (again photos to follow). The second the process including tastings of roasted barley, and another 5 floors detailed the history as you ascended up around and through a giant 7 story pint glass. The top floor was where the free unit of Guinness was dispensed and offered a near 360 degree view of the city (nothing else is taller than 7 stories except the odd smoke stack, the giant needle and another viewing tower).


Today we took the DART train system around the bay of Dublin seeing the south and the north. The north was a nice small little seaside village with a lighthouse and a marina. Along a different north bound route was a castle dating back to the 16th century, though heavily modified. The tour was fairly mediocre and consisted of being rushed through various rooms behind roped off parts while a taped audio spitted out dates of the furniture from a speaker. Most disappointingly there was no way to get to the parapets up the top - without parapets it may as well have been an old house!


Tomorrow its an early start (5am or similar) to catch the flight back to Liverpool to pick up our goat and drive it onwards to somewhere northwards. The plan is to hit Edinburgh by Friday night. However we have nowhere booked to stay, and it's the festival so our chances aren't good, it may be a cramped night or two in the goat.