Saturday and Sunday around Dublin...

Mostly took these two days to take buses:





and check out some of the things I had wanted to see...

The Famine Memorial:



The River Liffey:



Glasnevin Cemetery:





National Botanic Gardens:







Picked up a little food to eat along the way:



and generally tried to avoid the tourist crowds in the shopping areas:



LOTS more pictures on Flickr, just click on any of the above photos and it will take you to the Flickr Ireland page for more!

Last night while talking to Andy on Skype I thought about how it is so amazing to have a 30 minute conversation and not have to use up phone minutes -- and have video no less! The future is here!

I told him of my most interesting language conversations so far this week: 2 people I could speak Japanese to and another conversation in French. I have to leave home and travel half way around the world to use my now mostly forgotten Japanese -- I never find anyone around Sacramento to speak with anymore! But here there were 2 different situations on the two tours I went on where there was a visitor from Japan on one and another was a Japanese young woman who was living in London over to Dublin for a holiday. I can usually tell if someone is from Japan (as opposed to other Asian countries) by their English so I spoke to them first asking if they were Japanese (in Japanese which always catches people by surprise) then went on to have a little conversation -- usually where they are from and why/how I come to speak Japanese but still it is nice for a change to speak it again).

And the French was with another couple on the Newgrange tour who were from Belgium but were speaking French to each other (English to everyone else -- of course most Europeans know their own language and are fluent in English and often other languages as well). So one time I just answered them in French and a small conversation in French ensued. Both my Japanese and French get so rusty with non-use that it is nice to attempt them once in a while. I guess Andy and I need to get back to France soon so I can work on that rusty French!

Just had my last breakfast in Ireland



and will be heading out to the Airport later this morning. Next stop: London