Lansdowne Road - a rugby lesson

Jacks and I booked a trip to Dublin a while ago, with the intention of watching the SA/Ireland rugby international at Lansdowne Road. We were spending the weekend with Simon and Lorraine, and after breakfast and a walk through Phoenix Park on saturday morning, we started worrying about our chances of getting tickets. These worries however were short lived, with one of Lorraine's contacts coming to the rescue.

The early afternoon was spent wandering the streets of Dublin, having a beer or 2, a bite to eat, and soaking up the atmosphere. We made our way to the stadium, and were seated 5 minutes before the anthems. Our seats were in the south stand, behind the posts, nice and close to the field. After the anthems, play was underway, and in no time at all I realised it would be one those games. Unfortunately SA never arrived, and it was a walkover, but the atmosphere in the stadium was fantastic, and this spilled out into every pub in Dublin after the game. We secured a position in the Lansdowne Road Hotel, and settled in for a while. I don't know why, but Guiness just tastes better in Dublin.

On sunday we took a drive out to Howth, which is a town on the coast, just north of Dublin. Simon and Lorraine took us on a great walk around the peninsula, with dramatic views of the coast and Dublin Bay along the way. After a bite to eat from the local market, it was back to the airport, and bye-bye to Ireland.