FREE DAY! We were supposed to tour the Four Courts today which houses the High Court and the Lowers Civil court system, but it was cancelled last minute. The staff decided they were unable to devote resources to us. So Kevin gave us a free day. My roommate Kelly, another girl Koko, and I decided to do a Hop On Hop Off tour to see as much as Dublin as Possible. We did not get off at every stop, but we definitely saw all of Ireland. I won't share every single building or attraction we saw, but I will give the highlights. One of the first things we saw was the Custom House. It was designed so that every side of the building looked like the front. Each side is supposed to represent a continent. Australia wasn't a thing when it was built, Antarctica doesn't, and the Americas were put together, so four sides. We then each had our own little photo shoot with the River Liffey. We went past the Famine Memorial and explore the EPIC which is the Irish Immigration Museum. We crossed the Samuel Beckett bridge and saw a replica of Jeanie Johnston ship. It was used to transport the Irish to Canada during the Famine in 1848. Next, we explore the Trinity College of Dublin. I spoke to a woman on the ferry about Trinity College. She said that unless you go to Trinity College, you hate it. Only people who go there like it. The students ad faculty are supposedly overly smart and extremely posh. I took pictures of some sculptures there and the campus itself. The Book of Kell was on display, but the line to get in was over two hours long so we opted out. Especially because we have no idea what the Book of Kell is about. Our next stop was the Dublin Castle. Minor disappointment, but it was still nice. There were pretty gardens outside. Part of the castle was smooth and painted bright colors which just so happened to match my shirt. Naturally, I just had to take a picture with it. We then made it to St. Patrick's Cathedral. The garden and fountain were equally pretty as the cathedral itself. There was a French Bulldog just running around. In Ireland and the U.K. there is no leash law unless the dog breed in on the list of "dangerous dogs." Koko and I were trying to get a picture of him. We didn't go in to the cathedral because it cost 8 euro (about $8) and our pictures would've been ruined by people. We passed the Guinness Storehouse and brewery. Tickets were sold out for the day though so we did not go in. We passed the Kilmainham Gaol (jail) and were very interested in going in. It would have related to our trip and would have been a similar experience to the courts in Nottingham. Unfortunately, the bus driver informed us that tickets were told out for the next 10 days. Maybe on a future trip. Mother ;) Father ;) We visited Phoenix Park of 1,752 acres. Toward the back of the park is the residence of the United States Ambassador which sits on 60 acres of that land. The house of the President of Ireland is also in the Phoenix Park: it very closely resembles the White House. Unfortunately, I was unable to get a very decent picture of either homes. The Dublin Zoo was also in the park, but required payment for entry and at leas 4 hours of walking, so we opted out. In the park, we visited the Wellington Momument in honor of Arthur Wellesey, the Duke of Wellington. Even though he openly shared the fact that he hated being Irish. Toward the end of the tour, we passed by the Fourt Courts but decided to only take a picture from the bus. Once we ended the tour, we had lunch at a burrito place about 3:00 p.m. For dessert, we went to Hot Donuts. I got a donut to match my shirt and an iced coffee.