I began the week by attending PLDI 2009, the flagship conference in my main research area of programming language design and implementation. I was fortunate to have two research papers accepted for presentation, with the added privilege that they were the first two presentations overall. (My student and former student gave the talks. Being faculty, I haven't had the pleasure of giving a conference talk in many years.) The main hall was packed, which was both thrilling and nervewracking!
The conference was held at historic Trinity College, Dublin, in the heart of Dublin just south of the Liffey river.
TCD dates from 1592, founded by Queen Elizabeth I as England was further strengthening its political control of Ireland. The original Trinity College in Cambridge, which we have visited on several occasions, was founded by Elizabeth's father, King Henry VIII, in 1546. Fellows of Trinity College in Cambridge, such as Isaac Newton and Francis Bacon, are among the busts in the famous Long Room of the Old Library at TCD, which I toured. The Old Library also houses the Book of Kells, a famous transcription of the Four Gospels. It dates from about 800 AD, and is named for the Abbey of Kells that was its home for many centuries. The two Colleges look very different architecturally, despite their related origins; I'm much more impressed with the original. On the other hand, the TCD has its own Pub, the Pav, which serves a pretty good Guinness!
TCD dates from 1592, founded by Queen Elizabeth I as England was further strengthening its political control of Ireland. The original Trinity College in Cambridge, which we have visited on several occasions, was founded by Elizabeth's father, King Henry VIII, in 1546. Fellows of Trinity College in Cambridge, such as Isaac Newton and Francis Bacon, are among the busts in the famous Long Room of the Old Library at TCD, which I toured. The Old Library also houses the Book of Kells, a famous transcription of the Four Gospels. It dates from about 800 AD, and is named for the Abbey of Kells that was its home for many centuries. The two Colleges look very different architecturally, despite their related origins; I'm much more impressed with the original. On the other hand, the TCD has its own Pub, the Pav, which serves a pretty good Guinness!The conference ended on Thursday evening, so I moved out of the Trinity College dormitory room in which I'd been staying. I walked southward to Kilronan House to meet Kim and the kids following their afternoon flight from London. Kilronan house was a lovely place to stay: our room was spacious, and we appreciated the excellent breakfasts, free wifi, and the helpful, friendly staff.
We spent the next two and a half days touring Dublin. My favorite spot, which we hit on our first day, was the Guinness Storehouse. They claim that it's Ireland's top visitor attraction. They've done a brilliant job turning the old fermentation building into an interesting museum. The free pint of stout in the circular bar on the top floor, with a great view of the city, is a nice touch.
Several times in getting to/from our guesthouse we walked through St. Stephen's Green, a beautiful park south of Trinity College Dublin. Originally a garden private to the nearby residents, it is now a popular public park. We often stopped to relax and once to play on the playground.
On Friday evening we went to see the World Street Performance Championships, held at Merrion Square, quite close to where Oscar Wilde grew up. We saw two acts, both very entertaining, though neither won the competition as it turned out.
On Friday evening we went to see the World Street Performance Championships, held at Merrion Square, quite close to where Oscar Wilde grew up. We saw two acts, both very entertaining, though neither won the competition as it turned out.
We did a little shopping on Saturday morning, in the shopping district near Grafton Street. Tim and Colin went to Argos and bought a Lego set while Kim bought herself a nice necklace.
Saturday afternoon we went to Bray, located on the eastern seaside about a 40-minute train ride from Dublin. While Kim and I relaxed, the kids played in the sand, splashed in the water, and collected smoothed rocks on the beach. We all had a whipped (soft) ice cream before we left. The place is fairly run down. Our theory is that it was once popular because it was the only gig in town. But now that flights from Dublin to the Mediterranean are cheap, many people are probably going someplace better.
Saturday night we had dinner at the Bleeding Horse, a nearly 400-year old pub in the Camden section near our guesthouse. The name apparently comes from the practice of farriers of cutting a vein in the neck of horses to reduce their blood pressure and calm them after a long ride. For Kim and me, the Pub provided our favorite meal of the trip, and one of many pints of Guinness! The family felt right at home, given our now-extensive experience with pub fare in the UK.
On Sunday, we attended Mass at Whitefriars', which holds the relics/remains of St. Valentine. It was nondescript on the outside, with some impressive monuments on the inside. Afterwards we had a coffee at The Bald Barista. We really enjoyed it, which is perhaps not surprising as it's been acclaimed as having the best espresso in Dublin, two years running.
For the remainder of the morning we wandered around Temple Bar, having a look at Christchurch and St. Patrick's Cathedral. (Sunday morning services prevented us from going inside.)
Finally it was time to go, so we caught a taxi to the airport and took the short flight back to London Stansted, and an easy train-ride back to Cambridge.
It's so nice how close we are to so many interesting places! And we're not done yet: Italy still remains for me, and we all go to Greece at the end of July ...
Saturday afternoon we went to Bray, located on the eastern seaside about a 40-minute train ride from Dublin. While Kim and I relaxed, the kids played in the sand, splashed in the water, and collected smoothed rocks on the beach. We all had a whipped (soft) ice cream before we left. The place is fairly run down. Our theory is that it was once popular because it was the only gig in town. But now that flights from Dublin to the Mediterranean are cheap, many people are probably going someplace better.
Saturday night we had dinner at the Bleeding Horse, a nearly 400-year old pub in the Camden section near our guesthouse. The name apparently comes from the practice of farriers of cutting a vein in the neck of horses to reduce their blood pressure and calm them after a long ride. For Kim and me, the Pub provided our favorite meal of the trip, and one of many pints of Guinness! The family felt right at home, given our now-extensive experience with pub fare in the UK.
On Sunday, we attended Mass at Whitefriars', which holds the relics/remains of St. Valentine. It was nondescript on the outside, with some impressive monuments on the inside. Afterwards we had a coffee at The Bald Barista. We really enjoyed it, which is perhaps not surprising as it's been acclaimed as having the best espresso in Dublin, two years running.
For the remainder of the morning we wandered around Temple Bar, having a look at Christchurch and St. Patrick's Cathedral. (Sunday morning services prevented us from going inside.)
Finally it was time to go, so we caught a taxi to the airport and took the short flight back to London Stansted, and an easy train-ride back to Cambridge.It's so nice how close we are to so many interesting places! And we're not done yet: Italy still remains for me, and we all go to Greece at the end of July ...
1 comment:
Mike,
Did you tell them that you are an old brewmaster yourself?
-Christian
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