Wurzburg

Wurzburg is a historic prince-bishopric in Bavaria and the wine making center of Franconia. It is best known for the Wurzburg Residence, a UNESCO site built in the 18th century.

The Residence is home to sumptuous gardens and frescoes by Tiepolo. It does not give off a very Christian vibe.

The Martin von Wagner Museum is also in the Residence, which houses friezes from the Parthenon.

Wurzburg Cathedral was built in 1040 and houses the tombs of the Prince-Bishops of Wurzburg.

It was heavily damaged in WWII but rebuilt.

It has some great German tombs.

An interesting combination of old meets new.

It has a unique Romanesque exterior.

Only in former prince-bishoprics can you buy churches to live in.

The Marienkapelle was built in the 14th century.

An ornate doorway

An odd familial crown

The Franconian food in Wurzburg is top notch German cuisine.

The prince-bishops ruled from Marienberg Fortress before moving into the Residence.

The hill originally housed a Celtic refuge castle.

Most of the current buildings were built originally between the 16th and 18th centuries.

The Prince-Bishop of Wurzburg lived here from the founding of the Bishopric in the 12th century until they moved into the Residence. Napoleon sounded the death-knell for the Bishopric.

The Fortress was conquered by Gustavus Adolphus during the Thirty Years' War.

Napoleon converted the Bishopric of Wurzburg into the Grand Duchy of Wurzburg.

After the Napoleonic Wars Wurzburg became part of the Kingdom of Bavaria.

The Fortress has the best views of the city.

The Old Bridge over the Main River gets a little spooky at night.

Dublin

Dublin is a great city for a 4-day trip. You can navigate it easily using the Spire in the center of the city.

This is a memorial to incarcerated people. Much of Dublin's history feels defined by British occupation.

The weather was mostly overcast.

 

One of the best places we ate was The Stags Head. Be sure to get the Guinness-Oyster combo; we also got a toastie.

The bar at the old Jameson Distillery is worth a visit.

There is also a great ethnic food scene in Dublin.

Everyone says the Guinness Factory is a must see in Dublin, but we were pretty underwhelmed.

 

Trippy

The place is a maze of escalators.

Nice rooster

There's some good street art in Dublin.

There's even a bar in an old church!

Dublin Castle was built by Norman England to consolidate power in Ireland in 1204. It served as the British seat of power until 1922.

You can tour the inside and see some art.

The throne room

A very Irish carpet

St. Patrick's Hall, used for presidential inaugurations

The badge of The Order of St. Patrick, a British order of chivalry

Next to Dublin Castle is the Chester Beatty Museum, an amazing collection of antiquities from around the world assembled by the eponymous mining magnate.

St. Patrick's Cathedral is the national cathedral of the Anglican Church of Ireland.

Plenty of pigeons were roosting outside.

The cathedral was founded in 1192.

The tile floors are beautiful.

A narrow winding staircase

A portion of the Cathedral is a war memorial.

A stained glass window memorializing Sevastopol.

The Cathedral became Anglican during the English Reformation in the 16th century.

The choir

The head sticking out of side of doorway is a common style.

Don't open the door to hard.

Beautiful stained glass windows

Exit through the gift shop!

Christ Church Cathedral is the oldest cathedral in Dublin, and also of Anglican Church of Ireland denomination.

This Cathedral was my favorite, mostly due to the foxy friars on the floors.

And on the chairs!

The Cathedral was founded in the 11th century by Vikings.

The Norman Strongbow rebuilt the Cathedral.

The Cathedral has a spooky crypt.

Trinity College houses the Book of Kells, a Gospel book made in the British Isle in the 800s.

An old Irish harp

The Long Room of the Old Library at Trinity College

The illustration in the Book of Kells is top quality for the 800s. Irish missionaries (allegedly) converted many places on continental Europe.

One of my favorite places in Dublin is the National Archaeological Museum.

The Cross of Cong was made in 1122 to enshrine a portion of the True Cross possessed by the High King of Ireland.

Croziers from the 11th and 12th centuries

St. Patrick is associated with bells in Ireland.

A Celtic fibulae

A carved stone head from the 1st/2nd century A.D. There are many bog mummies in the museum as well.

An impressive collection of Celtic goldwork

Giant gold beads from 800-700 B.C.

Viking jewelry from the 9th century