we're in Dublin!  After a long trip from Orlando to Toronto to Ireland, we decided to fight through jet lag to get on a somewhat normal sleep schedule as quickly as possible.  

In Toronto, we had an 8-hour layover at the airport so we did everything we possibly could do in the confines of our terminal.  We played card games (which I am sad to report amazed some people around us; most travelers were using the provided I-pad stations to isolate themselves from each other), did a lap of lunges around this interesting piece of art, and stared in total amazement at the way Canada markets cigarettes (or doesn't market them), with zombies.

When we got to Dublin, we spent the day walking around and taking the tour bus.  We ate a late lunch at a restaurant called The Turks Head, found Trinity College and the Jameson Distillery and watched birds at St. Steven's Green.

Trinity College was gorgeous, and there I found my first bird that wasn't a rock dove or a mallard: the elegant, playful and smart Eurasian Magpie!  It was entertaining itself by grabbing a stick and running across the lawn like a little velociraptor, which was adorable.  I love corvids (crows, jays, etc) in general because they're so smart and sassy but this guy might be a new favorite!

At St. Steven's, there were plenty of gulls and more mallards, but the species that most stood out to me were the Tufted Ducks.  These are a migratory winter species for Ireland but I have no idea if some stay on the sheltered ponds of St. Steven's year-round.  Anyway, they floated around in pairs and were quite handsome.

We ended the night early to try to get on a somewhat normal sleep schedule.  More adventures to come!