Microsoft is a global technology company known for shaping the modern digital experience. From its iconic Windows operating system to the versatile Microsoft Office suite, the company has provided tools that support both personal productivity and enterprise innovation. Visit the official website at microsoft.com to explore its offerings.

Microsoft has also become a major player in cloud computing through Azure, and in business collaboration with Microsoft Teams. Its investments in artificial intelligence, gaming (via Xbox), and hardware (like Surface devices) reflect a broad vision for the future of tech.

Key Innovations by Microsoft

• Windows OS and Microsoft Office — foundational software for millions worldwide
• Azure cloud services — empowering digital transformation for businesses
• Xbox gaming platform — connecting entertainment and technology
• Surface devices — combining performance with sleek design
• AI integration and responsible innovation — shaping the future responsibly

With decades of experience and a continued focus on progress, Microsoft remains a leader in the global tech landscape.

This is a test article created for demonstration purposes in WordPress.

Microsoft is a global technology company known for shaping the modern digital experience. From its iconic Windows operating system to the versatile Microsoft Office suite, the company has provided tools that support both personal productivity and enterprise innovation. Visit the official website at microsoft.com to explore its offerings.

Microsoft has also become a major player in cloud computing through Azure, and in business collaboration with Microsoft Teams. Its investments in artificial intelligence, gaming (via Xbox), and hardware (like Surface devices) reflect a broad vision for the future of tech.

Key Innovations by Microsoft

• Windows OS and Microsoft Office — foundational software for millions worldwide
• Azure cloud services — empowering digital transformation for businesses
• Xbox gaming platform — connecting entertainment and technology
• Surface devices — combining performance with sleek design
• AI integration and responsible innovation — shaping the future responsibly

With decades of experience and a continued focus on progress, Microsoft remains a leader in the global tech landscape.

This is a test article created for demonstration purposes in WordPress.

Microsoft is a global technology company known for shaping the modern digital experience. From its iconic Windows operating system to the versatile Microsoft Office suite, the company has provided tools that support both personal productivity and enterprise innovation. Visit the official website at microsoft.com to explore its offerings.

Microsoft has also become a major player in cloud computing through Azure, and in business collaboration with Microsoft Teams. Its investments in artificial intelligence, gaming (via Xbox), and hardware (like Surface devices) reflect a broad vision for the future of tech.

Key Innovations by Microsoft

• Windows OS and Microsoft Office — foundational software for millions worldwide
• Azure cloud services — empowering digital transformation for businesses
• Xbox gaming platform — connecting entertainment and technology
• Surface devices — combining performance with sleek design
• AI integration and responsible innovation — shaping the future responsibly

With decades of experience and a continued focus on progress, Microsoft remains a leader in the global tech landscape.

This is a test article created for demonstration purposes in WordPress.

Microsoft is a global technology leader, constantly driving innovation and transforming the digital landscape. With cutting-edge mobile applications and cloud solutions, the company enables users to work, learn, and enjoy entertainment wherever they are.

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Products such as Office 365 and the Azure platform have revolutionized the way both businesses and individuals operate. Microsoft’s mobile solutions provide seamless access to essential tools, ensuring productivity and connectivity on the go.

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Discover More

Committed to making technology accessible for everyone, Microsoft continues to innovate and grow. To explore the latest developments and learn more about their diverse range of products, visit the official website at Microsoft.

Friday, March 23

We spend our last full day in Ireland in Northern Ireland. It felt different from the Republic of Ireland. Different accents. A feeling of greater wealth. More modern accommodations. Better roads. Suburban shopping malls.

And speed limits in MPH instead of KPH. Which was the first sign we had crossed the border – there was no sign welcoming us to the United Kingdom.

We stayed two nights, Thursday and Friday, at the Titanic Hotel in Belfast.  It was set in the building that once housed the offices of Harland and Wolff, the company that built the Titanic.  We got a tour on Thursday night from a bellboy of the offices.  It was terrific.

(Oh, the hotel rating: Joe: 5.)

The decor in the rooms was Titanic retro – very cool.

The next morning, we did the museum tour.  The museum is a wonderful depiction of the life of the Titanic, from building to sinking to its rediscovery on the ocean floor.  Most excellent.  (Joe: 5)

And hoo boy, was it geeky.  They had short and long benches arranged around the museum to spell out the last morse code messages sent by the Titanic.

That afternoon, we visited the Giant’s Causeway on the northern coast of the island.  (Joe: 4.  Maybe 4.5.)

And that night, after dinner, Joe wandered out to see the museum again.  It’s next to the slipways where they built the Titanic, and the boundaries of the ship are marked out, with some deck plans.  The museum itself is the height of the Titanic up to the promenade deck.  Add it all up and it was easy to imagine the ship sitting there as it was built.  Haunting.

And that was our Ireland trip!

Wednesday, March 21

• We visit the waterfall again. Julie digs out the bag of Lucky Charms she carried all over Ireland.  Really.  She really did that. She never did eat them.  She doesn’t even like them.  (Joe: still 5)

• We drive the Ring of Kerry.  Part of it, anyway. (Joe: 2)
• We visit an iron age stone fort. (Joe: 4)

• We dip our toes in the sea.  Well, Joe does, anyway. (Joe: 2)

• We go to Limerick Castle. (Joe: 4)

They’ve got a great high-tech visitors center.  And weird murals.

• We go to the Medieval Feast at Bunratty Castle.  The music is sublime, the rest, not so much.  (Joe: 3. 4 for the music.)

Thursday, March 22

• We go to the Cliffs of Moher.  That’s pronounced “More.”  Because we just had to see MORE! (Joe: 2, 3 if the weather were nicer)

It’s windy.  And rainy.  Really windy and rainy.

• We go to the Burren.  (Joe: 3.  But 4 in past visits when the weather was nicer.)

• Another random monastery! (Joe: 3)

• A random castle – Athlone Castle.  Nice castle, amazing displays. (Joe: 3.  4 for the displays.)

• A random art place and church across the street from the castle. (Joe: 2)
• Roscommon Castle, a ruined castle.  (Joe: 3)

• And that night we stay at… well, leave that for the next post.

Tuesday, March 20

• Cahir Castle.  (Joe: 3)

Julie feeds some geese – she feeds a lot of birds this trip.  They charge!

• Blarney Castle.  Joe kisses the Blarney Stone.  Julie has too much sense.  Joe catches a cold.  It turns out that lining up in a crowd of hundreds and kissing the same stone they all kiss isn’t the best idea in the world.  At least we get to pay a lot for the privilege.  Really, whoever came up with that idea is full of the blarney!  (Joe: 2)

Julie feeds more birds.  This time better-behaved ones – large crows.  There’s lots of large crows in Ireland.

Killarney National Park.

We do a lot of things here.

• We take a carriage ride through the park. (Joe: 4)

• We visit lovely gardens. (Joe: 3)

• We visit a magical valley with a waterfall.  It feels like fairies should live there. (Joe: 5)

• We visit a ruined monastery.  In the cloister, a large yew tree grows.  Another magical place.  (Joe: 5)

• We watch the sunset over the mountains. (Joe: 3)

Really, this place was amazing – one of our favorite stops.

Sunday, March 18

We’re done with Dublin, and we hit the road!  There’s snow on it!

• Newgrange.  Alas, the site itself is closed by snow, so this is as close as we get. (Joe: 2, 3 if you get to the site)

• Battle of the Boyne.  Closed for snow.  (Joe: 1)
• Some random monastery that we stumble across.  (Joe: 3)

• Another random monastery, this one with a circular tower. Ireland has a lot of random monasteries.  And circular towers.  And castles.  And ruins of one sort or other. (Joe: 2)

• The Hills of Tara, homes of the ancient Irish High King.  Irish kings apparently liked being in high, cold, windy places. (Joe: 5)

Some kids were sledding there – right where the High King hung out.  Neat!

• Another random monastery.  (Joe: 3)

• Trim Castle, closed for the weather, wonderful from the outside. (Joe: 3, 4 when its open)

More sledding kids, these ones using plastic bags as sled.  (They don’t get much snow in Ireland.  Well, other than this year – this was their second big snow in two weeks.)

Monday, March 19

We leave Dublin and hit the road for points south.

• The beautiful lakes of Glendalough.  Not all that beautiful covered in snow.  The drive through snow-covered mountains is nice, though.  (Joe: 2, 3 for the drive)

• Kilkenny for some shopping, and a chance to beat on a giant drum.  (Joe: 2, 3 for the drum)

• The Rock of Cashel, perhaps the most dramatic site in Ireland.  Ruined cathedral on top of a cold windy hill.  Very cold and windy – so they used to have an Irish king who lived there. (Joe: 5)

• That night, we stay at Waterford Castle, which turns out to require us to take a ferry.  (Joe: 4 for the hotel, 3 for the ferry ride)

Julie and I went to Ireland, from March 12-24, 2018.  I haven’t had time to give detailed blog posts, but here we go with the quick version of events.

Monday, March 12

We land in Dublin at around 6:00 AM.  We go to the hotel and get a little sleep.  Then it’s off to visit sites in Dublin.  We visited, with ratings by Joe on a scale of 1-5:

• The Little Museum, which covered the history of Dublin from 1915 to present and included a 1960’s fashion exhibit.  (Joe: 2)

• Trinity College and the Book of Kells, including an amazing library – very Hogwarts. (Joe: 3, 4 for the library)

• The Oscar Wilde monument, a favorite of mine. (Joe: 4)

• The National Gallery of Art, which had an amazing exhibit of the work of the artist Emil Nolde, a German artist who we lated discovered was a wannabe Nazi, but Hitler didn’t like abstract expressionists, so no Nazi party for him. (Joe: 3, 5 for the Nolde exhibition)

And that was Monday.

Tuesday, March 13 – Thursday, March 15

I had to work.  Julie spent most of the time in the hotel working on stuff, but did get out to the National Gallery again one day.

Friday, March 16

Work is done!  We do Dublin!

• St Patrick’s Cathedral. (Joe: 3)

• Christ Church Cathedral.  (Joe: 2)

• Dublinia Museum of Dublin, very cheesy.  (Joe: 3)

• Dublin Castle.  (Joe: 2)

• An exhibition of art inspired by the Potato Famine. (Joe: 4)

• The Dublin Museum of Modern Art. (Joe: 2)

• Kilmainham Gaol, where they shot the Easter Uprising leaders in 1916, strangely reminiscent of the Workhouse (former jail where political prisoners made a stand and were horribly treated).  (Joe: 4)
  

Only one person in that cell?  Palatial!

They even had an exhibit on force feedings!

Saturday, March 17: St Patrick’s Day in Dublin!

Of course we go to the parade! (Joe: 4)

The spectators are mostly tourists in cheesy Irish outfits.

There are marching bugs:

Bands:

Bicycling suffragettes:

And pretty girls, dressed in way too little for such a cold day.

We didn’t make that mistake!

We finished the day by seeing “Thriller Live,” a stage show based on the works of Michael Jackson.  Very entertaining.  (Joe: 4 – and surprised he liked it so much)

More to come…