Now it's time for a brief Dublin recap. I went there the weekend of the 14th.
Train and Ferry Ride:
Both were very lovely. The train ride was nice and calming and we were able to see the beautiful English countryside, populated with all the sheep anyone could ever want. The ferry, Ulysses, is the largest car ferry in the world, or some such thing, and consequently is rather posh. It was really swanky. On the way back we rode the Jonathan Swift; not nearly as classy but they did play a movie.
Hostel:
First hostel experience done, and nothing too terrible to report. Some people were rowdy. But how can you expect them not to be when it's Dublin, they are in their early 20s, on holiday, and it's their birthday. The beds were more comfortable than the ones we have in London, so Jacob's Inn has to be doing something right.
Free Walking Tour:
Exceptional. Went a lot of places, learned a lot of things. Brief summary is in outline format below.
1. Dublin Castle
Not very castle-y. kinda boring looking. nothing too special. It does have a statue of Lady Justice, or as Paul, our guide, called it, Lady Injustice. Things wrong with her (1) she has no blindfold, indicating that justice is not blind and she has bias; (2) the sword is fully exposed and not partially emerging from her robes indicating she's ready to deal out some punishment; (3) one of her scales is partially shrouded by her arm whilst the other is open to the air, allowing one to fill with more water than the other when it rains, tipping the scales; (4) she faces the seat of the English crown, effectively turning her back on the people of Ireland. Even in symbolism there isn't a good relationship between the Irish and the English.
2. Queen Victoria's Screening Wall
Put up when the Queen came to visit so she didn't have to look at unsightly scenes.
3. Jonathan Swift's 40 steps
The Irish have an odd sense of humor. And they apparently don't ever say what they mean, especially when referring to eating babies.
4. Temple Bar Area
The actual Temple Bar no longer exists. This became a central hub of the city after the government decided not to demolish it.
5. Christ Church
Fun story. There was a cat, rat, caretaker, and organist. The organist found that one of his organ pipes was clogged. The caretaker went to inspect. He found a dead cat, took it out, stuffed it, and kept it. This didn't solve the problem, though, as something was still wrong with the pipe. The caretaker went back and found a rat stuck further up the pipe. He went through the same process with the rat and now both are on display in the basement of the church.
6. Spire - giant space needle
Paul called this one of the biggest f-ups in Dublin. Here are some reasons why: (1) it was built for the Millennium...in 2003, as Paul says, "They were 997 years early"; (2) It cost 5,000,000 British pounds to build. Approximately 8,056,187 American dollars. How many schools can you buy with that much of the public's money?; (3) "Ireland has a bit of a Heroin problem. So, what do they do? They put a giant hypodermic needle in the middle of her capital city." (4) It's the largest free standing sculpture, but it has a plethora of phallic nicknames.
7. Trinity College
George Lucas copied the Long Room of their library for one of his movies. The college sued him and lost.
8. National Museums - Story Time
Barrack came to visit Ireland. He's a rock star. Prince Phillip came when the Queen did. He decided to compare a pint of Guinness to the waters of the Lithe. The Irish don't like him as much.
9. St. Steven's Green
Paul told us about the famines in Ireland and about Ireland's long fight for independence. It was very touching and very powerful. They only gained independence from England in the 1920s, and not even the whole island was liberated. They still feel those scars and still understand what it means to be free. I think we've lost some of that pride in America.
Amy and I Adventure on Our Own:
The other sites of Dublin, some off the beaten track.
1. Trinity Library and the Book of Kells
Cool and informative, but small and expensive. Definite tourist trap. If you want old books go to the free Chester Beatty Library.
2. Archaeological Museum
Fun, but if you're not into that stuff you can definitely skip it.
3. Oscar Wilde's House, Mansion House, Oldest house on record
These things we tried to find. I say tried because once we got to the location shown on the map there was nothing at the site in reality. There were buildings, but nothing proclaiming we had reached our destination.
4. Shopping Center
Contains the largest indoor clock in Europe.
5. Marsh's Library
Definite must see. First public library in Ireland and still in use. Their books haven't moved in 300 years. There are still bullet holes from the British misfiring into the library. They have rotating exhibits, too, all of them look very cool and informative. Only 1.50.
6. St. Patrick's Cathedral
Cool architecture. Didn't go in because it was a little expensive, though.
7. Chester Beatty Library
Another must see. FREE and contains what was once the largest private collection of illuminated manuscripts in the world. Everything was beautiful and extremely well laid out. Much more informative than Trinity College's set up and much more vast. They had segments of papyrus from the first century c.e. for crying out loud. Fantastic.
Lessons Learned:
1. Don't buy anything but beer or cider in Dublin unless you want to over pay by an absurd amount.
2. The Irish like to swear. It's not meant to be offensive. That's just how they speak.
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