Dubliner!

Well, maybe Joyce won't write about my experiences, but it was a great trip to the East Coast. It was incredibly busy though, and my body is aching from all of the walking, especially with my backpack. Still, I saw a LOT!

Once I arrived and got myself oriented, I headed out to Kilmainham Gaol, which is the jail where the leaders of the 1916 Easter Uprising were held. Having studied the history of this event and its connections to society and literature, I really enjoyed my tour here. (Pics to come!) I next headed to Christ Church Cathedral, which was beautiful, and then I continued up to St. Michan's, one of the first churches built on the north side of the River Liffey. It is especially unique because of the crypt underneath it -- with well preserved human remains! I actually touched the finger bone of a Crusader for good luck! Unfortunately, no photos in the crypt. I then headed over to The Temple Bar, walked down Grafton Street (main shopping area), through St. Stephen's Green, and to my hotel on Leeson Street. After a little rest, I went for dinner and to the Abbey Theater to see The Rivals. It was a late 18th Century comedy, and was quite entertaining -- very well done. I especially enjoyed the playbill, because it had several articles about the play and even its political relevance. I love that theaters here often employ dramaturgs, who research and oversee the productions and usually write these types of articles. This is what Berit is studying to be.

Yesterday I began at St. Patrick's Church, and then took a walking tour of Trinity College and went into their old library to see some ancient manuscripts, including The Book of Kells. I was especially awed by the Long Hall, where thousands of old books and manuscripts are held. It was beautiful and smelled perfectly of old books. There were actually some students wearing gloves and masks looking at some of the books on a corner, which was cool to see. Also housed in this room was the oldest harp in the country -- this is the one depicted on some euro coins as well as in the Guinness logo. (funny story -- Guinness trademarked the logo before the government, so on the euro the harp had to be depicted backwards!) After Trinity, I continued to the National Library where there was an exhibition on W. B. Yeats. I especially liked the section discussing his writings in theater (of course!) I then went next door to the National Museum of History and Archeology to view the “bog bodies.” These are human remains from as long ago as 200 B.C.E. that were found naturally preserved in Ireland’s bogs. While none are complete, there were some amazing remains – a couple of the bodies had their skin still intact, although now it is black and rubbery! ANYWAY, I had a little extra time yesterday afternoon, so I sought out the Irish Jewish Museum (yes, it exists!) It is setup in an old row house that housed one of Ireland’s first synagogues upstairs. I thought the sanctuary was really cool. Once I finished my touring, I picked up a few souvenirs, had fish n’ chips at Leo Burdocks (which wasn’t as good as that here in Galway at McDonaghs), and headed up to meet my bus. I definitely feel accomplished in all that I did in two days!

I am happy to say that mom arrived this morning! We are headed out for the day – I will try to post pics and video from Dublin tonight!