I'm awfully sorry for not posting in ages, but it's been extra cray cray around here lately. I spooooose I'll start with Halloween. A few of us from the flat went out to the campus club (Tutu's) again. It was really quite fun but we had to stand outside in the freeze for about 45 minutes before, which was not the greatest. Anyway, I went as a crayon, Laura Cross (NOT America) was Medusa, Vicky: the girl from The Ring, and Neil & Jeev: mummies. Even though Neil's not in this picture, trust me, Jeev's costume was better as he had spent a ridiculous amount of time putting on makeup. Laura was literally terrified of him and shrieked anytime he looked at her, which was a lot because Jeev is a bit of a laugh. We got back at about 3:30.
Vicky and I had to be on the bus at 5:50 am to get to the Liverpool Street Station to get a train to go to Stansted Airport. It was much easier to get to this airport than to Luton, so I was tremendously pleased. We arrived without any hiccups, except when we got on the train and then we found out that they were switching which one was going to Stansted and everyone on the train sprinted to the other platform as they didn't announce the change until about 5 minutes before it was meant to pull away.
After landing in Dublin, Vicky and I managed to figure out the best way to reach City Centre and then found our hostel after being misdirected about three times. So, we had already managed to see a great deal of Dublin's shopping district (Henryl Street) by the time we actually found our hostel. We pretty much set down our bags and then went back out. We ended up stopping at "The Earl" to have some luscious Irish bread/scones. After the Earl we set onto the main street to look for some random sights we
had seen on one of our free maps. We looked at the James Joyce Centre, the Writers Museum, and a few other places before ending up at the Dublin City Gallery: The Hugh Lane (and when I say that we looked at those places, I mean it--because we looked at them and then, when we saw they charged for admission, peaced. Luckily, the Dublin City Gallery cost nothing.) The Gallery was nice, but since we were so exhausted, it was a bit difficult. I felt like I would faint a few times, but it was all good in the hood. My favorite painting was by George Russell (a.k.a. Ae), but I can't remember what it was called. I just spent like 20 minutes trying to find it online, but to no avail. Oh well, tharrr she blows! It's also currently my phone's background, but when I get back to my Umrickan phone, methinks it'll be lost forever. Best to document it now.
Everyone wins. After the gallery, Vicky and I went to this lovely Memorial garden across the way and enjoyed the glorious weather for a bit before continuing on to wherever the wind took us, à la Pocahontas. We ended up just going wherever our tourist map made it look like was relatively close. Being my mother's daughter, I pretty much led Vicky to a church that was nearby. Alas! The "Black" Church was all boarded up and kind of strange, so we went on to try to find Dublin's oldest existing Georgian residential street: Henrietta Street (1730). It was quite a strange sight to behold. From the outset it looked really beautiful, but as we continued down the road we realized that nearly all of the homes were abandoned. I couldn't imagine that ever happening in the U.S. They all had so much potential, it really seemed silly to let them grow into ruin. This photo also shows Dublin's lamp posts, which I loved so well. We walked under the arches (part of the King's Inns) at the far end of the picture and exited onto another lovely park. We were going to sit for a bit but the benches were damp, and so we trudged on. We walked through some relatively
sketchy bits of the city on our way to see the Old Jameson Distillery and the Chimney Viewing Tower (built 1895). Both were on the map. Both cost money, but it was interesting to see the outside, I spose. We then walked on to the National Museum of Ireland, which is set up in Collins Barracks (1704). You could absolutely tell that you were in a military building, what with the massive courtyard and undecorated edifices. We went through the two fashion exhibits, which always seems to interest us. The museum had a special exhibit on Neillí Mulcahy, who was a leading Irish haute couture designer in the 1950s and 60s. (I've just spent 5 minutes looking for information on her online, but they are all in reference to the current exhibit..) We also went through some of the Celtic art exhibit on our way out. After we left, we tried to go to Pheonix Park, because I felt (and, indeed, still do feel) certain that someone had told me to be sure to not miss it while there. Sadly, we walked inside at about 4:45 pm, and someone in a truck down one of the pathways started yelling at us. We couldn't understand and so kept walking. He yelled again. We stopped and stared. He called again. "You need to leave. We're closing." Sheepishly we exited stage left. We walked all the way back across the city to get back to our hostel where we sat in the common room for about 30 minutes watching The Simpsons before going out for dinner. This was after we introduced ourselves to our roommates. The interaction follows:
Me: Hi. I'm Jessica, and this is Vicky.
French Representative of the other Six People in Our Room: Okay.
Oh well. I insisted on Vicky trying fish and chips while we were in Ireland since she hadn't tried them at all and when I was in Galway I had had such delicious ones. I wish I hadn't, as the place we went had the blandest cod I've ever tried. Swing and a miss. We'll get it right at some point, though. I'm determined.
The next day we set off at about 9 am and went to Malahide ("Home of Eric Crampton's Pottery Shop"! No joke. That's what it says on the "Welcome to Malahide Sign.") Why there? Well, (besides the pottery shop,) I had texted my friend, Lili, who loved Dublin to see where I must go while there and she said Malahide, just for the gardens and the Guinness Factory. We took the train there and then walked to the castle and got a bit lost on the grounds before asking one of the many joggers to point us in the correct direction. We managed to find it! Sadly, however, the gardens are only open May to September. And, though I know it's been eons since I last posted anything substantial, I've most
certainly done so since September. We were out of luck. We ended up walking back to the train station and looking at the visitor's map for a bit before deciding to go for a stroll down the beach, as Malahide is a coastal town. I really liked that bit. It's been so long since I've seen blue water... True, I walk along the Thames daily, but it's a mud based river. What does that mean for the color? It means brown. Also, it looked exactly how I wanted Irish waters to look. So, I was satisfied. Hopefully you are too. We walked for a little before heading on back towards the train to the city to get on with the day. Once we reached the city, Vicky and I walked to Trinity College to see what there was to be seen. We almost didn't go into the library because there was such a long line, but then we saw that we could get a tour and go into the library for 10€.
So, we got a lovely tour from Kieran, a second year student at the college and also saw the Book of Kells in the library, which was really quite extraordinary. The library on campus shelves books based on their dimensions, which is really foolish considering the brilliance of the Dewey Decimal system, or really any system other than that one. But Kieran assured us that they have another off-campus facility with millions of books because Trinity gets a copy of every book published in Ireland, which is pretty baller if you ask me. Also, they have this stupendous scholar system where if you take a test (and pass, of course) you get one three course meal every day and the university pays for your housing and schooling. It really seems like a fantastic program. Kieran, unfortunately, had not passed the exam. In the photo: on the far right is the chapel, which looks the exact same as the exam hall (the pillar of which is on the left). Kieran told us we needn't take more than one picture since they are identical. Pwahaha. (They often call the German architect, one of the laziest as he used the same design for two buildings and never even came to see the work completed.) Kieran also said that on exam day, it's quite convenient to be able to come directly out of the chapel to walk straight into the exam hall. He was really quite amusing, but I felt badly for him since they weren't guffaw-worthy jokes. They were quiet, heavy exhale jokes that make you smile. Back to the Book of Kells! It's a lavishly decorated illuminated manuscript of the four gospels written in Latin. It's been associated with Colum Cille (521/2) in Donegal (represent that heritage!) The Book probably dates from the early 9th century and may have begun on Iona, which is where the Vikings landed to found Ireland (in the 8th century). Anyway, the Book of Kells is extra intense because the pigments used for coloring it were imported from the Mediterranean
region and Northern Afghanistan so that the pages could have lapis lazuli, red and yellow ochre, green copper, and indigo. It was really beautiful. After we left Trinity, we walked down the road a bit to Christ Church Cathedral (on the right), which is the oldest building in Dublin. Though originally a Catholic Church, Henry VIII changed it into an Anglican one, so Vicky and I were able to attend an Evensong service instead of paying to go inside. While we waited for the Evensong hour, however, we walked down the street to St. Patrick's Cathedral, which is the second oldest in Dublin. According to tradition, Saint Patrick's was erected on the site where the Saint himself baptized the first Irish Christians in a well from the River Poddle, which still flows beneath the site
(which I don't really understand, but whatever...). The tomb of Dean Jonathan Swift of Gulliver's Travels fame is inside. It also cost money to get in there, so Vicky and I opted to just enjoy the lovely park outside. (By the way, the photo on the right, since you probably can't read it, says: "Near here is the reputed site of the well where St. Patrick baptised many of the local inhabitant in the fifth century A.D.)We ended up walking back towards Christ Church only to realize that we were still about 2 hours too early, so we set in search of some eats. We ended up getting some Persian food, because why not get Persian food in Ireland? When we finished we still had a bit of time to kill so we walked around the area and stumbled upon Dublin Castle, which wasn't really very much to look at but we needed SOMETHING to look at. Anyway, we walked around the
back and realized that they had painted the castle some of the most ridiculous colors so that it had lost some of its authentic castley qualities. Finally, it was time to go to Evensong, so we did just that. The singing was really beautiful. Very well done. The organ, however, could be terrifying at times. At certain moments I was actually afraid; all of the sudden, the director would let the organist let loose and (s)he would whip out something akin to Phantom of the Opera, and I just didn't know what to do except flinch. After the service ended we hot footed it over to the Guinness Factory. Luckily, Vicky and I were the last people they admitted. The factory is aesthetically amazing. It's really beautiful and you can tell that they really love their beer there. What was far more noticeable,
however, was the way that the factory worships Arthur Guinness. One of the first phrases you see after walking into the exhibit: "Centuries ago, many people were convinced that, somehow, lead could be transformed into gold. In a way, Arthur Guinness was such a man. But where others failed, he succeeded." For reals? My favorite part was where you got to see the advertising of Guinness through the years, including the bottle labels. They had a ton of information that really made you question how far idol worship should go. For example, nursing mothers and patients recovering from illness were prescribed Guinness because so many were completely convinced that Guinness was good for you. it was also offered to people who had just donated blood, was a popular alternative to a cup of tea. I didn't realize that the Guinness Book of World Records was the same Guinness. But, they are! After we enjoyed our free pint of Guinness direct from the factory, Vicky and I headed back to the hostel where we watched The Simpsons for a bit before heading out to find some pizza (or "za" as my beloved cousin John would call it). After, it was back to the room for some shut-eye.
The next day was our last in the lovely Land of Ire, so Vicky and I signed up for a tour through the countryside: Wicklow and Glendalough. It had a crazy start in terms of coincidences. When Ed, our amazing tour guide, let us off for the last restroom in town before being resigned to bushes for a few hours, Vicky and I got out with two others
(Alex and Sandi) from the van. While we walked inside, we realized that all of us were at King's College for a semester of study abroad. We also discovered that they were staying at the same hostel as us. (I actually remembered them being in the common room with us the night before.) Insane in the membrane. Anyway, we set off on the tour while Ed told us all about what we drove past. Unfortunately, the day of our tour was the worst weather we had our whole trip, so it was too foggy to see some of the sights that Ed usually points out--for example, he stopped at the top of a hill to point to the island of Iona, which I mentioned before, but it was far too foggy to see it, so on we drove. Later, we stopped at a lake where Oscar Wilde used to live for pictures. We had to walk through this makeshift path, and I, of course, stepped into a puddle of mud and soiled my white shoes. Luckily, though, I wore my leather ones and not the cloth ones--tragedy averted! As we drove on, Ed pointed out a bunch of other scenic spots. For example, he showed us the field where Braveheart was filmed (that's right, folks. It's NOT in Scotland!) as well as Lassie (2005). We drove on, past the bridge they show in P.S. I Love You (at 1:43--obi not 0:11, jokester). (P.S. P.S. I Love You was a terrible movie, and please don't go see it.) Just after we passed that bridge, we pulled over to the side of the road to see the 
Guinness Lake, called such because it looks like Guinness in terms of color and because the Guinness family has a house on it. Apparently, Michael Jackson rented it recently. I think Ed said it costs about 40,000€ per week, maybe? I'm sorry I can't remember exactly...We drove onward and stopped shortly after for some lunch. After lunch we went to Glendalough, which is Gaelic for Glen (Glen-) of Two (-da-) Lakes (-lough). Ed explained this several times for our benefit. He first led us into the monastic settlement (founded by St. Kevin
in the 6th century) where all the people lived inside the walls as a means of protection from the traders/raiders/settlers/invaders, more commonly known as Vikings. There was a great tower in the settlement from which someone would stay on guard during the summers, when Vikings did their raiding, and he would alert its inhabitants when they were seen offshore (about 40 miles from Glendalough) so that the gold could be hidden. The teenaged girls would also be hidden as they were the most desirable as slaves.
You might be able to see that the door of the tower was quite high; it was done this way so that the ladder could be kept inside and it would be more difficult for the Vikings to gain entry. The girls would be run into the forest to hide. Actually, much of the gold was buried underground and people are still digging it up today. In fact, having a metal detector is illegal unless you are working for the government because otherwise the common folk would keep it or sell it. Anyway, as we continued to walk through the monastery (and the graveyard), we went into the original church, which Henry VIII burned down because they
wouldn't convert to Anglican. He was, of course,
threatened by the Church's power if they could resist him--what would those crazy monks do next!? So, Ed pointed out the detail on the gravestones, which had the tools of Christ's crucifixion engraved into it: hammer, nails, rope, etc. Very interesting. We walked out of the roofless church and he pointed out the cross that is so common to Celtic sites. It combines the circle of Pagan religion that is meant to represent the sun as well as the cross of Christianity. Rather than forcing the people to choose one religion, this symbol incorporates both--I guess it hedged their bets.. At this point, Ed went to get the tire fixed since it was slowly losing air and pointed out to us the path to get to the two lakes of the area's name. We walked on and eventually managed to find them. It was really quite beautiful. It's easy to see why anyone would have wanted to live in Ireland or settle it.
After Ed dropped us off at the City Centre, Alex, Vicky, Sandi, and I went out to dinner and then out for drinks. Since I'm not a big fan of Guinness, which is fine because it seems all the rest of Ireland is, I opted for cider. While at the pub, we met this guy from Belfast who was so nice and gave us his email address at the hotel he runs and said he would take care of us if ever we were in the area. He also informed me that a lot of the "Irish" food cooked in America is not really Irish--case in point: corned beef. He said he had never had it before he went to New York in 1971. My life (and St. Patrick's Days) are lies. But, that will likely not stop me. He also mentioned black and white pudding--it's got blood in it--as typical Irish fare. I'm not too keen on trying it. We all walked back to the hostel together and then separated for bed. Vicky and I had to get up at 4 am to get to the airport to head off to Berlin!
I'm awfully sorry, but this is where this post ends. It's late and I don't want to give away all my lovin' at once!
