July 18 (Part the Second) through July 20 (Days 38 through 40)

Day 38: So, after writing my last post....I walked down to Eyre Square, where I sat and ate some Revels and wrote in my journal until it was time to get on the train. Let it be known that train is now my favorite mode of travel. I can read and sleep and whatever without getting sick, and I'm not 30,000 feet in the air. Train wins. Three hours later, we were in Dublin. We went to our hostel, and I was in a six person room with five other girls from CEA. Then we went out for the night to Temple Bar in Temple Bar. Yeah. Temple Bar is the world-famous pub district, and then there's the Temple Bar Pub in it. Craziness. I didn't bring my camera for our night out, but when pics start going up on Facebook from others, I'll grab some.

We're here! Cool CEA folks....

Our hostel.

I'm a Dubliner now! Hopefully happier than Joyce's....

Day 39: Woke up bright and early, and headed to Trinity College for a tour, which included going into the old library (old as in before America (as we know it) was around) and seeing the Book of Kells.

The front gates of the college....ya know, it's pretty sweet, but you have to be a little bit conflicted about being here, given its history (i.e. it being an establishment of Elizabeth I's, as part of her Anglicization of Ireland project....yar).

St. Ann's in the distance, off of Grafton Street. Ya know, I didn't think of it initially, but as Eric pointed out to me....it's interesting how you can see Anglo influences on the architecture in this city.

Our guide around campus.

The tower in the central square.

Thought this was a nifty-looking building....

Then it was a short break - on Alli's recommendation, I went back to Temple Bar and grabbed a bite to eat at the Badass Cafe and wandered around for a bit. We saw Anton Chekhov's Three Sisters at the Abbey Theatre that afternoon, and then, courtesy of CEA, had a lovely meal. Lovely, as in 30 euros plus lovely. I had the best salmon I've tasted yet (which came, of course, with potatoes, as well as veggies) and chocolate cake. So good.

The theatre, before the play started....I thought it was a very good play, actually, and (for me) really gave a reminder about the need for purpose in life, for having something beyond ourselves to look towards, or else things are rather bleak and hopeless....

Dinner at The Shack.

Happy birthday, Anne!

Then the night was ours. No pubbing for me this round - I wanted to see more of Dublin. However, most places I would've gone in were closed by this point....but that's okay. I got to spend a few hours just wandering the sidewalks, snapping pictures, admiring city lights, eating a scone, taking the absolute longest routes possible without actually trying to....it was lovely.

Daniel O'Connell, on O'Connell Street....

Plaque commemorating participants in the 1916 Easter Rising. There's a bronze statue of Cuchulainn above it, who, in Celtic mythology, fought his enemies to the death (they were scared to approach his body, even, until ravens settled on it, due to his fierceness). The seven names are the seven who signed the proclamation for the Irish Republic, which was read outside this building (the main post office) in April of 1916. I like this picture, because it gives words from the proclamation about the people of Ireland and the right to their own nation (think Declaration of Independence), and you can see reflections of today's Irishers walking the streets of Dublin in the glass as I took the picture, the direct beneficiaries of this....

Walking the streets of Dublin.

Sunset over Ha'penny Bridge (you used to have to pay a half-penny to use it).

Lovely place to have a scone, ja?

Here I go again, on my own / Down the only road I've ever known....sorry, doesn't really apply, lol....I just have Whitesnake stuck in my head today, apparently.

Standing in a doorway to....somewhere. : ) It was just standing there in the middle of a cobblestoned square.

Yay, Wolfe Tone!

I'm such a poli-sci geek somedays....the Taoiseach's building....

....and the gates outside it.

The streets of Dublin at night.

Me on the streets of Dublin at night (gosh, I'm getting creative with these photo titles).

Giant cathedral along the streets of Dublin (do I just like saying "the streets of Dublin"?).

'Kay, when I took this picture, I had Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" stuck in my head....Strangers waiting, up and down the boulevard / Their shadows searching in the night / Streetlight people, living just to find emotion / Hiding, somewhere in the night....

So I never actually went to this particular pub, but the name's appropriate.... : )

Street musicians and dancing in Temple Bar....

The Temple Bar of Temple Bar, with a pic of Sir William Temple. Didn't go in Saturday night, but here's where I was on Friday....

By Ha'Penny Bridge....we were staying about a block away from the other side of it, overlooking the river. Well, our room was overlooking some back alleys and rooftops, but hey.... : )

The bridge....isn't it lovely?

Down by the river....

Day 40: The Guinness Storehouse. Seriously. St. James' Gate, Dublin. This was a field trip, folks, paid for by my study abroad program. Anyways....yep. Learned about the making of Guinness, and had a complimentary pint at the top. Well....I had a sip of my pint and passed it along to willing hands. I had my full pint of Guinness my first night in Galway - no need to repeat it. : ) Not a Guinness gal....however, I will say that I think it's true that it tastes better the closer you get to the Storehouse. And the bar was pretty sweet....seventh floor, with an almost 360 degree view of surrounding Dublin through glass walls. Think Space Needle. Anyways, that was fun.

Our tour guide, starting us off by telling us about the 9,000 year lease. The shrewd Arthur Guinness negotiated a 9,000 year lease, for 45 pounds sterling a year....needless to say, they've got some time left on it.

At the bottom of the world's tallest pint glass....can you still call it a pint if it could hold thousands of them?

In case you were wondering....

Pretty....

Our whole group.

A new DIY? ; )

The "tasting lab." Apparently, there's a proper way to do beer tastings, I learned....

The Guinness toucan, suspended in midair.

Welcome to the Storehouse (though these aren't the actual casks....lol).

Gravity Bar, up on the seventh floor. That's a few of our group on the left there....

He traced a little shamrock in it....(is it really touristy to take a picture of your beer?)

View from the top.

Me and my pint, of which I had one sip....

Self-explanatory.

Then back to the train, and on to Galway again.

Joe and Annie.

Caitlyn, Meghan, and Lauryn.

Sam and I (and Joe's finger....I did that so many times when I first got this camera!).

Late addition to the day: the timestamp on this post will be early evening, as that's when I wrote this. However, there is now more to add, late into the night hours....tonight was the Macnas Parade of the Galway Arts Festival. It was slightly creepy, very crazy, and overall, rather cool, I thought, in a different sort of way. It kind of told a story....looking it up online, I saw that the woman who choreographed this performance/parade meant it to be for Halloween, but then when the Festival hadn't made their plans yet, they decided to do it here, and at night (I guess it's usually in the day). Oh, and the title of it was 'Apocolopolis.' Meant to sound like what it sounds like....

For more info: The Galway Advertiser. I'll just put all the pics in quick succession without captions....what more could I, uh, say?














Cheers!

Shannon

Me by the Ha'Penny Bridge in Dublin; a bit of Macnas (yes, it is immensely weird....but cool at the same time), and that's Caitlyn by me.