Dublin

Went to Dublin with Kat, Laura, Leah and Leah’s USian friend Kate who had crossed the pond to visit her (originally it was Leah and Kate going on the trip, the rest of us just kind of crashed it). We left London Thursday evening and after a whole bunch of delays on Ryanair’s side (you get what you pay for, i.e. not much), we got to the hostel well after midnight. It was a bit of a hassle getting to bed, we had chosen to stay in an 18 bed dorm, and entering in the middle of the night without putting on the light or waking anyone is quite hard, especially when you have to make your bed in addition to everything else. But we managed in the end!

On Friday Kat and I left the others to do the main sightseeing while we met up with Claudine, a friend of Kat’s, who gave us the grand tour of Trinity College, including a free visit to see the Book of Kells (which is really a highly overpriced adventure when you consider that all you’re really going to see is a tiny, old book). The book in itself was less impressive, but the gigantic old library upstairs was gorgeous and definitely worth a visit or two! After eating lunch at the local art gallery, Kat and I drifted towards Grafton Street and the shopping area, resulting in a new dress for both of us. A very successful venture.

I almost forgot, but before meeting up with Claudine we walked around St. Stephen's Green, a small park area in the middle of Dublin. It was gorgeous! A lovely, lovely park with trees and lakes and ducks and wonderfulness. The sun was out and the flowers were in bloom, and the nature-photographer in me was on a madness induced rampage. Fun fun!

 

On Friday we ate breakfast together with the rest of the girls, then we went off on our own again to do the sightseeing they had done the day before. Our destination of the day was the old Kilmainham Gaol, which was about half an hour’s walk from our hostel. On the way we checked out Dublin castle, Christ Church Cathedral and St. Patrick’s Cathedral, all magnificent buildings.

 

The old gaol only did viewing by tour, and when we arrived the next available one was two hours away, so we bought our tickets and then made our way towards the Museum of Modern Arts, which was just across the road. We didn’t spend very much time inside the museum itself, but they had a gorgeous formal garden with hedges and flowers (think Alice in Wonderland), and the weather was nice and warm so we spent the most of our time laying on the grass out there, just enjoying the view and the sun.

Back to the gaol, we received a one hour long tour that included the history of both the building and modern Ireland. It was very interesting. We saw how the jail had been built and the guide told us all about the thought behind it, how certain parts were built in certain ways to enhance the view of the guards, etc. I especially liked the large Victorian part of the jail, which was stunning.

 

Being rather exhausted after all our walking, we made our way back to the hostel once we finished the tour. After a quick dinner at the closest restaurant we napped and rested for a while, before heading out to sample the Irish nightlife. It was… interesting. Met many very strange people, but it was good fun. Although if I never hear the question “So, where are you from?” again it will be too soon. I know people are just interested, but after having answered it and had the following conversation about Norway and how I come to be in Dublin and oh, I study in London? about fifty times it does become a bit annoying. Oh well, that’s travelling for you!

On Saturday Kat and I spent the morning wandering around a bit before settling down in St. Stephen’s Green to enjoy the sun before heading for our bus to the airport. All in all the trip was a great success, although sadly we found no leprechauns. Maybe next time!