Last Wednesday night a group of us travelled to Dublin in order to see some of the more touristy sites that we were unable to during Orientation. We were incredibly fortunate to be able to spend the night at the Four Seasons hotel, thanks to Brianna’s uncle who was in town on business. It was definitely the nicest hotel I’ve ever stayed in! Thanks to the amazing room, delicious breakfast, and relaxing spa, we all had a wonderful time and hated to leave in the morning. We went out to dinner in the Temple Bar district, where I experimented with a goat cheese soufflé (aren’t you proud, family?!) that was very tasty. Afterwards we found ourselves in the Temple Bar, where we enjoyed the best traditional music I’ve heard since arriving in Ireland. After a pint of Guinness I returned to the hotel, where to my amazement, the Penguins were on tv! We won, capping off a wonderful day J
On Thursday we checked out of the hotel and made our way to our hostel for the next two nights. Considering our accommodation for the previous night, we were just a little bit depressed ha. After dropping off our bags, we walked down the infamous O’Connell Street and into the southern part of the city (which is split in two by the River Liffey). The only thing on the agenda for the day was a ghost tour on the Gravedigger bus! The guides were great, portraying different characters from Dublin’s history (plague victim, grave robber etc.). We were definitely entertained (and maybe a little scared) and had an all-around great time! After the ghost bus, we ventured back to Temple Bar, where once again we heard some fantastic trad music.
On Friday morning our group added another, when Brianna’s boyfriend, Sean, arrived from the US. The four of them began their day touring Trinity College and looking at the Book of Kells. Meanwhile, since I had already done both of those activities, I went over to the nearby Museum of Natural History and Archaeology. I was being a typical tourist, snapping away with my camera, until I noticed just before leaving that cameras weren't allowed. Oops! One of the main attractions of the museum are bog bodies, which were kept intact in Ireland’s numerous bog lands and preserved incredibly well for hundreds of years. After meeting back up with the group at Trinity, we all hopped on one of the red double-decker sightseeing buses. Just like the bus I had taken my first day in Dublin way back in January, this bus lets you hop on and off wherever you want in the city. We took the bus to Kilmainham Gaol (jail), which had been at the top of my must-see list for some time. Erected in 1787, the jail has played an integral part in Ireland’s history, especially during its civil war. The tour was incredibly interesting, and it was hard to try to picture people living in the conditions described by our guide. The museum inside the jail was also very enlightening, and my criminal justice nerdiness took over a bit at this point. Unfortunately since we were on the last tour of the day museum was closed when we finished and I was only able to see half of it. I think I will be returning in the very near future! Once again we concluded our day in the pubs, first at The Brazen Head (Dublin’s oldest pub) and then back to Temple Bar.
We began Saturday by hopping back on the tour bus and taking it to Christchurch Cathedral. The history and design of the building is amazing! Relics lined the walls (just like at St. Patrick;s down the road) as well as the crypt (basement). Included in the gallery are costumes from the show The Tudors, which used the cathedral for numerous scenes. I want to watch that show even more now! Next, Ashlee and I went to St. Michan’s, which is the oldest parish church in Dublin. Aside from being ridiculously old, it is home to some mummies! Our small tour group (last one of the day, so lucky!) ventured into the super creepy crypt, where we were given a history of some of the families who are interred there. At the conclusion we were allowed to touch a finger on each hand of an 800 year-old Crusader mummy! Supposedly, doing so brings luck, so we shall see J
Following St. Michan’s we toured the Jameson whiskey distillery. I thought it was a really cool tour (not as much info shoved down your throat, like at Guinness), although I wish I had volunteered to be a tester (I failed you, Rick Steves!). After Jameson’s, we walked back across the river and over to Dublin Castle. We didn’t take the official tour (it was too late by this point), but just walked around enjoying the architecture and An Garda Síochána memorial garden. Our last stop of the day brought us to City Hall, another beautifully-designed building.
Our trip to Dublin was packed with great sites and good craic! I hope to find myself in the charming city once more before I leave to visit some of the places I haven’t yet (and the jail again). Thanks for reading!
Click here for pictures from our Dublin weekend!
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