Dublin (Days 13-19)

How lucky am I to say that this was my second time in Dublin this year?! Over spring break, a small group of Furman students and I took a trip to Northern Ireland with the Cothran center, and we stopped into Dublin for less than a day to fly home. I absolutely loved what I saw of Dublin, and I was so disappointed that I couldn't spend more time there (especially since we were there only a couple of days before St. Patrick's Day). When I learned that I would get to come back to Dublin for a week as a part of this trip, I was so thrilled!

My time in Dublin did not disappoint. I definitely experienced a bit of whiplash coming from the tiny, quaint Stratford to such a metropolitan city, but I loved being back in the hustle and bustle of city life. Dublin reminds me a lot of NYC. The buildings are not as big and tall but, like New York, dozens of accents and languages muddle together on the busy streets and restaurants featuring a wide variety of cuisines line the sidewalks.

We stayed in the dorms at Trinity College, a college known throughout Ireland and the rest of the world for producing celebrated alumni such as Oscar Wilde, Bram Stoker, and Samuel Beckett, and also for housing the Book of Kells, the oldest known illuminated manuscript. As much as I loved my house in Stratford, it was such a treat to stay in these facilities. And it was nice having a really large room all to myself!

For this part of the trip, we spent most of our days taking trips to nearby attractions and our nights out enjoying the incredible Dublin night life. I remember walking down the street at around 9 pm with some friends and being pleasantly surprised to find that many other people were still out, a stark contrast to the much quieter Stratford. I made so many fun memories with my friends during our nights in Dublin! It is such a great city for young people, and Trinity College is right in the middle of all the fun.

The first day trip we took was to Kilmainham Gaol. This is a really interesting old jail in Dublin. I learned a lot about Irish history through my visit to the jail. I would definitely recommend it to anyone visiting Dublin.

Later we took a trip to the Hill of Tara and Newgrange. Both featured beautiful views of the patchwork Irish fields I love so much. They're both ancient burial sites that are shrouded in mystery, myth, and legend. If you're interesting in the religious history of Ireland- the way Irish culture radically changed with the introduction of Christianity centuries ago- then you should definitely visit these places. The blend of pagan tradition and Christianity is unlike anything we have in the states.

Newgrange is especially cool because it is something of an architectural phenomenon. It's a huge structure that opens up to a cave-like tomb. Much like Stone Henge, it is unclear how anyone in these ancient times could have engineered such a structure. It also features mysterious spiral images engraved on the walls. I've never seen Stone Henge, but I can't imagine it could be cooler (especially since Newgrange is even older!).

The weather every day in Dublin has been sunny and warm. I was especially glad of that the day we went to Powerscourt and Glendalough and Wicklow National Park. Powerscourt features some of the most gorgeous gardens I've ever seen! There was an elaborate Italian garden, a Japanese garden, a hidden Rapunzel-like tower, and winding paths through lush forests. 

That same day we headed over to Glendalough and Wicklow National Park, another gorgeous place to walk and wander. This used to be the site of a monastery and still boasts an impressive tower that can be seen for miles. There is a stunning lake a beautiful mountains for hours of hiking.

We also took day trips to Carlingford and the Cooley Peninsula, County Louth, and the Irish National Stud horse museum and garden.

And we saw another fabulous play while in Dublin: George Bernard Shaw's Heartbreak House at the historic Abbey Theatre. It was completely different from the shows we'd seen in Stratford, especially since it was done on a proscenium as opposed to a thrust. But I loved it!

As you can tell from this lengthy post (sorry), we did quite a lot during our week in Dublin! Much hiking, exploring, shopping, pub-hopping, and bonding. Which is exactly how Dublin should be conquered!

For the next month-ish we'll be taking much shorter trips around the British Isles before setting in London for a couple of months. Which means... Shorter and more frequent blog posts! Hooray! As always, thank you for reading and for joining me on my adventures. Until next time!