Last night the parties and pubs were lively until late, but in the morning, Dublin was blissfully quiet and I had a long rest in. When I was up and about, I discovered that pushing the shower knob to the “off” position did not render the expected result. I had to call the front desk for assistance. Everything after that was pretty smooth sailing.
I walked to the tourism office, which has a statue of Molly Malone outside.
I remember singing an Irish ballad about Patrick O’Leary and Molly Malone, but I don’t know if it’s related to this stacked and stunning statue. At the tourism office I purchased a ticket for a day trip to the Cliffs of Moher (tomorrow–tune in then for the excruciating details). After that I was at liberty and walked around Trinity College. Here is Burke standing guard at the gate.
He can probably kill us with his brain.
The campus is beautiful as expected, with perfect green grass and grey stone work. Inside a courtyard is this stunner. No particular reason that I could see. Just because, you know, Europe.
The main draw for me was the section of the college’s library that houses the Book of Kells, which is a somewhat ancient Christian text (9th century). Of course no photos were allowed, but picture a beautifully illustrated Latin calligraphy of the New Testament. The book was oversized, with wide margins and relatively large type. I don’t know any Latin (my school cancelled the Latin classes the year before I enrolled; such is my luck), so I could get only an aesthetic sense of it, and that was enough.
Also in the library is the long room, which is a two-story masterpiece of accumulated literature.
Each alcove had its own bust and staircase, one of which was spiral.
I mean really now Ireland is just showing off.
Let’s look at some of the heads.
Shakespeare, of course.
Bill and Ted’s main man, So-crates.
And Cicero, who, if my memory serves, got so mad that Cleopatra didn’t follow through on a promised book loan that he slandered her for years until he died.
This man was serious about books.
The St. Patrick’s Cathedral, like many places of interest in Dublin, was close at hand.
It’s even more impressive on the inside, with the expected stained glass, but also many memorials, such as this one from the Great War.
There is also a bust of Jonathan Swift, of Gulliver’s Travels and “A Modest Proposal” fame. Swift was active in this church and gave many sermons. The bust was donated by a Mr. Faulkner (relation to William unknown).
I sort of imagined him as a long, lanky man with eyes a bit too large and fingers a bit too long, but maybe that’s Ichabod Crane I’m thinking of.
Just down the road is Christchurch Cathedral, which was closed for the day but had its courtyard open.
The view from the other side reveals some food stands.
Honestly I think they have the right idea. I’d be at church more if there were crepes.
On the other side of the cathedral is a beautiful memorial for those who died in the Armenian genocide.
Around the corner I found my demon.
He even LOOKS like he’s singing the Police’s “Every Breath You Take.”
Time for some shepherd’s pie, my friends. It is definitely time for shepherd’s pie.
I did see one more relic from the past–
That’s right, Tower Records, in the flesh. If Dublin wasn’t so torn up with preparation for the light rail, I would have crossed the street to peek inside this blast from the past. But as it is I’m not quite up to crossing against lights and jumping fences. Tower and I are two records spinning in different directions.
This evening’s entertainment included the stage play Once, based on the 2007 Oscar winning movie. If you haven’t seen the movie, consider watching it or just giving up on cinema all together.
Before the play and during intermission, the stage turned into a bar and audience members went on up to cure what ails them. They had no vodka (an upsetting trend in Dublin), but don’t worry. I made it work.
According to the sign, this is the only stage bar in Dublin.
The show itself worked really well on stage. It moved a little faster than the movie, but the songs were just as powerful and the main characters just as compelling.
Tomorrow I am taking a bus to the cliffs.
I am reading The Night Manager by le Carré and Winter by Marissa Meyer.
paralyzedbynotcaring 