Happy Mother's Day, Mom! I miss you tons and can't wait to see you!! I hope you enjoy these pictures of Ireland, and one day we'll take you horseback riding here.
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April 24-27
Last stop on the UK Spring Break adventure: Dublin!
Dublin is a pretty small city. This random pole is in the center of everything. It doesn't seem to have a name (the locals refer to it as "that pole" or "the tall pointy thing", and the meaning of the monument is not entirely clear. There isn't a plaque to explain it, but I think a tour guide mentioned it was built for the new millennium, but the exact purpose is unknown by all.
Our hostel was right near the main street of town, lined with big retail shops and street performers. There was also a statue of my nemesis (just kidding...but he did cause trouble for me on a final paper) James Joyce.
Here's another shot of the pole thing. It's insanely tall.
Both the hostel and the museum were full of vikings.
Brian Boru and St. Patrick
"Lego Land"
Jonathan Swift and eating babies!
Dublin seems surprisingly young. In the early 2000s, lots of tech companies were based there. Certain areas of the city are sketchy, and others are "trendy," with local coffee shops, vintage stores, American candy stores, flea market inside bars, and random "free speech" experiments.
Viking duck tours
Trinity College
Unfortunately did not make it inside the National Leprechaun Museum, but frolicking around it was entertaining.
The Church Bar? That's a first...
The highlight of Ireland was definitely the day trip that we took to the Cliffs of Moher.
It was a sunny, windy day. Walking along the cliffs was exhilarating. The colors were incredibly vivid: spring green, sky blue, slate gray, earthy browns.
The bus took us to another location, where we were able to actually climb on the rocky cliffs and get a bit closer (but not too close!) to the edge.
It kind of felt like being on the moon.
We walked through a tiny town. It was weird to see the same chains of stores all the way out in this town in the middle of nowhere.
We stopped in this church for a minute. The choir was rehearsing, accompanied by what sounded like an entire orchestra to fill up the echoing space.
Mer-horses!
Another thing I liked about Dublin was the live music every night. My friends tried Guinness, and they are now scarred for life. We sat in a dim pub, surrounded by laughter and friendly people. (The high level of friendliness also came as a surprise...maybe I've been in New York too long?) The music started, and people would join in on songs, clap the intricate rhythm to one song that everyone seemed to know, and stomp their feet.
I can't believe I was there just two weeks ago. It feels like it happened months ago. Back to studying for finals, and in another two weeks, I will be off on another adventure with my sister.
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