Back to Dublin: Day 26 – Ireland 2014

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4 May 2014

Early that morning, Claire followed us to the airport to drop off our grand little car, Rowan. She then graciously drove us around the Titanic Quarter one last time before taking us to the bus station. Through tears, we hugged goodbye and then got on our bus. A few hours later, we were stepping off into Dublin. There was no time to dawdle, though. We dashed over to our hotel, dropped our bags, and booked it over to Trinity College, where we were meeting with another great Titanic friend, Maggie.

Trinity College

Trinity College in Dublin has been in operation since 1592, when it was formed by royal charter. Our good friend Maggie works there and offered to give us a quick tour while we were in town. It was great! She showed us around, throwing bits of history at us as we went. There is so much to truly appreciate at Trinity, and I wish we could have spent hours with her touring the grounds and buildings. She also gave us a quick tour through St. Stephen’s Green before having to get back to work. To top it all off, she purchased tickets for us to see the Book of Kells. We are so lucky when it comes to having amazing friends!

The Book of Kells

The Book of Kells is an incredibly beautiful book containing the four Gospels. The beauty in which it is illustrated is what sets it apart from all other works. There is simply nothing like it. Pages have gone missing over the centuries, mainly in the medieval/early modern times, but it is largely intact. The pages are turned every few months or so, so going back is definitely worth it to see more of its splendor.

It was quite crowded when we went, and a huge bus full of old French ladies had just arrived, so we didn’t get to stay long to admire it. I don’t have any photos either because photography isn’t allowed, but you can see some up-close images here. From the Book of Kells, you funnel through and into the Long Room. This is practically my dream house. If allowed, I’d move in tomorrow.

National Museum of Ireland – Archaeology

If you haven’t guessed it yet, Billy and I are both huge history lovers. It’s not surprising that our next stop was the National Museum of Ireland – Archaeology. We spent well over two hours here, and to be honest, we could have stayed much longer. It’s a fascinating museum with loads to see. This was our only day to visit because the next day was a bank holiday, meaning practically EVERYTHING was closed. From ancient Celtic jewelry to Viking artifacts to bog men, this museum has much to offer. And what could possibly make it any better? It’s absolutely free.

I was rather wrapped up in what I was seeing, so I forgot to take many pictures. I’ve got to get better at that!

A few photos from our museum visit.

An Evening At The Shops

Our feet were absolutely killing us by this point, but we were determined to keep going. We spent the rest of the afternoon and evening hitting up the shops in Dublin and buying a few gifts for family back home. I picked up the most adorable wallet (which I still use), and we got a few bags of Bailey’s and Jameson chocolate truffles.

We spent a lazy night in, enjoyed the amazing bath, and instead of dinner, we ended up eating all of the chocolates we’d bought for gifts…Oops…
Cheers,
Lydia and Billy