#FlashbackFriday - Dublin, July 2011
Every so often I realize something completely obvious. Traveling is boring. Not "travel"--going somewhere that isn't home, but "traveling"--the actual getting-there part. Sitting still on a plane for hours is dull. As are long layovers in random airports, where even wandering and shopping isn’t fun, because you’re lugging around a heavy carry-on. When they eventually invent teleportation technology I'll be first in line.
Fortunately, Ireland was worth the aggravation. I stayed at the dorms at Trinity College in Dublin, which is available for summer tourists for a very reasonable price. The rooms are dorm-like, small, and clean. It automatically was a step up from some places I've stayed in the past just because the nice young man from the visitor's office carried my suitcase up the stairs to my room for me. The greatest point of my room, however, was the bathroom, which was so small that sitting on the toilet required me to wedge my legs under the sink. Imagine if I were tall?
The main thing everyone told me about Ireland is that I shouldn't expect good weather, even in the summer. My friend Ron (who comes every summer) told me that he doesn't even bother to bring short-sleeved shirts anymore. Well, everyone LIED. The first few days were sunny and in the mid-70s and GORGEOUS! I picked up lunch and ate in St. Stephen's Green (a big park) and, apparently, everyone else in Dublin had exactly the same idea. We all soaked up the sun and listened to the music from the bandstand.
Despite a distinct lack of sleep, I tried to embrace Dublin the first day. I walked to the park, then to the National Museum Archaeology branch where I learned more than I had ever planned about things like Vikings, ancient Ireland, and bodies mummified by peat bogs. I probably would have gotten more out of the museum if there hadn't been about 10 different tour groups of teenagers, each speaking a different language at a higher decibel range than the last. I think I heard more world languages than English in the museum, a welcome reminder that a great museum is open to all, but a little tough on the eardrums.
From the museum, I walked down the road to the National Library, passing a huge political rally regarding the economy of Ireland. It helps to know a little about the current events situation wherever you visit, and moments like this often bring them into focus.
In the library they had a fascinating exhibit about William Butler Yeats (among other things, he was in love with a woman named Maud Gonne, who wouldn't marry him. Eventually he discovered that she had two illegitimate children with another man. He was kind of an uncle to the kids, but when the girl grew up he eventually proposed to her, too. She ALSO turned him down). You never know what you might learn, and I have a fondness for salacious historic stories. To stay in the literary spirit, I followed my library visit with a walk to Merrion Square (park), where a statue of Oscar Wilde looks saucily across the street to his childhood home. Wilde wrote one of my favorite lines ever from a play "It's impossible to eat muffins in an agitated manner," (The Importance of Being Earnest) and his general words of wisdom (supposedly his last words were "either the wallpaper goes, or I do") always amuse me. As many of his quotations are listed around the statue, I soaked up a little of his wisdom. (On the other hand, I also picked up a biography of his wife while in Dublin and learned that he was a dreadful husband. Constance: The Tragic and Scandalous Life of Mrs. Oscar Wilde by Franny Moyle)
The next morning I started with one of the top sites on my list, the Book of Kells and Trinity Library. The Book of Kells is actually 4 books, the Gospels of John, Matthew, Mark and Luke, which were copied and illuminated at a monastery in Kells around the year 800. The art of the books, both full-page illustrations and illuminated letters, is astounding. I was also proud to be able to translate the word "scribe" to "sofer" for some Israeli tourists.
The main goal of my visit, however, was the Long Room at Trinity Library. If you ever want to know what my view of heaven is, visit the Trinity Library and then add a few more comfy chairs, a cuddy cat, and a cup of tea. This is the library that they modeled the Hogwarts Library in the Harry Potter films after. It is gorgeous, with arching ceilings and individual niches lined floor to ceiling with old books. Of course, they don't allow photos, so I can't share it with you. Just try to picture it for yourself.
They also had an exhibit about early/Victorian medicine in Ireland. Being a doctor's child I'm appropriately...squeamish. Let's just say that I don't recommend reading the letter written by the woman who had a mastectomy done--without anaesthetic. Ergh.
I spent the afternoon on a Hop-on, Hop-off bus tour of Dublin. I had a lovely guide for most of it, saucy enough that when he was discussing the statue of Molly Malone (of "Cockles and Muscles" fame) he discussed her probable evening job--leading to people referring to her as "the dish with the fish" and "the tart with the cart".
The more educational part of the afternoon was spent at Kilmainham Gaol, a famous, now empty, jail with a rather storied history. It was founded as a reformer jail, very different from most of Europe's prisons at the time. The goal was to reform the criminals so they wouldn't be repeat offenders. However, the jail is mostly famous for all of the political prisoners it held at different points in time, particularly those who fought for Irish self-rule against the English. One of the saddest stories is that of James Plunkett of the 1916 rebellion, who was allowed to marry his sweetheart Grace Gifford the night before he was executed by firing squad. The Gaol gave me a great sense of Irish history from the first rebellion in 1791, through the potato famine, and into the 1920s. Again, learning about the history of wherever you are travelling can add a fascinating perspective to your travels. You never know what you might discover.
What are you looking to learn?