In Dublin's Fair City...

Mom and Sam came to visit. Mom came to see a dvd called Dances of Ecstasy that we watched for a joint project for David and Deborah and then the next day came to Cullerne with me. Sam hung out at Long Meadow mostly, from what I know and took a lot of great photos that I'm sure she'll share with you all if you ask. We ate at The Blue Angel and the Kimberley and it was really nice to have them at the Park.

Thursday morning we left for Ireland. It was a long stressful day with a rough start but we got there. We arrived in Dublin around 6pm and then took a bus to Drogheda, about 30 minutes(we were told although it took longer to get there) outside of the city. Our hosts at Orley House, our B&B were quite friendly and talkative and very helpful. We ate at a nearby pub called The Black Bull the first night and then crashed for the night. Friday morning we took the bus to Newgrange to see the passage tomb there. If you don't know about it, it's older than Stonehenge and has carved granite stones, some quite elaborate(pics on picasa soon). We weren't allowed to talk photos inside, which was a shame because it was quite impressive. The passage and chamber were much smaller that I imagined and I am really curious to read about the rest of the cairn(hill). Are there more passages and chambers? What is the rest of the hill? One of the most special things about Newgrange is that on Winter Solstice, the sun illuminates the chamber. I bought a postcard of that event and will post the picture of it with the rest of my photos. We got an example of what the illumination looks like. I wish I could be there for the real thing. The only issue with the tour was how rushed it was. We stood closely together in the wind outside and heard about the site and then went into the chamber and stood there for 10 minutes and heard more about it and then were hurried out to allow for the next group. I understand the necessity, but I still wish that there had been more time, or I had taken that time to attune to the site and really be fully there. I stopped and took some time while we walked around the cairn afterwards, but it was not enough. I was going through a bit of culture shock I think.

We spent the rest of the day exploring Drogheda and shopping. Mom and I had tea at a nice Tea Room and saw parts of the old city and a gallery show of contemporary paintings, many of the city. We met up with Sam for dinner and headed back to Orley house with cheese and yogurt for a light dinner.

Saturday we hurried off to Dublin with the intention to see the Book of Kells and do some site seeing. We were all up late the night before so we opted for a more relaxed afternoon. I like Dublin. It's a beautiful city. I highly recommend it. Saturday evening we did explore Temple Bar, which is one of the "hip" parts of the city. We explored the shop and enjoyed the music and found a nice place for dinner. But it was an early night and I slept well.

Sunday we did our site seeing. We went to Dublinia, a museum about Medieval Dublin and the Vikings in Ireland--especially the Dublin area, and then went to see the Book of Kells and the Long Room at Trinity College. I found the museum really interesting and informative. I knew a lot of the general medieval information they shared but not the specifics of Dublin. I also learned a lot about Vikings, like that the term "Viking" does not apply to all Scandinavian people of that time, just to the pirate-traders, and that the hats associated with them(the ones with the horns) were just for celebrations and ceremonies. Interesting stuff. A lot about origins of words as well. We climbed a tower that looked over most of the city and were able to see all the churches and the river and the Guinness brewery, which Sam was particularly excited about. We exited through Christ Church Cathedral which was quite impressive as well.

After a quick lunch we went to Trinity College to see the Book of Kells. The books themselves were beautiful(they have two of the four on display) and the exhibit about the history and creation of the books was really interesting as well. However, my favorite part was when we went upstairs to The Long Room, which is where all the old manuscripts and books are stored. They had an exhibit of many of the botany books from the library including a plant sample collected by Charles Darwin and some of his field notes. The drawings were all beautiful, the display was nicely done and the books were beautiful. Not to mention the library! High vaulted ceilings, busts of famous men throughout history lining the ends of the stacks and beautiful leather bound books as far as the eye could see(a slight exaggeration, but the poetry is nice).

After we finished at Trinity, mom and Sam went of to Guinness and I wondered and found my way back to our hotel to have some quiet time and write some postcards. It was a lovely afternoon and exactly what I needed. I got a little schoolwork done and the postcards which was really important. When they got back, Sam and I went to dinner at The Farm, a local and organic restaurant near Grafton Street, one of the many shopping centers and the one closest to our hotel. It was reasonably priced and delicious. I had a pear and brie tart and Sam had Rosemary Chicken with stir fried root veg. It was a delicious dinner and helped ground me back into some of the stuff I've been doing this term.

Today I traveled back to the Park. It was long, but I made it. Callie and I met up at the Dublin Airport and found our way back together. We met a Colombian man visiting Scotland for the first time with a tartan viking cap and his friend wore a kilt. The rest of the trip was fairly uneventful however. And now here I am, back, a bit homesick, but ready to just back into work.

This trip really tested what I've been learning especially in terms of group dynamics and worldviews and consciousness. I'm glad to be back here with that experience so I can maybe be more prepared for "the outside world" when I come home in three weeks.