Newgrange, Book of Kells, and a Musical Pub Crawl

Today was a super busy day! In the morning, we took a bus to Newgrange. It is a huge burial ground. The really cool thing is that on the winter solstice, the sunlight comes into the chamber 20m in and illuminates the entire room. Given that this was built 500 years before the first pyramids in Egypt were built, before the wheel and horse in Ireland, it is an absolutely phenomenal creation. Additionally, the stones are from 20-70 km away and they estimate each of the 4 ton stones took 80 men 5-7 days for 3km travel. The inner room has a ceiling that is 6m high and leak proof with three small little alcoves with basins in them. It is a really cool place but a little claustrophobic as it has one entrance.

From there, we rode the bus to the National Museum where we saw four bog bodies. It is amazing how much scientists can determine from looking at these very worn remains. There were also a lot of relics, gold, and medieval artifacts in the museum. After the museum, we went to see the book of Kells at Trinity College. First we walked through an exhibit that explained what the book is, how it was made, etc. Then we got to see the book. Given its size, it has been divided into four (Mathew, Mark, Luke and John) books. The book is handwritten and features lots of beautiful pictures. In person we got to see the books of Mathew and Mark. Afterwards, we walked through the library which looks like the stereotypical university library, complete with ladders to get the really high books.

Ireland's oldest harp

We had a break so we walked around for a bit before stopping at a restaurant. I got a pot of tea there since I had seen a burrito place where I wanted dinner. Then we went to the burrito place where Kimmie and I got dinner. We then made our way to a pub in Temple Bar where we began our musical pub crawl. It was way more interesting than I was expecting as they explained the music, the instruments, and the traditions throughout the night.

Dublin Tour and Jail

Today was a great day in Dublin. We got up and had a full Irish breakfast at the hotel. Now, if you ask me, an irish breakfast is the same as an English breakfast.  There were fried eggs and tomatoes, ham, baked beans, white and black pudding, toast and jam, fruit, coffee and tea. Then ee got on the DART train to the center of Dublin. We had a three hour tour of Trinity College, a parkm and through Dublin. It was super cold and none of us were bundled up enough. At lunchtime we stopped at a restaurant called the Elephant and Castle. Hannah and I split a burger that had curried sour cream and bacon on it. Since we split it, they brought us a second bun, lrttuce, etc and since the burger was ginormius it worked well and the food was delicious. We had twenty minutes before we got on the bus so Mollie and I went shopping for souvenirs. I even found the Mangan family crest! Then, we hopped on the bus and went to Kilmainham Jail. We went on a tour around the jail where we saw jail cells, the exercise yard, and execution area. It was really interesting to see since many fighters for Irish independence were jailed and killed here. Afterwards, we walked around Dublin for a bit before dinner. We ate dinner at a pub and I was not a fan of my food, but we had fun. Finally, we hung out at the hotel for a bit before going to bed.

In the words of the Mangan family motto "the hand is hostile to tyrants."

Comic on Liberty Hall

Trinity College

Sphere within a sphere (one of three- the other two are at the Vatican and in New York)

Irish Deer

Dublin Castle

Justice? When it was first built, the scales tipped when it rained...whoops?

Amazing lunch!

Dublin!

Today, after class we had a quick flight to Dublin. We each got to check a bag which was exciting after flying on Ryanair and other cheap airlines! Once we landed, we got our passports stamped (it's green!) by a friendly Irishman before heading to the taxis. The signs were all in English and Gaelic which was rather exciting and fun to read/look at. We took a taxi to our hotel and then checked in. The rooms have two beds which are larger than a twin so it feels very spacious. Meredith, Sara, Eleanor and I went to a local pub and grabbed dinner and a Guinness before coming home to unpack. Since we are here for a week, it makes since to unpack and settle into our hotel. We finished the night watching some Irish reality TV which was hilarious and much like Jersey Shore. Tomorrow we have a busy day with a 3 hour walking tour in the morning and a tour of a jail in the afternoon.

60 Hours in London

It has been a rather uneventful week at home. I got home Sunday night after 10 and unpacked. Monday, we had class in the morning and then I came home and took a nap and relaxing at home. Tuesday, I had class and then we went to the movie The Wind that Shakes the Barley at the British Film Institute. Afterwards, I went to get Euros, got a bit of food, and a small notebook for note taking on tours. It was not a very exciting shopping trip but it was very needed. After a quick dinner I packed and then out with some friends to the local pub. The first one (Cafe Kick) we went to was super crowded because of the England-Germany football match so after a bit we went to another local pub (The Clerk and Well) that is a bit fancier that had two-for-one cocktails. On the way home, we saw others at The Gunmakers so we hopped in and joined them for a bit. We got home at 11 and then went to bed. Today, we had class and then took the tube to Heathrow. We are now at Heathrow waiting to leave for Ireland! So excited!

The Louvre

On Sunday, we started the day at the Louvre where we spent three hours. It is an overwhelming museum but it was really cool to see the art in person. Everyone crowds around the Mona Lisa but then ignores other amazing DaVinci works. It is strange to see what people look at. No one was looking at the Virgin and Chancellor Rollin by VanEyck which was really sad since it is such an amazing piece.

After spending three hours at the Louvre, we went and got crepes (I got a ham and cheese one) before getting on the bus. Then, we drove to Calais, went through border control, took the ferry, drove from Dover to London, and then took the tube to Farringdon.

Overall, Paris was amazing and I will have to go back again to see the rest of Paris!