I initially thought for my final blog post I would recap my trip as a whole, recounting the good times I had while in Ireland. However, today was such a busy day filled with other things I’d like to mention I am not sure I’ll have the time or space to put much emphasis on the past few weeks I’ve been abroad. The Botanical Gardens are a top event of the day for me, starting with how a very kind Indian lady allowed us to sample corn fritters they had used earlier for a very intricate photo shoot. Despite their coldness they were delicious and I followed this impromptu treat by entering the botanical green house. Small plants, tall plants, spiky plants and soft plants were crammed in every free inch of space within the glass walls and you had to follow a narrow grated path as you made your way through the three different climates. Grape vines hung from white walls and purple flowers stood out amongst the green, and after I could no longer stand the humidity I reemerged into the crisp Irish air. It’s funny how easily I can grow accustomed to cooler weather and forget how unbearable humidity can be especially since I have lived in the south all of my life. Our next stop was the Ulster Museum on the same property as the Botanical Gardens and it also did not let me down in its variety of interesting exhibits. It still blows my mind how almost all museums are free here in Ireland and it is going to be dearly missed when I return to the states. We ended our day trip with a Black Taxi tour of Shankill/Falls road. Despite our cab being white, the tour was more than I expected in content and host. Our tour guide was informative and funny and you would have never guessed he knew the very people he talked to our group about. We are ending the day getting dinner all together, the second to last  meal we will enjoy as a group. I feel lucky to have met everyone who shared this experience with me and I will miss all of you as much as Ireland itself.

I could not believe our luck to arrive in Belfast and have sublime weather yet again! It seems as though every time we travel somewhere new we are greeted by the sun and fluffy white clouds. Belfast is a lot different from Dublin and although I have only been here a day I find it very enjoyable. The city is surrounded by green rolling hills and mountains that are visible regardless of where you are. Another notable difference is the lack of people bustling through the streets or rambunctious groups of tourists (not unlike ourselves) occupying the entire sidewalk. You are free to walk the sidewalks and roam the streets with only space, quiet and the ocean breeze beside you. We covered a lot of ground today and were able to make it all the way to the Titanic exhibit. Along our route we saw many cute cafes, bars and shops that lined the streets straight up to the canal. The sun warmed everything up as locals stripped away their layers and soaked up the rare rays of light. Walking the streets it hit me that it is summer vacation. That sounds like a strange thought to have in late June, but the last few weeks have been filled with weather that has hardly broken 60 degrees. Yesterday was the first day of summer and it is hard for to grasp we are in the hottest months of the year. In Atlanta I am used to sweating bullets the second I leave the haven of air conditioning, but here I contemplate the number of socks I can spare to wear while still having a good number that are clean. Belfast may have welcomed us with beautiful weather but it still doesn’t remind of the hot summers I experience back home in Atlanta.

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It’s interesting how different the places around Dublin are from the rest of the city. Traveling on the Dart it can feel as though you have entered a completely different world instead of just a place that exists a few train stops away. On our free day I went to the furthest southern train stop which is home to a little coastal town called Greystone. People were few and far between and those I did encounter still encompassed the friendly attitude of their Dublin counterparts. However, I enjoyed the quiet solitude as I explored the blustery Irish coast.
Tonight I was able to explore another southern town outside of the city called Sandycove. It was similar to the little town of Bray I visited During my independent excursion in that it was filled with older buildings and quiet streets. Once you reached the coast, though, things begin to get a little livelier. Delicious smells and bustling streets line the coastal strip of restaurants that range from adorable cafes to the higher end fine dining restaurants. We ended up deciding on an Italian restaurant nestled between two other places with stairs leading into a lower dining area that was completely packed. The food was splendid (although it is honestly pretty difficult to mess up Italian) and the atmosphere was quant and authentic. After our meal we looked out into the sea where a light house shone in the distance. Painted on a nearby wall was the ? Symbol from Mario and it was a perfect way to end a delicious Italian meal.

Visiting a museum that displays artifacts from all over the world in multiple places of time is a great way to observe the evolution of place. The medieval time period for Ireland was filled with vicious Vikings who invaded the island in order to seek further control of European lands. Dublin was especially viewed as an advantageous area because of it’s access to resources and close proximity to the United Kingdom. I was surprised at how small the Viking ship display appeared because I had always envisioned massive boats charging into lands filled with natives who were brutally pillaged and torn from their homes. While I am still certain villagers feared the sight of these ships they were much similar to canoes designed by Native Americans in my opinion. The weaponry for Vikings was really brutal consisting of sharp pointed spearheads that seemed like they could do some real damage to your major arteries. It was really interesting to imagine a Viking hut existing in the exact place where I sleep at night on UCD campus, and how different the land must have looked when Vikings called it home. Walking through the Medieval Irish displays I instantly spotted the infamous harp that is a symbol across Irish culture to this day. Originating from Gaelic/Celtic culture this emblem is one of the oldest symbols from Irish history. After also having the chance to view the Book of Kells earlier on this trip, the Medieval Irish Exhibit helped tie together the history of Ireland and the clashing cultures/societies that occurred in the same place.

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One of my favorite parts of this day that was filled with museums, good food and company was the Museum of Natural History. Sandwiched between two massive buildings, the entrance is setback from the road with a green space that displays hedge ornaments, preluding what awaits inside. When I walked in and passed through the two double doors I was instantly surrounded by stuffed dead things and it was awesome! The first floor makes its way from enormous deer skeletons down to the smallest creatures that dwell the ocean. Large sharks hang from the ceiling and baby one’s rest inside blue jars that magnetize their baby shark face So you can really see all the details. You aren’t disappointed after exploring the first floor, but the real gems of this museum reside upstairs. A combination of full homo sapien and primate skeletons greet you at the top of the stairs and just past this case are all of the largest land mammals just inches from your face. Never would I think I could look a polar bear, tiger and lion in the eye (in one day) and live to tell the tale. I snapped a few pictures of a cat skeleton, the part of my feline friends I did not expect to see in Ireland and a display of half a human brain. These were two of my favorite displays because both are prominent parts of my life I never thought I’d get to see The gory details of. The best part about this whole museum experience is the fact that it was completely free. I can’t imagine living in a city where you have free access to education and the cultures that make up our world.

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Despite today not being ideal for an outdoor walking tour of historical Dublin, our tour guide made sure it was an enjoyable experience. I had no idea we would be meeting the author of The 1916 Easter Rising text, and I am very glad we were able to. He was humorously informative and so far is in my top Irishmen who showed our group the sites. Following his tour was an even more startling experience. As we headed toward Beckett Bridge we stumbled upon a mass group of wetsuit clad hooligans. They began to leap from the top of an old boat resting in the river and it became apparent this was against the rules as an alarm sounded and a woman wielding a walkie-talkie came rushing out. What was most startling to me about this impromptu daredevil show was not the act itself, but the reaction (or lack thereof) from any authoritative figure. When the clan of rapscallions descended their reign on the roof of a nearby restaurant I thought For certain a policeman, security guard or even employee of the restaurant was going to intervene. To my amazement a man who appeared to have some sort of authoritative power proceeded to photograph the group and allow them to carry on there way. In America we are quick to scold, punish or imprison individuals for minor crimes. For example if this group had been skateboarders in downtown Atlanta you can be certain a security guard would show up in a matter of minutes to shoo away such an “unsightly” group. In Ireland it seems as though there is a much more lenient level of authority and the society of a whole is much more tolerant of rambunctious behavior. Such tolerance is definitely quite a change a pace from any place I’ve ever been in America.

I have been looking forward to the visit to Kilmainham Gaol since I first saw it was on the itinerary for this trip. I googled images and I have to say it was even more astounding in person. The jail was in surprisingly good condition considering its 100 years old and had to be restored a couple decades ago. It was interesting to learn how two groups that opposed each other during the war banned together to rebuild Kilmainham. The tour guides have worked hard to maintain the structural integrity of this beautiful piece of history and provide explorers with a brief and interesting account of what occurred here. I couldn’t believe children as young as 5 years old were put in jail for petty crimes mostly fueled on their survival. It was eerie to stand in the nicer room where those awaiting execution would spend their final night under the watchful eye of the executor.

After we completed the tour we wandered through the grounds of an old hospital that has been converted into an art museum. Here we got to see a building I realized I had seen in the distance just yesterday. It was really cool to get up close and personal to a place I had only seen the recognizable green roof of from the top window at Hugh Lane. The building was incredible and completely encircled a large stone courtyard. Unfortunately, the museum is closed on Monday so we were only allowed the outdoor tour, fortunately it was lovely outside today.

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It does not get much better than free access to a museum, and I really enjoyed all that The Hugh Laney had to offer. This art museum was the perfect size to wander around, but still find something new around every corner. Interactive art pieces were a consistent part of the viewer experience, particularly one titled “Mirrors.” My favorite artist, however, was a man named Harry Clarke who is a well known stained glass designer of Ireland. He had a very small exhibit that consisted of a dark room near the entrance, it did not appear like much on first glance. Once you walked inside, though, you are surrounded by brightly lit and intricately designed pieces of art. The details of each piece are hard to capture at first glance so I found myself spending majority of my time studying the complexity of his work.

We were lucky the day turned quickly from rain to shine and remained that way for the remainder of our evening. When I wandered up the highest floor they grant visitors access to, there was an incredible view of The Garden of Remembrance. I felt that the drastic change of weather represented what the Garden stands for to this day. Although Irish history came from a gray, dreary and downright negative space they were able to rise out of it. Even though lives were lost, they are not forgotten and the sun will shine again as it did yesterday.

The James Joyce Centre was my favorite part of the Joyce tour we attended yesterday. Not only was the building full of information that mapped out his life and literary works, but the place itself was extremely interesting to me. The museum aprepared to be an old house converted into a public space and I think this type of setting helped create a more intimate feel versus using a more commercial place. The house rested amongst other identical houses in a quiet neighborhood Joyce lived near during his time in Dublin. The front doors were all different colors which I have noticed is a popular style of house in the city of Dublin, especially for older buildings. Bright green ivy climbed up the walls on the outside of the brick houses and it felt as though you had walked into a slice of Ireland in the early 1900s. Once upstairs you could really admire the intense architecture this old house possessed literally from floor to ceiling. The old floors creaked with every step, the doors were solid and heavy, slamming shut with a loud bang if you were not careful when you closed them. The ceilings were intricately designed and best of all the house was still in very good condition while still maintaining its original style. The best view of this entire house happened when you glanced out the window from the second floor. Freshly rained on flowers framed the window where you could see the green ivy pop against the red brick. Despite the dreary weather everything appeared fresh and bright from this place. 

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