Ireland!

So contrary to popular belief, Ireland is not full of red heads. Shocking I know. I maybe saw 10 the whole time we were there (which is more than London!) but yes, most people in Ireland actually have brown hair. Just wanted to say that first. ;)

We had a fantastic weekend in Ireland! The first day Elizabeth, Hannah, and I spent the day in the city of Dublin, where we got a good taste of Irish city life. We went to Trinity College, the oldest college in Ireland. The campus is really pretty, with stone buildings and large trees. We saw the Book of Kells, the most decorated illumination of the Gospels still in existence today! The pages are filled with beautiful calligraphy and very detailed pictures, often making a word or letter into an elegant decoration. I cannot even begin to imagine how long it took the scribes to make this book! We also had the chance to walk through the old library hall, which is the largest single-chamber library in the world!! I walked in and had to just stand there with my mouth open. There are books from floor to ceiling, with two levels and stretching longer than a football field! The smell of old books was intoxicating and I wanted to just stay and soak it all in for hours. The room made you want to read, write, and study. Crazy I know. Thousands upon thousands of manuscripts, filling every space, holding millions of ideas and thoughts. Tiny little ladders scattered throughout for the librarians to run up and grab books from the top shelves. I don't know how they stay on!

After leaving Trinity College, we stumbled upon an open air market out in the courtyard of the Bank of Ireland. We almost didn't go in, but I am so glad we did! There was live Irish dancing in the middle of the market and lots of little booths filled with hand made goods and delicious smelling food. It was just fun to walk around and get a taste of local Irish culture (and enjoy a free dance show! those dancers were incredible!) We then made our way to Dublin Castle. Although most of you have the idea of a grand castle in your head, this was not the case for Dublin. The castle is in a parking lot. Surrounded by office buildings. And the back side of it has large brightly colored walls covering the whole left side. Not really sure why....needless to say it was not my favorite castle this semester!

We were able to see Christ Church Cathedral and Sr. Patrick's Cathedral, which were both beautiful! We were able to go back that night and attend an evensong service at St. Patricks and that was great. I do not think there is much that comes closer to angelic sounds than the men and boys choirs in the cathedrals of Europe. Other than that, we loved walking around the city and enjoyed a long and relaxing cup of tea (while it rained). The Christmas lights are all up, draping across the streets and covering the light poles, etc. It was so wonderful to walk around at night and take in all the beautiful lights. We also found a really great Irish pub and enjoyed a warm delicious dinner.

The second day, we were able to get out of the city! We met up with Lindsey, Chris, and Lindy and took a bus out to Glendalough, which is a national park known as "the heart of Ireland." Glendalough is tucked into the Wicklow Mountains, which were absolutely fantastic! It was so nice to get a taste of Irish countryside, and not just the city. Although it is November, it wasn't too cold and we were able to hike the trails up to the Upper Lake. And it didn't rain! We were so lucky. I would love to go back to Ireland in the summer one day, when the countryside is neon green. :) But I was glad that we were able to do a little hiking and take in mountains. We also had a chance to see the ruins of an old monastery, and one of the largest cemeteries I've ever seen! The stones were overflowing with history and there was a sense of rough beauty everywhere you looked. Gravestones have begun to lean and the roof is missing from the building, but the Celtic crosses and beautiful river complete a truly tranquil scene.

We returned to Dublin for the night and since everything shuts down (besides the pub and clubs) at 5pm, we decided to see a movie. It is really funny to watch an American movie in Ireland, let me say. The three of us were the only people laughing in the theater. Apparently the Irish don't know what Craig's list is. :)  We left at 5am the next morning to fly home after getting very little sleep (from ridiculously loud people coming in at 1am and 4am to the hostel). Overall it was a good weekend! So good to have a balance of city and country. I think I would have been disappointed if I had only seen the city side. There is still so much of Ireland that I want to see and hopefully I can go back someday!