Day 1 - Contemporary Art Exhibit, Book of Kells, and Jameson Whiskey Distillery
When we arrived in Dublin on Friday morning I was feeling a little confused, because not only was it practically daybreak, but one of the clouds in the sky also appeared to have spontaneously combusted into a great flaming ball of gaseous - oh wait, that was just the sun! The weather was beautiful and so was the city. Everything seemed to gleam – the buildings, the statues, the people, the Irish flags streaming from the building tops, the street performers, the beer, everything, as well as the other Dartmouth students’ apartments. They are palaces. They all live in one building and are spread out over three levels. Each level has individual bedrooms, a living room, bathroom, and kitchen; a stark contrast from our double bedrooms, teeny showers, and the kitchen that we share with eight other people and mice. Clearly, it was difficult not to start the trip feeling a little bitter.
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| part of Stephens Green, the park the Dartmouth students in Dublin walk through on their way to classes |
I soon forgot my resentment, however, once it came time to go exploring. After a quick nap on a couch that is comfier than my bed and a hearty breakfast that Laura Bryn graciously cooked for us, Maddie, Laura Bryn, Olivia, and I all went and visited a contemporary art exhibit. I haven’t been to many museums while over here (something I’ll have to fix before I go home), so I was pretty excited to wander around feeling inspired and alternative. But after two hours of meandering through a building that looked like an insane asylum, the only word I could use to describe the exhibit was bizarre. Even Laura Bryn and Olivia, who are both studio art minors, were feeling a little baffled by it all. I had a difficult time selecting which picture to share on my blog, but after much deliberation, I think that the replica of the dead giant squid languishing in a massive pool of its own slime was a good choice. I hope you enjoy it too.
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| this was actually one of my favorite exhibits |
After the art exhibit, we met up with some more Dartmouth pals to go tour Trinity and see the Book of Kells. Since Maddie and I had been to the Book of Kells’ birthplace, Isle of Iona, earlier this term, we were quite excited to behold this little piece of history. Unfortunately, this too was a bit of a disappointment. The book was beautifully crafted and obviously ancient, but the way it was displayed detracted from the experience. It was held in a glass case in a dim room with a bunch of other aggressive tourists bustling and nudging each other to try to get a better view. I suppose some things are more magical when left to the imagination, so I'll maintain my overly-romantic vision of St. Columba mixing inks and paints in the Iona sunshine. Pictures weren't allowed, so here's a photo of some cool graffiti we saw in the city.
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| this guy looks like he's got quite the imagination |
Our next stop was the old Jameson Irish Whisky distillery, where a very charismatic Irish man took us on a tour of the building and told us about the process of making Jameson. He was very interested in knowing where everybody came from and seemed able to respond to each of us with a fact of anecdote about our home place. For example, he informed me that the best whiskey in America is made in Colorado. In fact, he was so excited about my origins that he chose me as a volunteer to be part of a whiskey tasting at the end of the tour. So once we had seen the various rooms of the distillery and learned that Jameson is distilled not once, not twice, but three times (a fact that was repeated so often I don’t think I shall ever forget it), we all trekked to the bar where the volunteers began the sampling. We had three shots set before us – one of Jameson, one of Jack Daniels, and one of a Scotch whiskey. We were then guided through the distinctive qualities we should notice about each, cleansing our pallets with a sip of water between tastes. At the end of the tasting we were all supposed to be amazed by how obviously superior Jameson is to any other whiskey, but the only conclusion I came to was this: I don’t like whiskey very much. It was a really entertaining and fun experience though and I now have a certificate with my name on it stating that I am a “qualified Irish whiskey taster.” I’ll be sure to add it to my resume.
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| displaying my fine selection of Scotch, Irish, and American whiskeys |
Later that evening we met up with some other American exchange students who the Dublin FSP had befriended and ate at a restaurant called Cornucopia. It was relatively inexpensive, completely vegetarian, and absolutely delicious. I sure love me a tree hugger buffet. We then roamed the streets of Dublin, reveling in the palpable sense of enthusiasm the Irish have for Halloween. They seriously treat it as if it is a weeklong holiday and their costumes are some of the best I’ve ever seen. In America, I’ve grown accustomed to the fact that many girls will interpret Halloween as “Excuse-To-Clad-Myself-As-Scantily-As-Possible” Day, but this is not at all the case in Ireland. Or maybe it is – I was usually too distracted by the Irish gals’ extraordinary use of zombie makeup and fake blood to notice how sufficient their clothing was or was not. Oh the Irish are a beautiful, beautiful people.
Day 2 - Wandering the City and Halloween Activities
Our second day in Dublin was considerably more low key than the first. We slept in, made pancakes as a group, and then wandered around doing errands with the other Dartmouth kids. Dublin has many narrow, cobbled streets that are home to pubs, vintages shops, and depending on the day, farmers’ markets. At any given moment, hundreds of people occupy these streets and you’re constantly weaving in and out of other tourists, rowdy pub goers, cyclists, street performers, flower stands, etc. etc. Think Diagon Alley without owls and wands. It’s actually pretty hectic.
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| waking down Grafton Street in Dublin |
Inspired by the various costumes we had encountered the night before, Maddie and I decided to venture off into Dublin in search of last-minute costume supplies once everybody’s errands were finished. After visits to Claire’s, an itty-bitty craft store, H&M, and a funky pop-up Halloween shop, we journeyed back to the Dubliners’ apartment laden with an assortment of face paint, fabric, safety pins, and cheap clothing. We brought this all to Anya, another Dartmouth student who loves to craft, and spent the evening pinning, sewing, snipping, and watching Rocky Horror Picture Show. The result was an impressive (if I do say so myself) Cheshire Cat and Queen of Hearts!
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| Maddie and I channel our inner-Brit with our Alice in Wonderland themed costumes |
Of course our costumes paled in comparison to Anya’s completely homemade costume that she had been working on all term. She was the raven from Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven.” She even had a handmade wire necklace that said “Nevermore.” I love English majors. :)
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| "Once upon a midnight dreary..." |
Our little motley gang then went back out into the streets of Dublin to mingle with the zombies, vampires, pumpkins, and black cats and enjoy the crazy Irish revelry.
Day 3 - Enniskerry and Powerscourt Estate
As much as I hate to admit it, by our third day in Dublin, we were all feeling a little Halloween-ed out; therefore, Tommy, Maddie, Angie, Laura Bryn, Olivia, and I all hopped on a double-decker bus (my first!) and drove off into the Irish countryside.
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| gorgeous Irish scenery at Powerscourt |
We stopped about an hour away from Dublin in a little village called Enniskerry situated in the foothills of the Wicklow Mountains. We walked up the road a bit until we reached Powerscourt, an estate comprised of an 18th-century Palladian house and an extensive 47 acres of gardens. Powerscourt is a popular tourist destination, so it was pretty busy when we got there. To avoid the crowds, we stopped by the gift shop, each bought something we felt like eating right at that moment, and wandered off into the woods to set up a hodge-podge little picnic of crisps, rice salad, hazelnuts, bread, apples, and chocolate among the fall foliage. After much relaxation, we then strolled back to Enniskerry, stopping at an old cemetery on the way back. As anybody who knows me well could probably guess, this was one of my favorite parts of the afternoon. So pretty and peaceful.
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| the cemetery we wandered by on our way back from Powerscourt |
Then for our last dinner in Dublin, we went and ate at Bewely’s, a café that apparently used to be on old haunt of James Joyce’s and is even mentioned in his book Dubliners. I’m certainly no food snob and am usually happy at any place I can get pasta, but despite their wide selection of noodle dishes, this place was pretty bleak. To put it simply, the food was not good. But I suppose since James Joyce ate there, it doesn’t really have to be. Either way, it was a nice way to spend our last night in the “town of the hurdled ford.”
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| nighttime picture of the River Liffey in Dublin |
So, my conclusion? I had a fantastic time in Ireland and enjoyed everything the city of Dublin had to offer. The streets were teeming with activity, the people were enthusiastic, the architecture was appealing, the Guinness was tasty, and the accent was significantly easier to understand than the rough Glaswegian brogue I’ve been listening to for the past two months. Yet, by the time I returned to Glasgow, I was surprised to find how thrilled I was to be back among the doom and gloom of the gunmetal rainclouds and buildings. I realized that even if the Dartmouth students in Dublin may be able to watch movies on sleek flat screen televisions while lounging on leather sofas, I wouldn’t trade positions with them even for a more equal dollar to pound conversion rate. You see, Dublin was exciting, but just a bit too glittery. While there, I felt almost as if somebody was flashing a mirror at me on a sunny day. I was dazzled by the light, but knew there was something less enchanting lurking behind it. I think it was superficiality. Glasgow may be gritty, but at least it’s genuine – a great place to build character. I’ve grown quite fond of the tattered umbrella skeletons that litter the streets on a blustery day. I like the glowing orange streetlamps that make our rooms at night look like the inside of a Jack-o-Lantern. I’ve even come to tolerate the occasional pitter-patter of mice scampering across our kitchen and bedroom floors. I don’t think anybody put it better than when my Scottish flat mate David told me, “It’s shit and we’re proud of it.”
But Dublin definitely was lovely, so please check these pictures out!
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| Dublin |
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