Full Day of Activities in Dublin

Saturday, May 12, 2012--Dublin, Ireland

Thanks to the melatonin we took last night, we were able to sleep about 12 hours last night so that today we were rather fresh.  There was a point when I heard neighbors playing their TV and talking.  When I looked at my watch, I was upset to see that it was 2:15.  I guess they had been out drinking at the pubs during the evening.  Fortunately, I got back to sleep after inserting my ear plugs.

We were out for 9 hours today.  First we stopped at Merrion Square, a beautiful small park filled with flowers, sculptures, and trees.  We saw a bust of Michael Collins, one of the leaders of the Irish Revolution.  We saw stands of some of the last tulips of the season.  And we found the interesting statue of Oscar Wilde there--interesting because it is rather dandy with color incorporated into the statue.  Near the statue were columns with some of his wittier statements.

Next, we toured the Natural History Museum which was a surprise.  The interior is like such museums were 100 years ago with everything arranged in cases in a large, tall hall.  It was like walking back in time.  More amazing, though, was the quality of their exhibits.  The animals were so fresh and natural looking.  Furs were fluffy.  Everything seemed so natural looking.  Also, it was interesting that there were often baby versions along with the adults.  Often, too, there was a skeleton beside an adult for contrast.

From there, we went to the National Gallery.  Only two sections were open, but they contained the best of their collections.  It was nice to see that the art was well preserved and clean and bright.

Our next stop was the Archeology Museum.  It had lots of items that have been found mostly in bogs over time--gold items, bronze items, sacrificed people, manuscripts, etc.

We made a quick stop at the National Library to see an exhibit on Yeats.

Much of the day was gone by then.  We wandered through a shopping area toward the Dublin Castle where we toured the Chester Beatty Libary which my guidebook names as the top museum to visit in town.  It is a collection of illuminated manuscripts.  They were fantastic.  And after touring the museum, we relaxed in the sunshine at an oval park in front of the library along with many other people.

We were hungry then, and our guidebook had recommended a place for fish and chips just around the corner.  We walked there and found a long line of local people even at 4:30 p.m.  We bought a huge portion of cod and chips which came wrapped in paper.  We took it to benches at the nearby City Hall and ate it.

To close out the day, we walked by the Jameson Distillery.  It was too late in the day for a tour.  We walked through another shopping area teaming with people.  We stopped at the General Post Office which was the site of a major battle during the war for Irish freedom and still has bullet holes in the columns out front.  We found the Ha' Penny Bridge and walked across it.  We wandered through the Temple Bar district which is the entertainment district for Dublin.  From there, we returned to the room tired from 9 hours of walking and exploring.