Headed in to see the Book of Kells. Now, this wasn’t on my original schedule. I learned about it on the walking tour the first day, and many people on the Facebook groups said go. Plus, I learned that the library was the inspiration for the Hogwart’s library, so my students were going to get a kick out of seeing that! Worth it for $13 (go early, book online, and you get a discount!). I thought you just walked in, saw the book, saw the library, and went on your merry (Mary?) way. But no! There was a really fabulous exhibit before you went in, telling all about not just what the book was, but how it was made. I found the pigments fascinating, and struck up a conversation with a special Ed teacher and another lady from Virginia over them. We had a quick conversation about the amazing things people could do 1200 years ago (yes, the book is 1200 years old!!), and how current society would fare if all of our technology was removed. Amazing conversation, amazing topic, 3 minutes. 🙂

It was cool to see the actual book (no photos allowed), but I was more impressed by the “how” than the “product”. But it was cool to see something so old and crazy to think it had survived so long. Especially since the monastery where it was had been sacked by Vikings SEVERAL times. It’s amazing that it survived. And sad to think about everything that didn’t. 🙁  Fun fact- you only view a couple of the pages of the book on any given day. Each day, they change the page! 🙂

I then walked into the library. Holy cache of knowledge, batman. The visuals in this place were unbelievable. But the SMELL! It was like inhaling knowledge and history all in one breath. Plus, you know, wizards…. 😉

They had some exhibits in the library as well. I actually found those books to be more interesting that the actual Book of Kells itself…

I was in the college for about 45 minutes. I had 20 minutes until my next destination, St Michan’s, opened. I could either take two buses, or walk .8 (it’s ALWAYS .8!!) miles. I opted to walk. And I got there 5 minutes before it opened! Soon, the doors opened and I went inside. Two cute little old ladies welcomed me. They asked, “Just you?”. Yes! “One adult?”. And this is where it got fun. I scrunched up my face and said, “Well, that depends on the day!”. They said that was a great answer. They laughed and joked and said that if I was 6 today I could get in free! I told them I was feeling rather adult today, so I’d pay the $8. So fun! I walked around the church while I waited for the tour guide. It was nice inside, but not knock your socks off wow.

It was just a few minutes before the guide showed up. He had a dry eccentric humor, and was cracking jokes and explaining things in such a quirky way! Now, I’ve been in a lot of crypts… This was very different. He unlocked a chained metal door kind of like a cellar door. You kinda had to duck and really watch your head to go in. I was the first one. 🙂  The original chapel was built in 1095!! The current chapel was rebuilt in 1686, but completely remodeled in 1825.  However, these were the original crypts! At the end of this one was the main attraction… The mummies! (Because I didn’t get enough of desiccated people yesterday at the bog exhibit! 💀) He explained that the temperate down here remained constant. That the limestone ceiling and walls absorbed all of the moisture from above, keeping it dry. And that the ground released methane gas. These three conditions were perfect for mummification. So there are 4 that have their coffins open- it’s illegal to open the coffins, but these were busted open and damaged, so then I guess all bets are off after that! #givemeahammer

So let me introduce you to the mummies. The one on the far right is a woman- unknown. The one in the middle is possibly a thief- because he’s missing his right hand! But why would a thief be buried under the church??  No one knows. Maybe he reformed and became a priest. Maybe his hand was lost to disease or accident and not a punishment. He’s the only one that knows, and he’s keeping “mum” about it! Lordy, I crack myself up!! 😂 His feet are also missing. Possibly because he was too tall and coffins were pretty much all the same size back then, so if you didn’t fit, they made you fit. 😬 The one on the right is another female, thought to be a nun. The dude at the top is the crazy one, though. A crusader that is about 800 years old!! They know this because crusaders were buried with their feet crossed, like Jesus on the cross. However, this guy was no joke- over 6.5 feet tall!! That would have been a GIANT back then! So his legs were broken in typical “make you fit” fashion and tucked under him, but crossed at the thighs. And what’s even crazier, is that until just last summer, you could TOUCH his hand for good luck!!!! What tha what tha?? 😖 It’s thought that Dublin resident, Bram Stoker (of Dracula fame) visited these crypts and got some inspiration… There’s one other crypt that is open to the public. It was a lot bigger. Back in medieval times, you bought a crypt, and your family could use it FOREVER. There are still burials down here sometimes, the last I think he said in 2002!! Most have been abandoned. The coffins are just piled on top of each other. Crazy. Go here. It’s very, very unique!

Now, I had to make a decision. It was 1030,and my next scheduled adventure wasn’t until 230. Four hours. I knew I didn’t want to wander around Dublin for that long. It would be dumb to spend 49 minutes on a bus to the house just to have to turn back around. Decisions, decisions. Then, I remembered someone on the fb groups said that I could use my Leap bus pass to take a train to a place called Bray. Hmm. I looked it up. 40 minutes there, 40 min back. That would give me a little over an hour there. Why the hell not?! Using my public transportation prowess, I decided to take a bus to the train station instead of walk. So easy! Got to the train station, beeped my card, walked in, got on the train. I looked at Google maps to see which side of the train would be against the coast, and sat on the left side. After traveling through the city for a while, the landscape started to open up. Soon, there was a gorgeous ocean view filling up the window. I Googled “what to do in Bray”. There was an aquarium! There are 2 things I seek out in every country- Dr. Pepper and Aquariums!! With my plans firmly in place, I sat back and watched some stunning scenery approach…

Got off the train and followed google maps to the aquarium. And immediately, I knew it was not for me. Very “little kid” oriented from the outside. So I turned around and went the other direction, following the sidewalk up the coast toward a big hill in the distance. The little town was reminiscent of when I visited Coney Island in New York a few years ago. It had a feel of days gone by to it. Kind of an innocence and peacefulness. People were everywhere, enjoying the rare brilliant sunshine! Sleeveless tops and dresses revealed pale Irish skin. You could almost hear it crackling like bacon in a hot pan! I had read in my impromptu Bray research on the train that there was a gorgeous hike along cliffs to a place called Greystone. I figured this must be the direction of it. As I started up the hill, I checked the clock. Not much time before I needed to turn around to catch the train back so I wouldn’t miss my tour in Dublin at 2:30. Ok..I’ll just go around one more corner. And then that was super nice…and I’d tell myself again…just one more corner. Finally, I had to make a decision. Do this hike or go back. Decisions, decisions!! I decided to go back- especially after I saw the sign that it was a 6km walk to Graystones! Went back and as I got back on the main sidewalk, I had the super strong feeling of someone staring at me…hard. I looked to my left and it was a huge white building called the Bray Head. I could still feel someone staring at me. I looked toward the busted windows, some with old curtains, some without, and realized that whatever was watching me wasn’t a whoever. I got chills, even in the heat. I don’t know anything about that place, but I felt something so strong in there…I could still feel it watching me as I continued down the path, past ice cream cone licking people and parents pushing strollers.

Hopped the train and sat on the right this time so I’d be close to the coast. The seats faced each other. I was sitting facing the back of an older man’s head. He was trying to talk to the lady in front of him, explain things about Bray to her. She looked about as interested as those mummies from earlier! She’d give him one word answers, and then turn her head. I was starting to boil. First of all, she’s being a disrespectful bitch to this guy. Second of all, I wanted to hear what he had to say!!

I really didn’t know how to interject myself into the mix, so I just stared out the window. Then I saw something interesting! Some kind of ancient tower looking structure out on a peninsula. This was my chance!

I hopped into the seat across from me and said, “Excuse me, but do you know what that structure is out on the peninsula?” The man told me it wasn’t a peninsula- it was an island. And that it was a watch tower built in the 1800s to look for approaching enemies. I think he said there were 27 of them total along the coast. I had my in!! I started asking him all kinds of questions! We got to another stop, and a bunch of people were getting on. He said, “Why don’t you sit up here?”. Didn’t have to ask me twice! I sat next to him and we talked the entire way back to Dublin. He was born and still lives in Bray. He’s seen a lot of changes over the decades. He works for a language school and is actually the guide for the lady sitting across from him and a bunch of kids from Spain that were with her. We talked about so many things, I can’t even remember them all! Moscow (don’t ask me how we got there!), the state of Dublin (he agrees with me that it’s very run down and rough), we talked about how Dublin got that way, how it seems to be the case all over the world, about Dublin bay and the electricity generators across the bay, about the football stadium and the world cup. So many things!! All too soon we hit the Pearse station and had to part.

 

Grabbed myself an orange juice at Spar and decided to walk the .8 (of course!) miles to the starting point of my free Fables and Folklore tour. It was really interesting! It was more of a talk than a tour. We just walked around to a few places to keep the blood flowing. At one point, we sat under a shady tree next to St. Patrick Cathedral and he told all kinds of stories about Irish folklore- focusing on 3 main segments…first, the Giants. Then, the Tuatha Dé Danann- beautiful, magical type people we might think of as elves from Lord of the Rings. Then, the humans, who ran the Tuatha Dé Danann underground, where they became the fairies of Irish mythology. And Irish fairies, just in case you weren’t clear, aren’t some Peter Pan Tinkerbell ass things with pretty little wings, wands, and fairy dust. No, they will fuck you up if you cross them. So don’t. You’re welcome. 🙂 The walk was 2 hours, very interesting, and I highly recommend it. TIP YOUR GUIDE!!!

Another long day out. As I walked back to catch my bus, I snapped a few photos of things that I found to be interesting…

So… Dublin. Have my thoughts about the city changed from the first day? No. There are a lot of things to see and do here, and many of them I really enjoyed. But as for the city itself, I don’t like it. It still doesn’t click for me on any level. I was thinking about this on all of my .8 mile matches across the city. I came up with an analogy. It’s like when you hang out with someone for the first time. You might have a few things in common to converse about, and when that’s done, it’s just awkward silences. You realize nothing flows easily and there’s no chemistry there. No connection. And you know it’s just not going anywhere. That’s me and Dublin. I saw pretty much everything I wanted to see, and I’m done here. It’s not one of those places I want to bring Brian back to. Eh. You can’t love everything. If you did you’d have no perspective. Tomorrow, Belfast awaits!

CONTINUE TO DAY 5

VIEW ALL IRELAND JOURNALS