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Published: April 19th 2009
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Sadly, our trip has come to an end. We spent our last day today in Dublin, savoring the last few scones and coffees we could fit into our stomachs. I think it’s safe to say that we both put on a few pounds during the last few weeks - we have never eaten so much bacon or potatoes in our lives.
We took advantage of our accommodations’ gym and started off the day with a quick workout, which felt oh-so-good…until we both collapsed afterwards. It’s amazing how out of shape you can get so quick, even when you are walking everywhere. We both said today that we wished we had pedometers with us during the entire trip - I think we walked more than 100 miles!
After we finally got ourselves up and running (we both feel like we are running on fumes we’re so tired), we went to a quaint café off of Temple Bar and enjoyed our last scones and coffees. So far, these were the best scones of the entire trip - raspberry, big and warm -delish! The place was called Munchies, on South William Street.
Our goal for the afternoon was to see two
Dublin landmarks - Trinity College and the Guinness Brewery. We saw the greens and churches yesterday, and saved the extra fun stuff for today ☺
Trinity College was beautiful. Known for its stunning architecture and the Book of Kells, the campus did not disappoint. We got there just in time to catch a tour with 3rd year law student, Jack. Jack took us all around and answered all of our questions with halfway humorous commentary and banter. Trinity College also houses the Berkeley Library, which is where the ‘Sphere with Sphere’ lives - a sculpture of a sphere that is on only a few select university campuses in the world - UC Berkeley, Rome, etc. Here are a few more interesting facts that we thought you would enjoy:
- The campus mirrors that of Cambridge University, except that the Trinity College library is 8 meters longer - according to Jack, making it the best university in the world.
- They are not on semesters or quarters, and have one set of exams per year.
- They do not take their exams on campus, rather they rent large spaces (ex: last year a large horse warehouse was rented) and
the professors and fellows wear clokes and wigs. It is very formal. (Last year, since it was in a horse warehouse, a pigeon shat on somebody’s exam!)
Trinity College is also known for its old library, which arranges books from “big” to “small” in terms of size. No students currently use this library since there is no simply search function for material, so it is used for more historic purposes and amazing to walk through. The room went on forever and was full of old books and displays. Definitely worth a visit. We saw that one of the student theatre groups was putting on a show called “Obama Mia,” which we wanted to go to, but there wasn’t enough time. Have I mentioned that the Irish LOVE Obama? I think that they believe he is THEIR president.
Lastly, we got to take a tour of the two sections of the Book of Kells that were on display - Luke and John. The university rotates two sections to be on display at certain times, while the other two are being used for research. For those of you who don’t know, the Book of Kells is a Latin manuscript of
the four Gospels in the New Testament, which contains text and pictures. Celtic Monks transcribed them, which is why it is considered Ireland’s finest national treasure. Aside from the actual Gospel, the Books are known for their calligraphy and ornamentation. Again, definitely worth a visit during your next trip to Dublin, we spent well over an hour on the campus.
After being religious enlightened, we made our way to the Guinness Factory for a tour and a cold brew. We walked about 1.5 miles further than we needed to before arriving at the main gate. The factory was gigantic, with more than 5 stories and a step-by-step self guided tour on the making of the beer. It was very interesting, and I don’t even like dark beer. However, you can’t go to Dublin, Ireland and not go to the Guinness Factory and drink a pint of Guinness. The one thing that I thought was the most interesting is that the company did not always make just dark beer. It was a decision made within the past 20 years to only make porter and no longer continue to make ales. What a shame…I would be more of an avid drinker
(just kidding, Dad). The tour ended up on the 7th floor at the “Gravity Bar” where there was music and a large circular bar, all Guinness on tap. Wait…not just that…all FREE Guinness on tap. It was grand!
We took one last shopping trip just to make sure there weren’t any shoe stores that we missed, and went back to the hotel to drop off some stuff and simply take a breather. Our feet were killing us. We finally got back up and went back down to Temple Bar for some food and people watching. After enjoying a desert crepe on the side of the road and watching the early “hen” parties and “stag” parties come out…. we decided to head back, pack, shower and hit the hay. We’ve got an early flight in the morning back to reality.
We hope you enjoyed reading our blog as much as we enjoyed writing it and recapping our adventures. This was a trip of a lifetime and we are so lucky to have had the opportunity.
Slainte!
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mom
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All good things must come to an end!!