Grand Tour of Ireland 2012 Day 7: Museum Day in Dublin

---

We decided to make it a museum day today. So we headed into Dublin and visited the National Gallery of Ireland first. Its not as big a gallery as I am used to but they still had some impressive art to look at.

We then headed over to Trinity College to look at the Book of Kells.This ancient book of the first 4 gospels in illuminated print is a national treasure in Ireland. To see it you follow the path that shows you how they make the ink and paper and everything else. Its all rather informative. The you pass through the grand library archive and trust me, whenever you think of the grand learning halls of academia of old you think of a place like this. Walls and walls and walls of old books. As we were leaving the exhibit I turned around to Colby and said, "Its over? Where's the Book of Kells?" and Colby started laughing at me having missed only the MOST IMPORTANT ARTIFACT IN THE MUSEUM! I quickly walked back and pushed myself in to catch a glimpse of the book. We toured the grounds of Trinity College afterwards.

Right around the corner is the Irish History Museum. We roamed around looking at ancient artifacts from the neolithic, Celtic, and viking eras of Dublin. My two favorite sections were seeing all the gold shining temptingly behind the glass and the famously grotesque bog bodies. The gold artifacts are shaped into spheres and necklaces and bracelets. The bog bodies are contorted preserved bodies from the peat bogs of central Ireland. The gold looked so shiny and the bodies so leathery.

We then headed over what Dubliners affectionately call the Dead Zoo. It is a museum with millions of stuffed specimens from Polar Bears to Monkeys to Whale Bones hoisted up on the ceiling. I enjoyed seeing their collection of birds and rodents best.

Colby and I finished our day with a splendid meal of Spanish Tapas at a great restaurant near the college. We then headed over for a pint of beer. Colby had his usually pint of beer while I had myself a pint of Diet Coke.

---

Photos

A Pint of Guiness!!! (Diet Coke)
You all know I don't drink!