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Published: July 13th 2015
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Imagine the most boisterous game show host's voice in your head, such as Steve Harvey. Now, read this next part in that voice:
Welcome to the game of Druuuunk of Naaaah! Today we are aboard the upper deck of bus 46A towards Phoenix Park. Let's watch our fist contestant. Here he comes walking gracefully up the stairs, BUT WAIT, the bus has begun to move and oh! He wasn't quick enough to grab the handrail and now he tries to bob and weave the corner to swing in to the closest seat. Alright audience, is contestant number one (this is where the audience would yell along with the host...) Drunk or Nah?!
The background story to this made up game show is that it is impossible to stand up or walk on the bus. Sometimes your walk to the door will turn into a sprint, and sometimes you are incapable of standing up straight because the bus made you loose all balance, and you may or may not fall on the closest person to you. Also, this game goes perfectly with the Irish culture because they are known for drinking at any point in the day.
I was
able to play this game a lot this weekend! Early Saturday morning I joined in on a walking tour of Dublin. Don't question why I didn't do this when I first arrived weeks ago; I'm not sure either. It was very historical and went to many of the places I haven't been yet such as the Dublin Castle, Christ Church Cathedral, St. Patrick's Cathedral, and Trinity College. The university in in the heart of the city and is giant and beautiful. It looks like a school straight out of a fairy tale. Supposedly, George Lucas took pictures of the interior of Trinity's library and modeled a scene from the second Star Wars movie after it. Also, some parts of the film P.S. I Love You was filmed in Dublin as well. It'll be neat to rewatch these movies and recognize the places I've seen in person! After the three hour tour, I went to the Ireland Museum of Modern Art. Every museum I go to has an exhibition where I ask myself,
how did you not think to do this first? By this I mean, there are some very, very simple pieces of art where I feel that anyone could
have easily taken the same object and called it art. Maybe I'm being a bit too critical, but gosh, who knew cotton on a string would make it to an art exhibit? In all seriousness, my favorite exhibit was Stan Douglas: Mise en Scenex. It presented both photographs as well as recent film work based in midtown Manhattan. The work was so clear and all ages could easily relate to his points of struggle, friendship, and hard work. Next I wondered around the neighborhood and found the War Memorial Gardens. There happened to be a ceremony in the middle of the gardens, honoring all veterans. It was spoken in Gaelic Irish which was interesting to listen to. People have told me Irish words, but this was the first time I heard full on sentences and conversations. It is a very beautiful language! Other than this ceremony, I spent the afternoon walking through the fields of flowers and fountains until I headed back to the city center to catch some drink with friends.
Sunday morning was another early one as I headed to the Dublin Mountains! It was not only an hour long bus ride, but also an hour long uphill hike to the mountain. Yaaaay! I was supposed to meet a hiking group at one of the car parks, but they were no where to be found. Two nice ladies let me use her phone to call the guide who told me they moved the starting point to the other side of the mountain. Yes, I was salty about this. The ladies wouldn't allow me to hike around the mountains alone. They, along with my boss and many other people said it was a bit dangerous for one person. They hiked with me for a bit before driving me to their favorite part of town, Marlay Park. The ladies were so kind and walked with me all around the park to the market, a hidden coffee shop, and the soccer fields. A little afternoon they had to leave so I ventured off, found a great pair of trees, and set up my hammock. In the two hours I was there, I had four different people check on and question what I was doing. One man said, "I wasn't expecting to see a corpse-like thing in the park." I awkwardly laughed because I wasn't sure what else to do. Apparently, travel hammocks or even hammocks in general aren't very common in Ireland. I explained to each person that they fold up really small and that I've taken it everywhere and even slept in it. They were shocked! My last stop for my weekend was the Dublin City Gallery. The main collection was the work of Hugh Lane. Many of his art was shipped from London and would remain here for the next few months. Mr. Lane worked in a time when impressionism was big. I am amazed at the patience that artists had during that time. Next time you see an piece of impressionist art, look closely at the brushstrokes; really incredible!
The weekend has practically come to an end, and what's a better way to finish it than with watching a movie with roommates while rain pours in the background?
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