Last night the internet at the hostel was down so I had to compose the following post on my own, with the intention of posting it when I got internet. Before I launch into it, a very fast update: today was my first day of driving in Ireland. On the wrong side of the road. On the wrong side of the car. In a stick-shift, temperamental vehicle. I will elaborate later but for now I'll say this: I am VERY glad I took out insurance.
Yesterday's blog is as follows:
Highlights of Day two:
I bought my first two postcards today: one of the interior of the Reading Room in the National Library (pretty, mysterious building labelled “library”, though we couldn't find the books), and one of an old man playing the flute (whom I did not meet but looked pretty stereotypically “Irish.”). Downstairs they did have a brilliant display of Yeats' work—including a copy of his passport for us to see the stamps of all the places he went with his wife.
The National Library was preluded by a visit to the National Museum of Archaeology and History, where we watched a video that summarized key historical landmarks in Ireland (most of which I proudly recognized from the rest of our itinerary), saw the Tara Brooch (a beautiful artifact I researched last year in History of World Art), and walked--confused--past an “Egypt” exhibition.
don't know what mummies were doing next to pictures of rolling, green hills.
After a slow walk through St. Stephen's Green, we lounged in the shade of St. Patrick's Cathedral and grimaced at all the pale Irish men who had decided to take liberty of the 60+ degree, sunshine-y sky: stripping off their shirts and basking all the milk-white glory of their skin in the gold glow of the Irish sky.
Dinner was take-away pizza, enjoyed in the comfort of the hostel kitchen while other hostel occupants milled about, making their dinners and conversing in their diverse accents.
We concluded the strolled day with a literary pub crawl, led by two amusing Irish actors.
Tomorrow we head south to the mountains and the ocean, with me behind the wheel—on the wrong side, remember—and our suitcases puzzle-packed into the small trunk of a rental car.
May the road rise to meet me
(because I'm pretty sure I'm going to have trouble staying on it).
----
Today ... will have to wait. I've been on the road since 10am (with a few stops) and am in need of food and something to relax the spazzed muscles tormenting my thighs, calves, and eyelids.
Don't get me wrong: today was the best day yet. But it was ridiculously chaotic.
Pictures from Part I will come at a later time as well--internet's slow here.
Look for Part II in my next installment!
Cheers
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