I'm not sure I have ever been this tired!
It's 7:30 and I am in for the evening. I went out this morning a bit before 9:00 when it was spitting snow, and I only actually stopped walking twice - for lunch at Bad Ass Cafe, and for dinner at Bewley's Oriental Cafe. I wish I could soak my feet, but I only have a shower (an incredible power shower, but still just a shower).
When I went out this morning, I cut through the Irish Life Mall, which is near me on Talbot St (the street that I take to get to O'Connell). I stopped to use the last minute on my calling card to leave a message for Dan, then headed over to Trinity College. I sort of wished that Kym had been there. She would really have identified with things. Even in Ireland, you can tell a dorm window when you see one, and the notice boards and the students themselves looked just like at her school. I got over to the library and waited in line for it to open, to see the Book of Kells. I was second in line behind a man from Canada and his mother, and we chatted while we waited. The library was late in opening. It turned out that they were waiting for money for the book store registers. Once the Brinks truck had come and gone, they opened the doors. There was a brief moment of disquiet when a big group arrived and went in ahead of us. But they were actually not there to see the Book of Kells, they were there for a meeting of some kind. The Canadian guy skipped the initial displays showing the history of the Book and its discovery and protection throughout the centuries. He was in a hurry to make a flight, but I caught up with him in the room with the actual book. He told me had overheard a guide explaining to some people that the blue ink was the most precious and costly because it was made of lapis lazuli that came from Afghanistan. There was another ancient book there that was dark colored, and he told me that it looked that way because people believed that if it was dipped in water, the water would have curative properties for sick animals. The only problem was that the inks were toxic, and when they gave the water to the animals to drink they tended to die. I wonder if they did that very long before catching on.
Then I stepped upstairs to see the Long Room of the old library. It was absolutely gorgeous! Unfortunately, no pictures were allowed, so I bought a couple of postcards at the bookstore. Cathy was right - the Book of Kells wasn't that much to look at, since it had to be dimly lit to protect it. Still, bending over it there, thinking about how old it was and all that had happened to it during its existence, being there was pretty special. And since I was the only one in there at that moment, I could stand there as long as I wanted. When I came down into the bookstore, there was a line forming to see the Book, so it was good that I was early. I bought some Trinity College stuff for the kids, then headed over to the National Museum (the archaeology one, not the art one).
There was a large display of prehistoric gold, and a long boat that they had discovered half-built (a dugout canoe) that was dated from 2500 BC! But the display of the "treasures" was a little disappointing, I thought. The Tara Brooch and other things I had wanted to see were dimly lit and surrounded by security devices, and weren't as shiny as I have seen in books. Still, I was glad to have seen them. The detail of the designs was incredible, and I couldn't help but be impressed by the delicacy of the work. There were several major hoards of gold found at various times, lots of jewelry, breastplates, collars, tiny animals, boats, etc.
Then I went looking for the 29 Georgian House tour. This was something I had read about in the Rick Steves book. It was listed as being on the corner of Fitzwilliam St and Lower Mount St. I couldn't see a Fitzwilliam St on my map, but I went to Lower Mount and walked all the way down, never finding it. After walking back and forth past Merrion Square several times, I finally gave up and hiked back to the Grafton St area, cursing Rick Steves all the way. I walked all over the Temple Bar area, taking pictures, then had lunch at Bad Ass Cafe. This is a pizza place whose claim to fame is that Sinead O'Connor was once a waitress here. Their slogan "Always a good pizza ass", they have a donkey as a mascot. It's in an old warehouse-looking, glass-fronted building. There are wires crisscrossing overhead, where baskets whiz back and forth, taking orders to the kitchen and bringing back the change from people's payments. And it was good pizza! They gave me four of the poster-sized menus to take home as souvenirs - really cute
I wanted to find the Designyard on Essex St (E or W, I am not sure), but I ended up on Essex Quay instead. There was a bad accident here on Sunday, when a city bus plowed into a waiting crowd, killing five people, and I came across the place where it happened. There were bundles and bundles of flowers, notes, pictures. Very sad. I walked all over the Grafton St area again, taking pictures of the musicians who played all along the street. There was one band who really made me smile. They had a guy playing a washboard - then I noticed a guy playing an actual washtub bass! They were singing traditional Irish songs, and looked like Emmet Otter's Irish cousins. :)
By this time, I was so tired (and a little discouraged that I hadn't been successful in getting where I wanted to be), that I finally stopped at the McDonald's on Grafton St and ordered a supersized Diet Coke, then sat down to rest. Then, as I was sitting there looking at my map, I saw the notation "Georgian House" - on Fitzwilliam PLACE. I decided to give it one more go, and headed over there (on the other side of Merrion Square from where I had been). Once there, coming at it from the other direction, I found it! It was on the corner of Fitzwilliam ST (the map was wrong, it really was ST) and Upper Mount (not Lower). Usually Upper turns into Lower, but in this case they were a block apart. And where Fitzwilliam St joined Lower Mount, where I had been walking back and forth earlier in the day, Fitzwilliam is called Merrion Sq East. No wonder I never found it. But I still haven't fully forgiven Rick Steves.
Anyway, I got there just in time for the last tour of the day. I didn't even have time to see the little introductory film, so I saw that afterward. It was a really interesting place, built in the 1700's. No pictures allowed, but the tour guide was very knowledgeable. There was only one other woman on the final tour, so we got a good look at everything.
After that, I went back to Grafton St. I had already decided that I was too tired to be out tonight, so I thought I would eat a light dinner at Bewley's Oriental Cafe. I had the absolute best tomato soup I have ever had. It had basil, and tasted like homemade spaghetti sauce in a bowl. Served with a big hunk of brown bread and hot tea, it was the perfect thing. My waiter was from Spain, which I recognized from his accent (the same as my friend Jorge's, they are from the same area!).
When I got back to the guesthouse, I retrieved my car key from the desk (they had kept it in case they needed to move the car for some reason - long story). I went out and retrieved my Avoca shopping bag, so that I could start packing tonight. But before I can start that organizing, I need a shower.
I plan to go to the top of O'Connell St in the morning to see the Garden of Remembrance, dedicated to the martyrs of the Easter Rising.
A mug I saw today:
On the front was a chicken, a chair and a piece of cheese hanging from a string. Above, it said "The Meaning of Life".
On the back, there was this verse: Sometimes it's a chicken, sometimes it's a chair,
Sometimes it's a piece of cheese, suspended in the air.
I have no idea what that means, but it just cracks me up. It still makes me laugh, just thinking about it. OK, I am weird.
So, my little adventure is almost over. There was a point this afternoon when I got a little....homesick? But when I do this again, I want to pay the extra for an automatic car. Having to deal with shifting and all just adds another level of stress to the whole driving process. This afternoon, too, I was thinking that I am so very grateful to be able to do this at all. There was such a long time that I couldn't afford things. Now, I not only afforded the trip, but am bringing back gifts, too. I probably (no, definitely) spent more than I should have, but it's not like I do it all the time. And doing it alone was really liberating - I have hardly thought about work all week. I really needed a getaway. I deserved to do this. I succeeded in doing this. And I'm going back with a new attitude. :)
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