Day
Five - Castles, Colleges, and Small Engine Repair
Brunch today was at a place called The Larder. A delicious prawn
wrap for me and Fai chose a quiche. It was a very nice little cafe
with a great staff. I read the Health
section of the Irish Times while I finished my beverage and found
it very interesting and thorough.
We checked out the Georges
Street Arcade, a colorful indoor market with a certain alternative
flavor, offering everything from art to flowers, LP's, coffee and
even body piercings. Fai found it a bit more interesting than I,
so I ventured off to peruse some nearby streets before we met back
up and headed toward the castle.
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The Dublin Castle
(Click to Enlarge) |
The Dublin Castle was
built between 1204 and 1220 on the site of the first Viking fortress
and represents some of the oldest surviving architecture in the city.
It is located at the site where the Poddle and Liffey Rivers meet,
forming a black pool. The Black Pool is called a dubh linn in Irish (pronounced
dove-lin), from which the city of Dublin got its name. It was
the center of English power in Ireland for over seven centuries until
it was taken over by the Irish
Free State in 1922.
From there we walked over to Trinity
College, wich was founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I. The very
impressive campus occupies 47 acres and contains two playing fields,
primarily for soccer and rugby.
The main attraction for over 500,000 visitors yearly at Trinity College
Dublin is The
Book of Kells.
Written around the year 800 AD by Celtic Monks, the Book of Kells contains
a richly decorated copy of the four gospels in a latin calligraphy.
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O'Neill's Pub
(Click to Enter Pub)
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The school is quite large and we were in the back, so after looking
around a bit, we walked around the outside to get to the front. On
the way, however, we spotted a little pub on the corner called O'Neill's
and a pint was calling my name.
Properly refreshed, we continued on to the front of TCD and perused
the grounds a bit, looking at sculpture or two and
the school store.
Strolling about the Temple Bar area, we came upon the Irish
Film Institute. There were four films playing that night, all
with a good deal of promise, so we picked one and purchased some
tickets for later in the evening. But first it was time for some
margaretta pizza and Nastro
Azzuro at Botticelli,
and then a quick pint of Guinness at The
Temple Bar.
Small
Engine Repair was our choice of films this evening and what a fantastic
choice it was. Writer/Director Niall
Heary's debut film is set in a
mountainous logging area in Northern Ireland and revolves around two friends
who are down on their luck and needing some new direction in
life. It has great charm, wit, and even some very palletable
country music. A solid addition to your "must-see" list.
We finished the evening with a few more pints at The Auld Dubliner,
reflecting on a very busy, fun day in Dublin.
Day
Six