Flashback Friday - Dublin

I was realizing today that at this time last year, we were spending our final full day in Ireland, and our second day in Dublin.  In so many ways, it seems so very long ago, then again, it seems very recent.

Then I also realized that I never finished my travelogue of our adventures and photos here on the blog, so I'm going to do that now.

We'd flown into Dublin on our first day, but immediately got our rental car and ventured elsewhere, since we knew we had two days at the end of the trip.  When we had been on our only other Ireland trip in 2003, we'd gotten to spend a day in Dublin, so we knew what to expect, and had fun making plans of what we would do on our return.

As was the case the rest of the trip, we had good weather.  As a matter of fact, the only time it actively rained when we were out, was on our very last day, when we were about 1 1/2 blocks from our hotel, heading back for dinner and the evening.  Not bad, and certainly nothing that interfered with any of our plans.

So, join me for the last part of our trip, before we flew home on November 2, 2012.

Well, you didn't think we wouldn't visit the Museum of Natural History, did you?  (What kind of natural history librarian would I be to skip it?  Besides, even before I started working at one, we both LOVED natural history museums!)

One of the best things about the Irish National Museum of Natural History is that, instead of the approach taken by modern museums, this one makes you feel that you walked right into a true cabinet of curiosities, in the way that it is laid out, and the specimens and exhibits are presented.  It was the best.

This is me standing in front of an Irish Elk, a now extinct creature, but one of my favorites.  We have one in our library's reading room, but the chance to see and Irish Elk in Ireland pleased my inner geek in an amazing way ...

Birds!

I was excited to see these Blaschka models of scientific specimens.  We have some at our museum, and they are so incredible, even when you see them or hold them in your hands, it seems impossible that they are glass.

Foxes!

Portion of the Hallway of Mammals

Part of the Skull Collection

Then it was on to the National Library of Ireland, where they had a special exhibit in celebration of the centenary of William Butler Yeats.

The skylight dome above the Reading Room.

Then National Gallery of Art of Ireland.  I didn't take any photos inside, but I have to admit that most of the gifts I bought for others were purchased in their gift shop!  Though parts of the galleries were closed for renovations, it was one of those places where each gallery that was open took your breath away with the array of beautiful paintings and objects.

I made a friend after we left there and were walking through town.

We spent our late afternoon taking a tour of the Abbey Theatre, which was so cool, as we had the chance to go backstage, behind the scenes, through some of the wardrobing and costume areas!

The Tim (on the very left here) in front of the Abbey Theatre.  We attended a performance there that evening of Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest.  A wonderful and fun way to end the day!

The next day, we headed to O'Connell Street, to walk up and down and go into some of the shops and wander down side streets.

 Daniel O'Connell Monument

 The General Post Office (so gorgeous inside - see below)

This is a bullet hole in one of the columns of the General Post Office from the 1916 Easter Uprising.

Then we visited with one of The Tim's best literary friends, James Joyce.

Then we headed to Powerscourt Townhouse, for some lunch and a trip to This Is Knit!

I bought three skeins of Donegal Irish Wool, and had a wonderful time looking at everything.  The shop staff was so nice, in spite of my blathering on and on.

From there, we headed to another part of town, where we saw St. Patrick's Cathedral. the building and the grounds were truly lovely, though we didn't go inside, because on philosophical grounds we objected to spending money for admission.

And finally, we made our way back to the other side of town, back to our hotel, and preparations to come back home and enjoy our memories.  We covered a lot of miles in those two days, and walked everywhere, so we woudn't miss anything.  It was so hard to leave.  But being able to go in the first place is the real treasure.

Thanks for indulging me looking at my pictures and listening to my tales, both in those post and others.  If you ever have the chance to visit Ireland, I have one word for you - GO!