Beannacht Baile átha Cliath - Dublin (Day 12 - GToE)

Translation: Goodbye, Dublin.

Today was my final day in Dublin. My flight to Amsterdam leaves at 9:30 tomorrow morning, so I will be heading to the airport fairly early (7am). So I must bid farewell to this fine city today. 

My plan for the day was to see the sites that I've missed over the past few days, namely: Dublin Castle, Christ Church, and St. Patrick's Cathedral. I even managed to fit in a few other things in addition to the big three.

Knowing that I had plenty of time to see things today, I started with heading over to the Natural History Museum. Along the way, I passed Oscar Wilde's birthplace. It took me all of 20 minutes or so to meander through the Natural History Museum. This may be the last natural history museum I peruse. Quite frankly I've seen enough stuffed animals to last me for awhile. I then made my way to St. Patrick's Cathedral. I specifically wanted to see Irish author, Jonathon Swift's resting place, but alas the cathedral was closed today for a graduation. Disappointed, I made my way up the hill to Christ Church. Across the road from Christ Church is Dublinia - a living history museum which focuses on the Viking and Medieval history of the city. In addition to showing what life was like in Dublin during those times, it houses artifacts that have been recovered from all over Dublin. It came highly recommended and I found myself enjoying the museum. I then moved across the road to Christ Church.

People may wonder why an atheist would spend so much time visiting churches, but I have always been fascinated with the architecture of old churches. Why they don't mean anything to me from a religious standpoint, they are useful for understanding the history of a city because churches have been for centuries one of the main meeting places. It's a great way to learn about a culture. Christ Church has an interesting relic that is quite famous, but incredibly unusual. It is the "cat and mouse" exhibit. In the 1860s, a mummified cat and mouse were found in the pipes of the church organ. They have been on display ever since and have even been memorialized in James Joyce's novel, Finnegans Wake. Additionally, if anyone watches The Tudors some of the scenes were filmed in Christ Church.

Upon leaving the church, I headed up to Dublin Castle where I toured the state apartments and then headed to my last stop of the day, the Chester Beatty Library. Arthur Chester Beatty was an American-born millionaire who made his home in London and then finally Dublin. During his life, he amassed one of the largest private collections of art and literature in the world. Upon his death, he willed the entire collection to the city of Dublin. Most of his collection is focused on Oriental art, which isn't quite to my taste, but as it was free, it was worth a brief visit.

It was time for a late lunch-early dinner and a return to my hostel. Speaking of my hostel, I haven't really mentioned how hostel life is going. While hostel living is not the easiest, it's also not the worst way to travel. For instances, last night I had two new roommates. Two girls from Manchester came to Dublin for the weekend. As last night was Halloween, they were heading out for a night on the town. But it took them well over 2 hours to get ready. WTF!? I don't think I've ever taken 2 hours to get ready to go out. So they kept me awake far later than I would have planned, especially after the exhausting day at Blarney Castle, but they were incredibly friendly girls. Mostly hostel living deals with lots of compromises, like be awakened at 3am when people come back from partying, but with an average cost of €15 per night, I can deal with minor annoyances. I should try using my earplugs, perhaps they would help.

All in all, my time here in Dublin has been wonderful. Dubliners are incredibly nice people and the city is well worth a visit. You can check out my Day 12 photos on my GToE photo site. 

Tomorrow - Amsterdam!