This past weekend I took a pilgrimage to olde Erin to see the sights, visit some friends, and - to be perfectly honest - take a break from my Central (read: Eastern) European cultural immersion. Mike, one of my good friends, is studying this semester in Dublin at NYU's film program set up there - so I was able to see a great city and hang out with a great friend all at the same time... it's really cool to know people in different parts of the world, and I'm looking forward to hosting some visitors to Prague later in the semester, as well!
My first impression upon stepping onto the streets of Dublin was "why the hell are all the cars driving on the wrong side of the road?" But once I jumped over that hurdle and got to O'Connell Street in the city centre, I then found my way to Temple Bar, the main stretch in Dublin (OK, I got lost and was rescued by my friend). And before I was even able to put my belongings down - we're approaching 11:30 at night - I was immediately summoned to my first Irish bar and treated to a Guinness with black currant (a local favorite).
The next day, I was able to do all of my sightseeing with the help of my friend Mark, a Dubliner and Irish native, who I know through one of my friends at home. Let me say that seeing a city through the eyes of a native really is the best way to do it, and we had a great time walking around the city. I was really taken with how small Dublin actually is - it reminded me more of a very large version of Princeton, actually, as Trinity College gives the Temple Bar area quite the "collegiate" feel. In fact, when I walked around Trinity, they happened to be having a club fair that day - I was mistaken for a Trinity student many times!
After walking around and seeing Christ Church, Dublin Castle (above), The Chester Beatty Library, and City Hall, I made my way over to the Book of Kells. The Book of Kells, a bible transcribed by Celtic Monks around the year 800, is housed in the library of Trinity College and is said to be one of the most beautifully-penned books ever written. It certainly was gorgeous and lived up to the hype. Afterwards, I met up with Mark and we headed over to an Irish must: the Guinness factory!! It was really
cool to see the process by which they cultivate, brew, distribute, and advertise their beer, a product which the Irish are so proud of. The tour of the museum ended with free pints that we got to pour on our own and take up to the "gravity bar," which
overlooks the entire city of Dublin. The day ended with a long walk around town, making stops at St. Stephen's Green and Dublin's shopping district on Grafton Street (left). Other highlights of the weekend included a visit to the famous Phoenix Park, where we saw the president of Ireland's house, a few chances to take advantage of Dublin's vibrant nightlife, walks along the River Liffey, and my first encounter with "real" fish & chips, possibly the greasiest mountain of food I've ever come across in my entire life (but absolutely delicious!).
I mentioned it before, but this weekend really was a good chance to get away from the sometimes-overbearing experience of living in a completely foreign place, having to adapt to a new culture and language. Although Ireland certainly is culturally rich (and there's even somewhat of a language barrier!), there's no doubt that it's closer in its ways of doing things to the US than the Czech Republic. I think that going to Dublin gave me a taste of how different Prague really is from a western city. I have to admit that, leaving Ireland and arriving back here in Prague, I did feel a little bit of longing for the stuff I've left behind, especially some simple things that I wouldn't have necessarily expected to miss. In any event, now it's back to the daily grind.... and time to keep pushing forward, learning, adapting, and enjoying my time here!
As they say in Dublin - Cheers!
No comments:
Post a Comment