Dublin Day

Haiku by Suzanne:
The books aren’t read anymore:
They are roped off--
Only for show.
July 15 (Trinity College Library)










Got breakfast for the second time (first time with Janice) at The Sandwich Market, a cute take-out breakfast and lunch place a block from our hotel. Three women work there and they are so fun and interesting, we asked if we could interview them tomorrow and they said yes!

Then we hopped on the Red Line train like a bunch of pros, to go downtown to interview Erin, the second interviewee on our journey. We took lots of photos on the walk to her office. Addresses are different here, with both even and odd numbers on the same side of the street... at least on this particular street. So it took a couple of takes to get to the right door.

Erin was great. And for me, it was fun to see just how different each person answers the same question. That's what makes this world so wonderful, and why this documentary could be a very healing thing. I was surprised to see how many similarities we had. It was a relief to see another woman my age who is single and independent. :) Janice contributed insightful questions that really helped the interview. I'm amazed at how self-aware she is. God, when I think of myself at 16, all I remember is a person who wanted to get out and do things, but didn't see my creativity and light.

We had a blast after the interview, getting lattes, popping into shops and trying on Irish tweed vests, hats and sweaters. Janice's energy is contagious and she brings a sense of fun to the mix. Then we headed to Trinity College to view the Book of Kells and the Library. OMG, both very powerful exhibits. The Book of Kells, for the beauty, craftsmanship and honoring, and the library, holy cow... a huge, long room, with two stories of books so ancient and delicate. The smell was wonderful. Not musty but old, wise, learned. I felt like I needed to be on my best behavior, as a way to show respect to the words, to the authors. It makes me want to read, to learn, to absorb more.

After a quick bite, we remembered that the National Gallery was nearby so we went, only to find it open for 15 more minutes. Have you ever breezed through a museum/gallery in a short period of time? It was exciting. We stopped only at works of art that struck us, so that we had an intense experience of using only our senses, not our analyzers. I DO want to go back though. Didn't get to hit every room. :)

There is so much to see in Dublin. I like it a lot for it's diversity, history and culture. But I have to admit that I dig the small Irish towns more. The slow pace and genuinely nice people are what I crave. Janice has a wish to see green fields, sheep and stone walls so we are going to take a bus to the Hill of Tara to see ruins and walk a country road or two. Sigh. I can't WAIT.