Dublin

Hello from Dublin! I'm currently in the living room of my hostel (The Globetrotters) blogging for the first time in a long time. Dublin has been both exciting and chaotic. Being in a city after the slow pace of Sligo has been invigorating and I can understand why so many writers resided in Dublin and drew on the city as a direct source for their work. However, with moving to the city comes high prices, crowds, and an abundance of concrete everywhere. On my first day I stumbled across Trinity College's academic quad and immediately found solace in the green lawns (manicured and lined by signs that prohibit walking or even stepping foot on the grass). The quad also has numerous stone pathways leading to huge academic buildings which loom overhead. It doesn't have a lot of red-brick buildings like many US universities and colleges, but it does reminds me of being at Wellesley. Since I'll reach the maximum number of nights enforced by my hostel this upcoming Saturday, I'll be moving to the Trinity dorms for another week to continue my time in Dublin. Afterward, it's onward to Galway! So far I've seen the Hugh Lane gallery, the Dublin Writers Museum, the National Library and their amazing Yeats exhibit (probably THE best museum exhibit I've ever seen--good job Gabriella!), and the Charles Beatty Library. Tomorrow I'll head to Temple Bar for their weekend used book fair as well as to get some produce for the week. I'll also have to blog about the literary pub crawl that I went on with my friend Jess. More to come! I hope everyone is enjoying their summer. Bask in the sun for me... it feels like Fall over here with the rain and winds!