Dublin Part 2!



The 5 million Euro Spire, Dublin

My day started off with a bang, as I passed by the Spire in the middle of Dublin on my way to the Hop On/Hop Off tourbus I would be taking through the city.  This spire isn't dedicated to anyone or there for any specific purpose, so many Dubliners say it is the biggest waste of 5 million Euros they could think of.



Trinity College, Dublin

he first stop of the tour was Trinity College, the home of the Book of Kells!  While the ticket to see it is a bit pricey, the Book of Kells is beautiful!  The work involved in creating all of those pages makes it all the more breath-taking.  You also get to take a tour of the part of the Trinity College Library that houses all of their antique books, which was probably the coolest part of the tour, for me atleast.



Kilmainham Gaol main cellblock

Isn't this depressing looking?  But one good thing, there is a sky light in this cellblock.  This is much better than the original cellblock.  That was dark and dank, but was knocked down by the Victorians when they remodeled the Gaol.  The Victorians believed that letting the light in, would make the prisoners yearn for freedom and therefore would make them better members of society. 

A doorway in Kilmainham Gaol


The door states,

"Beware of the Risen People, That have harried and held, Ye who have bullied and Bribed."

If that isn't the best worded threat, I don't know what would be.

Brave woman who was jailed after fighting for Irish Independance

This woman was engaged to one of the men to be executed as one of the leaders of the 1916 rebellion.  She and her fiance were allowed to be wed in the Chapel in Kilmainham Gaol and were allowed 10 minutes together as their wedding night.  He was executed the next morning.  She later went on to follow in her husbands steps and earned herself a place in the Gaol herself during the next and much more successful rebelllion.

The rest of the tour went around Phoenix Park which is home to the Mansion of the Irish President and is the largest Park in Europe!  Apparently it could hold two Central Parks within it!

The Ghostbus Tour bus

I ended my eventful day with the Dublin Ghostbus Tour.  It was entertaining and full of really interesting ghost storys, but I'm still not quite sure if it was worth the 28 Euros....  You did get to go to visit two pretty interesting historical churches though.
Tomorrow I'll be traveling from Ireland to Germany!  Bavaria, here I come!!

Cheers!
KM