"Alive, alive, oh!"

FINALLY. After being away from home for a week (this time last Monday I believe I was airborne over the Atlantic), I made it into the city center today. Dublin! Yay! As I anticipated, I was lost for the majority of the time. Actually I was lost much more than I'd anticipated... I mean, I've spent hours studying maps and tour-guide books, looking for ways to get from one point to another. But there's a real difference between finding a place on a map and finding a place on a street - especially because I think the Irish must be secretly very protective and, well, secretive. Because their street signs are ridiculously confusing, when you can follow them at all. I felt a little overwhelmed the first hour, which I spent trying to find St. Stephen's Green from Pearse Street. Eventually I realized that the first day SHOULD be spent getting lost. And then I found the Green.

After that I didn't worry about being lost. Which is good, because as I said, I was most of the time. I always understood the immediate vicinity that I was in, but I had no idea how to get from point A to point B. Still don't, really. But I walked around for 5 or 6 hours and I found essentially everything that I wanted to find today. AND I figured out the DART stations, asked for help if I really needed it, and got off at the right stop and survived the freezing walk home. So by all means, I consider it a successful day.

Because I didn't follow a specific tour or street or even stay in one area, it's difficult to go back and retrace my adventures in a logical, linear way. I'm actually not even sure where I spent my first hour; I do know that I must have walked right past St. Stephen's and Merrion Square several times while I was looking for them. I also know that I walked right through Merrion Square without knowing what it was because the sign at the gate said "Dublin City Council Park", which I thought was nice but decidedly unhelpful. Anyway - I eventually went through St. Stephens, and walked for a while, searching for anything familiar. I saw a sign for St. Patrick's Cathedral, and knew then that I'd gone far too south for the city center. But what the heck? So I followed the signs and eventually found the cathedral. WOW. What an incredibly beautiful place. Look up pictures sometime - really. I think I want to go back and actually go inside this time. Just the exterior and the gardens (the gardens! the gardens!) killed me. Back out on the road, I walked towards the medieval center of town (I was inspired when I saw a yellow tour bus shaped like a boat, bearing tourists with viking helmets) and found Christ Church Cathedral. Also WOW. Cathedrals just knock me out. This one was established in 1030 and I'd reeeallly like to go inside. I don't know why I didn't, other than that I hate spending money. Hate it.

Let's see... I don't remember what on EARTH I was trying to find after that, or how I ended up walking alongside the River Liffey and then turning right onto Temple Bar St. That's a very long street full of shops and bars and restaurants (much like any other street in Dublin, except this one seems to be the most popular). OH, it killed me though - I was wandering down Temple Bar, trying to find something that I'd heard of, and I was starting to feel a little lost and down. It's only fun being lost if you think you might secretly have a way to find yourself in a few minutes; but Temple Bar is pretty good at hiding things, especially you. So I was kind of wandering around, thinking about that, and all the sudden I heard this very motherly voice on a speaker on the street: "Someday, sweet as a song, Charlie's lucky day will come along. Till that day, you've got to stay strong, Charlie; up on top is right where you belong." I don't remember being affected by that song in Willy Wonka as a child, but when we watched the movie a few months back, it made me cry. (A surprising amount.) I was so surprised to hear it down there that I just stood there, listening, with a ridiculous expression on my face. "Cheer up, Charlie, do - just be glad you're you." And then I found a map.

I got out of Temple Bar eventually and walked down some streets that looked surprisingly like Prague. Then I found Dublin Castle - which you have to look really hard for, if you don't already know it's there. So I'm actually surprised that I found it, haha. And that was a really cool place - it's a whole complex of goverment buildings which are still in use, and a cathedral that's really cool, and then these really brightly colored buildings that attach to the back. Also, there's the Chester Beatty Library - which I've heard is great, but I think it was closed or something so I didn't go in. But that's another thing to go back and do. The castle garden was, again, beautiful though.

Ughh it's midnight and I'm fading. Gotta finish!

Let's see. I think after that I was trying to find my way back to Pearse Street and not having much luck. I did find the statue of Molly Malone, though! Good heavens. That's all I have to say about that.

I then walked along the block with all the museums for awhile, and as it was nearing dinner time I didn't really feel like going into all of them (plus, that would take a day each, and I have many more days! Also, all that I ate today was an apple that I brought and saved for St. Stephen's Green and some Robert Frost reading. So I was eager to get home and eat). So I popped into the National Gallery for awhile, and saw some magnificent medieval works. All of their contemporary exhibits (including a whole room on James Joyce, and a wing on Yeats) were closed for work, though, which was a bummer. So I went out, and started making my way toward Pearse St. (because by then I'd figured it out! Ha!) and thought, "Rats - the only thing I really missed was Merrion Square and Oscar Wilde." (There's a famous statue of him there.) And then - what do you know?! As I was crossing a street, I saw him over the fence of the park! So I went over and got some pictures of the man and of the marble posts with his quotes. What a ridiculously smug, clever man he was.

Annnnd yeah. I'm really tired. I found Pearse eventually after some more meandering in Merrion Square, got on the crowded train along with the 9-5 crowd, and tried to ignore a very loud group of French tourist guys (three of the more annoying types...), and half-walked/half-ran home from the DART station. Dinner had just been set out when I arrived.

Tomorrow is going to be a laid back day. I think I'm going to find a local coffee shop and bring some books and make a day of it. I start getting stressed when I try to plan for the week, so I'm taking it all one day at a time. Because one day is much more manageable, and besides - out here, for me anyway, one day is all I NEED to plan for. How strange.

Goodnight, folks. Have fun googling all the places I talked about, Dad - that's why I was so specific, you know. :) Also, you would have LOVED the Gallery. But we can talk about that later. K. Bye.