The Dublin Escape

Are you ready for a busy, adventurous weekend in Dublin? Well, let’s get going then!

I have a confession to make.

I’m one of those impossibly reckless people. If I stay for too long in the same place, I get reckless, stressed, and a wee bit frustrated. I just need to go somewhere. Anywhere, really. As long as it includes flashing my passport at border security. And as long as it’s as far away as possible. Yet, it isn’t always possible to travel as far away as you’d like to – especially not in your first semester as a postgrad student. But you know, sometimes a weekend get-away can turn out to be the best medicine for a reckless mind (and itchy feet).

After an oral exam last week, I decided it was time to go. Scotland, you know I love you, but I just needed a break. It’s not you, it’s me and all that stuff. So on Friday night, I grabbed my two favourite Americans and jumped on the evening flight to Dublin, Ireland. Two hours later we drank our very first Irish beer in our first Irish bar (on Irish soil, that is, ´cause those bars are bloody everywhere! I’ve even been to an Irish bar in Aswan, Egypt).

Maggie met the man of her dreams. Julia found the beer of her dreams. And I got chatted up by a guy in his late 40s – with absolutely no hair. What a night, eh?

After a rather powerful breakfast the next morning, consisting of cheese buns with bacon (someone’s been a bad veggie…) and super strong coffee (and M&S new Christmas tea!), we aimed for the first stop of the day: Trinity College!

Not only is Trinity an utterly gorgeous university campus, but it’s also famous for being the home of the rather infamous Book of Kells – an illustrated collection of the gospels of the New Testament which was probably written around year 700. Each day the museum displays a new part of the book. Chances are you’ll never see the same page twice.

Entrance fee is 10 euros. If you happen to be a charming Norwegian, the ticket guy will probably let you in for free. If you’re a charming American however, you will most definitely pay your fee (Sorry, Julia and Mags, but nothing can compete with the Scandi charm).

Trinity College is also the home of the Old Library, a place that looks like its derived straightly from Hogwarts. It’s rather impressive, isn’t it? Hopefully you’ll never end up actually looking for a book here… You see, the books are not catalogued due to a common theme, a time period, or by being written by a certain author. Oh no, these books are being catalogued by their height. That makes it a bit difficult, don’t it?

(No worries – they are all digitalized as well. Internet <3)

After visiting Trinity, we started to feel the urge for a break.

We opted for a Guinness – there’s nothing more Irish than that, is it?

So cheer for a successful first day of our escape to Dublin. And cheers to embracing the Irish culture!

Are you looking for more articles on Ireland? Why don’t you check out this great article on the Cliffs of Moher.