Sometimes its fun to be a tourist...

In the past few months, I have taken many opportunities to go out and explore the city and the rest of Ireland.  There are a lot of things to do and see right here in Dublin.

There is a society on campus for International Students, and they have organized a lot of day trips and activities, and I have been able to go on quite a few of them.  Its been a great way to see this city and to meet new people.  I probably should have done individual posts for all of these activities, but this will just be a glimpse of some of the things that I have seen while I have been here.

Hill Walk in the Dublin Mountains

The view of Dublin City and Dublin Bay from the top of the mountain (you can see how hazy it was)

The summit of Three Rock Mountain

In the beginning of September, the group went on a hill walk just south of a Dublin.  We climbed to the top of Three Rock Mountain in Ticknock park.  Unfortunately, it rained for most of the 6-hour walk, but the views from the summit were great, and of course, the walk ended a pub.

Dublin Castle

The 12th Century Record Tower

 

 

Dublin Castle

 Dublin Castle is located right in the heart of Dublin, on Dame Street.  It was the fortified seat of British power in Ireland for over 700 years, until the establishment of the Republic of Ireland in 1921.  It is now used for the inauguration of the President of Ireland and for other official state functions.

Christchurch Cathedral

Christchurch Cathedral

 

 

The interior

 Located at the top of Dame Street is Christchurch Cathedral, which is the only one of the three cathedrals in Dublin that can be seen from the Liffey.  It is the seat of the Church of Ireland, but it is also claimed by the Catholic Church.  In the crypt, there is a mummified cat and rat that got caught in an organ pipe, which preserved them chasing one another.

Saint Patrick's Cathedral

The gardens of Saint Patrick's

The interior.

Saint Patrick's Cathedral

Irish Cross in the cemetery

 Malahide Castle

Me, Susanna, Linda, and Courtney outside the castle

Malahide Castle and grounds

Just a short train ride from the city center is Malahide Castle, which dates to the 12th century and was the family's primary residence until 1973.

Galway

Halfway through our semester, we had a reading week to catch up on work, so naturally, we decided to use our time to do a bit of traveling.  A group of seven of us in my program decided to do a weekend in Galway on the west coast of Ireland.  It was a really cool city, with a lot of pedestrian streets lined with pubs, cafes, and stores.

Me, Ted, Linda, Clarissa, Eanna, Courtney, and Rob outside of our hostel

Eyre Square

Interior of Galway Cathedral

The River Corrib

Galway Cathedral

Canal in Galway

Jameson Distillery

Jameson Distillery

Me, Emily, and Renee

 Two of my friends from Lycoming, Emily Patton (who is studying in Wales) and Renee Herrick (who is studying in London), visited Dublin for a weekend, and we went on the factory tour of the Old Jameson Distillery.  It was a fun tour, and it came with free whiskey at the end, and I even got selected to be a taste tester and got a certificate for it.  And all I had to do was drink some whiskey!

Rugby at Aviva Stadium

Me outside of Aviva Stadium

Ireland vs. Argentina

A family friend of ours was in Dublin from Galway for a weekend to see the Ireland vs. Argentina rugby match, and wound up having an extra ticket, so I got to experience my first live rugby match in Ireland's newest stadium.  I didn't follow everything that was going on, but Ireland won!

That's it for now.  There are still a lot of places and things to do and see in Dublin, and I plan on visiting Cork, France, the UK, and (hopefully) Morocco next term, and I will definitely post pictures from those trips.