I've been busy this weekend, as I was able to get cheap tickets to Dublin a couple of weeks back. However, while the tickets were relatively easy to get, the hotel rooms were a bigger problem. Unbeknownst to me, Dublin was hosting the Special Olympics during the very weekend that I was to arrive; I only discovered that fact out after some maddening efforts to find rooms for my stay. Though it took a long time to find accommodations (giving me nightmares about arriving in a foreign city without a place to stay), I lucked out in the end and was able to book rooms, though I was staying in a different room for each night (because the first hotel that came through only had a room on Saturday, and I thought it would be easier to get another room on Friday than one for both nights). Both places were centrally located and fairly nice (though I liked the Saturday hotel better), but I was mostly glad that I found something.
I had an early morning flight from the somewhat far-removed Luton airport (the downside of these discount airlines is that you can't simply fly out of Heathrow), and I had to take a 1:30 shuttle to get there, as the next (4:30) one was slightly too late. I ended up staying up at the school waiting to take a cab to Victoria Station, since I didn't want to sleep in and miss my flight. In any case, I was able to get some rest in on the bus and airplane, though not during my time in the airport itself (mostly I paced around a lot, though I was able to call home and also broke the monotony by buying coffee and newspapers).
Upon arriving in Dublin, I took a shuttle to the center of the city and stopped in a coffee shop to reorient myself; I ended up chatting a bit with the old lady I asked for directions. After finding my hotel, which wasn't too far away (just off of O'Connell Street), I checked in and headed out to do some exploring. I first went over to Trinity College and went on a historical walking tour led by one of the College's history graduates. It was pretty interesting, as our guide and was able to tie in Irish history with the situation on the Continent. It was also a good way for me to get my bearings as we walked through Trinity (where there were signs of a graduation ceremony), the old Parliament building (now owned by the Bank), the 'bohemian'/touristy Temple Bar, Dublin Castle, and Christ Church cathedral. After lunch, I went to the Trinity library to see the Book of Kells, one of the most well-known illuminated manuscripts. I left Trinity and walked past St. Stephen's Green to Merrion Green (where I took the obligatory Oscar Wilde statue photo) before going to the National Museum. I looked at the Irish artifacts (including the Tara Brooch) before taking a taxi to the hotel and getting a few hours of much-needed rest. After napping, I found a local place to eat and had a meal before heading back.
On Saturday, I dropped my stuff off at hotel #2 (located between Trinity and Temple Bar) before going to the nearby port town of Dun Laoghaire ("Dun Leary") to relax a little and write postcards before heading back to the city. After lunch, I took the train back and went to the remaining sights on my list, which were fortunately in the same vicinity. I first toured Christ Church cathedral and its crypt before trekking over to St. Patrick's cathedral (which was having choral rehearsals during the visit) and then to Dublin Castle. Unfortunately, the State Apartments were closed because of the Special Olympics, so there were only limited tours of the chapel and the undercroft (the ruins of the ancient castle) at a discount. Once I had finished touring, I went to the hotel to formally check in. I did some reading before going to Temple Bar for a musical pub crawl, during which Irish musicians explaned and demonstrated their craft. After the pub crawl, I got something to eat around Temple Bar before going back to the hotel.
I took a morning flight back to London, which allowed me to do a little bit of reading before school on Monday. Hopefully I'll be able to concentrate for the next few weeks; I'm not planning on doing any major touristy things until exams and law review write-ons are out of the way.
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