For Chuck Beatty...we owe him so much

Whirlwind. As I sit here writing this blog post, I'm having a hard time even remembering what I've done the past few days. I have seen more museums, sights of historical importance, and pretty stuff in the last two weeks than in my whole life, maybe.
So anyways, yesterday we started off the morning with a thoroughly confusing class on how to define culture. I always feel like their trying to trick us into discussions like these were there's no real answer or the answer is simply, you can't define culture. Don't get me started. It makes my head hurt. But after that stimulating class we went to the National Museum of Ireland--Archaeology. If was like a labyrinth in there and they had so much stuff. The early things were just rocks and gold but they had some beautiful chalices, crosses and things like that as we went along. Unfortunately I was not allowed to take any pictures.
Some highlights of the museum:
-some random Egyptian mummies (yeah in an IRISH museum, I know)
-the bell of St. Patrick...I don't think this was actually owned by him but it was still cool
-Mary Helen informing me that I am not allowed to bring my furby in the museum (dang it)
-the bog people...Allow me to elaborate. These are people who were killed for some reason or another and thrown into bogs as a burial. These murders or executions took place as far back as the 1700s. Their bodies have been preserved because of the condition of the bogs. Their skin, hair, clothes, teeth and organs are mostly in tact. It was kinda creepy. Here's a picture of one of the less creepy ones that I found online.
Some of them were definitely terrifying to see. It is fascinating to me how they are so well preserved. Scientists could even see what they ate for their last meal and therefore estimate the time of year of their death because of the types of food they ate. Gross.
Then we went to the National Library. Like my mecca, right? Well you just wait til I entertain you with story's of Chuck Beatty's lib. Anyways, they had this exhibition to W.B. Yeats, who was Irish. I learned cool stuff and really weird stuff about him. Like he was really into the occult. It was just cool to be in there in the presence of things that had his personal handwriting on it. They had early hand written drafts of his poetry as well as wonderful things like the Nobel Prize he won. Not even fair. Unfortunately the reading room and genealogy area of the 'brary were closed but while the economics and poli sci kids peaced out, we English majors had the time of our lives.
So last night we ate at a yummy little cafe down in the Temple Bar area. Temple Bar is one two large areas of town that are shopping centers/restaurant/bar parts of town that are closed to cars so they are very pedestrian friendly. There are street performers EVERYWHERE. You name it someone's doing it on the street. Bands? Check. Rapper? Check. Chalk artist? Check. Sand sculpturerer? Check. Firebreather? Easy, check.
Today half of our group had to go to some economical thing at a bank (HA) so I got to sleep in and then head over to the Chester Beatty Library. Words can't describe...I mean...It was just...aggghh!
Me and MH with our new hero
Ok Chester was an American citizen who was a mining engineer and multimillionaire. Over the years through his travels he amassed a collection of books, manuscripts and artifacts from all over the world that was so large he hired his own librarians and researchers to catalog and research his findings. He became an honorary Irish citizen as he lived here awhile I think. When he died he left his entire collection to the people of Ireland to be preserved as a free museum. Pretty cool right?
Let's just say that the average age of the things in this museum was probably somewhere around 1300 AD at the latest. The collection opened with 900 oriental snuff bottles. There were extensive collections of art and manuscripts from China, Thailand and India. He had so much stuff that the entire collection is not even on display. He has something like 30,000 manuscripts. How does one person gather that much stuff in a lifetime?
Things that were just the most ridiculous:
-Prints by Albrecht Durer
-Korans (as in more than one) dating back to the 9th and 10th century
-Complete Atlas of the world from the 1500s
-a map of Virginia that looked more like South Carolina
And finally probably the most ridiculous was the Egyptian papyrus manuscripts. These fragments of papyrus contain some of the oldest known pieces of the Bible. They date between 100-200AD. OLD. Here's a picture of one that I found on the internet, but it gives you the idea of what I saw.
Some of the oldest fragments were from the various gospels. They also have the oldest copies of Pauls letters. All I saw were fragments but apparently they came in codexes so only a small part of the collection was even on display. That was one of those moments when I just wanted to sit in the room and soak it in. I had finished looking at everything and I just stood there in the presence of such amazing artifacts.
So after we experienced that awesomeness I went back to the room to decompress. And what better way to decompress than to shop! I went to my first H&M and blew so much money (sorry dad)! I've got to keep up with the European fashion here after all!

Glory, Glory, Hallelujah

Huzzah huzzah WHAT?! I forgot to post on the most important event of my week thus far! The Ole Miss vs Memphis football game! (and football like with the pointed ball not the non-contact sport of soccer). Well I tried so freakin hard to find a place to listen to or watch the game. I wasted money even because espn360 would not work on my computer. It seems that espn had like exclusive rights to this game or something because it was nowhere online. Anyway here's my favorite player:
Yeah be jealous of that. Jerrell Powe is my boy. He's slimmed down considerably to a respectable 320 pounds. And he might be 40 years old by now. But who's counting?
Jevan holds his own in my heart though...
Well I found this horrible website called gametracker.com where it updates after each play and has like little cartoon people running all over the field. Hey, it was the best I had. From what I saw we have alot to improve on.
I mean, a win is a win but it seemed like we were a little rusty and the offensive line (I know we've got alot of people hurt) needs to STEP UP. Put me in coach. I am ready to play.
I am waiting for the day little Dex gets pulled down by his hair.
Hey it's Greg Hardy! Guess what? He got hurt again. Careful there buddy, we need you this season. Fun fact: He went to my rival high school and I actually saw him play basketball. I remember him from that more than football because he was really good and annoying because of his little swagger. But I can cheer for him now!

Final Score:
Ole Miss: 45 Memphis: 14

Maybe next time Tigers...oh wait.

By the way, I miss him...

Highs and Lows

In the past two days I have had one of the most beautiful and fantastic experiences of my life and also one of the most disturbing and depressing experiences. First on Sunday we decided to attend Christ Church here in Dublin. It is an Anglican Church, which is surprising considering that's the Church of England and most of Ireland is Catholic. The service was strange simply because not less that five minutes after the service ended the sheets were ripped off of the postcard rounders and the ticket counter in order to let the tourists flood back in. I think it's sad when a church is surviving based on the success of it's ability to sell itself to tourists.
Anyways, we ended up saving 4 euro on the admission fee since we went to the service for free and just hung around to tour the place. And it is an absolutely gorgeous place, both to worship and to observe. The Vikings first built Christ Church Cathedral in 1038 or something like that. It was continually added onto over the years and redone so I don't believe any of the original structure is still standing. But a portion of the walls standing date back to the 1500s. One of the walls actually leans out 18 inches and has been that way since it was built in the 16th century. You can kind of see it in this picture. It's the right wall.
By the way it was super hard for me to take pictures in here because the flash made everything dark but without the flash my camera took really blurry pics. Anywho, after the service we went down to the crypt (yeah that kind of crypt) for some tea and coffee. We met a British man who had lived in Ireland 30 years who talked to us for HOURS about history in general and different things in the cathedral. Literally we were there two hours talking to him. Informative, but overkill. But he was able to point out things to us like the crests of various kingdoms or families that were on graves and things. The place was filled with beautiful stain glass depicting various scenes from the Bible and the lives of Saints.
There were lots of really old relics here. One thing in particular that was interesting and nasty was a little glass plate on the wall with a cat and mouse behind it. Well apparently the cat was chasing the mouse at some point and they both got stuck in the organ pipe and were mummified like that. G-ROSS! But at the same time kinda cool... I didn't take this picture but here it is.
Today we turned to practically the most opposite tourist destination from a Cathedral...a jail. The Kilmainham Gaol to be precise. This was one of those places that you leave feeling almost sick to your stomach from the stories your hear. I'll spare most of the gory details but I took a bunch of pictures. Which it feels weird to take pictures of places where people were in misery, but I guess I am THAT tourist.
This jail was one of the first reform jails where they tried to rehabilitate their prisoners instead of just punish them. It was built sometime in the 1780s. Unfortunately the reform system didn't really work out and the jail became a symbol of political conflict more than anything else.
This is one of the wings of the jail. You probably recognize it from movies like the old Italian Job and the Academy Award winning In the Name of the Father. It's used as a movie set often because it is the largest jail in Europe that is no longer in use. Here's your average cell:
On the opposite of that was this lovely view (excuse the vandalism)
Yes, that is an eyeball. As you can see in the first picture this jail was created in an oval shape. This was so that everydoor could be viewed from a central point. The idea was to make the inmates paranoid that they were being watched at all times (though in reality this was impossible). Therefore, there were peepholes in everydoor for the guards with the eyeball staring at the inmates. Also they placed carpet around the perimeter so that inmates coudl not hear the guards footsteps if they were patrolling, or even be aware that a guard was patrolling at all.
This is a picture of a hall in the older wing of the jail. Long story short the jail was overcrowded because of the strict laws (ex: a 5 year old boy was sentenced to a month in prison for stealing a loaf of bread, a 7 year old girl 3 months for stealing a cloak in the winter). It's capacity was something like 160 and at one point there was 1000-2000 people in the jail at one time. This happened during the potato famine and people would commit crimes purposefully because, believe it or not, the conditions in the jail were better than outside. At least in the jail they were guaranteed one meal a day. Anyways, during the overcrowded times this hall had straw on the floor and had people lining each side so there was enough room to sleep. Crazy.
This is some "grafitti" that was found on the walls of solitary confinement of a famous political leader (who was against the British I think).
The tour guide didn't go into exactly what it was, but it's protected by glass so it must be important right? Right.
This jail is most known for it's part in the execution of the members of the Easter Rising rebellion of 1916. This was an attempt to create a free state of Ireland separate from the rest of Britain. It lasted 6 days but eventually failed with an unconditional surrender of the rebels. It did play an important role in the future of the formation of Ireland as a separate country. When it failed the leaders were taken to this jail (which had become a military jail) and executed. There's alot of heartbreaking stories from that, but I don't feel like retelling them.
The cross marks the place they were killed and a plaque immortilizes their names.

This is the "exercise" area. It shows how high and impenetrable the walls were. No one ever escaped except for like bribing guards and stuff.
On the upside I got to spend a wonderful day running around the town trying to fix my computer! Oh wait...
But we had crepes again for dinner! For like the 3rd time! Crepes and diet coke...breakfast, lunch OR dinner of champions.

I like to take tours of old things aka Dublin Castle

Today we had a free day to sleep in (until noon to be precise) and explore the city. There are really alot of things to see and do here in Dublin. Today we decided to go to Dublin Castle.
I still don't understand exactly who lived here, but it was used a the royal residence in Ireland when it was still under the control of the English. Actually here was where the ceremony took place that made Ireland it's own country (I think). Apparently this castle has been around since like 400 AD and was once a part of the walls surrounding the city of Dublin. Today they use the castle for state ceremonies such as the inauguration of the Irish president which takes place in this hall.
Part of the castle had fallen in over the years and wasn't excavated until the 60s or 70s. You can go down there now and see where the moat around the castle was and where the river still runs underground through it.
We made some new friends along the way...
And enjoyed some refreshing Diet Coke...

"The Country of Whiskey and Love"

I have now taken up residence at Trinity College in the lovely city of Dublin. We are actually staying on campus in one of the "houses." It's fun because our whole group can be close together. Trinity College is a beautiful campus. I'm hoping to take a tour of it so that I can get all the history and everything. Apparently Samuel Beckett and Sir Isaac Newton are among the many famous people who went to school here. Yesterday we were given the day off to get a feel for the city (and catch up with all the work that I had not done). Me and Kelsey explored the town and then met up with a group to take a tour of the Guinness Factory. Yay. For anyone who's wondering, the drinking age is 18 here so I am legal to drink. It was an interesting tour as the place we toured still makes beer for all of Europe and North America. Fun fact: when Arthur Guinness signed the lease for the building in 1759 he signed it for a 9000 year lease. Crazy, huh. This year they're celebrating their 250th anniversary so it's a pretty big deal.
The end of the tour leads you to the "Gravity Bar" where you have an almost 360 degree view of the city of Dublin. Actually this bar is the highest point in the city as they do not have skyscrapers (or anything over about 5 stories). The view was amazing.
This picture actually captures the essence of Ireland as it can rain on you at any minutes. I'll be walking down the street and it will be sunny, then pour for about 3 minutes, and then be sunny again. The temperature changes that drastically too. Included with the tour of the Guinness factory is a free pint of Guinness.Don't worry guys. I took like 3 sips of it and couldn't handle it anymore. Beer is not my drink. And I could never replace Diet Coke as the number one drink in my heart.

For Molly Malone

Alright, along time has passed since i've been able to do a real update so let me see if i can get everyone up to speed on what i've been doing! After Galway we left to spend a night in Derry. Derry is a pretty quiet city as it was the sight of many important events of "The Troubles" in the 1980s. "The Troubles" is an ongoing conflict from the 1600s between the Protestants and the Catholics which originated when the persecuted Protestants from England came to Derry and fought against the incoming Catholic English army. Furthering this conflict is the division between the Irish who wish to stay a part of the U.K. and those who want to be a part of the republic of Ireland. Derry is in Northern Ireland which is a separate country from the Republic of Ireland (confusing, right?). The Republic of Ireland is not in the U.K.

Anyways, one of the cool things about Derry is it was originally a walled city and actually the walls are still standing. I took this pictures looking into the city from one of the walls. 

I wish i could have written this earlier because now i can't remember the story. Anyways there was a really famous hymn composer whose name escapes me who was living around Derry. He went hunting and a bullet when straight through his hat. After that he was a changed man and started to attend this church twice a day. I just can't remember who it was! Also the woman who wrote Once in Royal David's City among other hymns lived here.

The people of Derry have not forgotten the Troubles of their recent past. They have used murals as well as graffiti to continue to remember what happened and what side of the conflict they support. This is a mural of a little girl who was killed while picking up a rubber bullet. Look at the butterfly in the corner. The artist's originally left it gray because they did not believe that peace had been reached. Over the years they have gradually filled it in as the peace seems to be lasting. 

This is a picture of the Bogside. You can't see it wonderfully but the Bogside is a place just outside the walls where Catholics and those who wished to be part of the Republic of Ireland were forced to live for many years. This is also the place where Bloody Sunday took place. That green patch is where the protesters where marching I believe before the English police opened fire, killing 13 people. We visited the Museum of Free Derry after taking the tour and it was very heart breaking. The man who debriefed us before we went in had a brother who was killed on Bloody Sunday. Unfortunately, this museum only provides the opinions of one side of the conflict, but either way it was very sad.

This pictures shows how high the tension still is in Derry. This nice old building (I think it was a church or government office) was covered in paintballs that people had thrown up over the walls from the Bogside. All of this paint is no older than 6 months.

Next we arrived in the city of Belfast. It was a cool town with some serious shopping although I did not have time to really explore all of that!

We took a bus tour of Belfast which was actually very helpful and neat to get the feel of the entire town. We stopped at the university of Queens which had a beautiful greenhouse with very interesting plants.

For those of you who didn't know, the Titanic was actually built in Belfast. We got to stop and look around at the dry dock where the finishing touches were placed on the ship. A dry dock is a place where the ship can come in and then the water can be drained in and out in order to more easily work on the ship and put in furniture, etc. You can barely see the yellow cutouts in the bottom near the center of the dry dock which are to show the size of a man in comparison with the dry dock. Also the Titanic towered over that dry dock by about the size of a 7 story building. 

Also C.S. Lewis was born in Belfast which I had forgotten. This is a statue that I had to take a picture of from the bus so it's a bit blurry, but it's a statue of him walking into a wardrobe. I thought it was a neat little thing. 

On our way to the lovely city of Dublin we stopped at Newgrange. Newgrange is an ancient burial ground. Once again they claim it was first built in 4,000 BC. What's neat about this is the precision with which these people constructed this tomb or temple. The entrance is set to face the sun so that at the winter solstice when the sun rises it shines through the entrance all the way down the passage and lights up the small inner room or opening in within the tomb. Unfortunately you're not allowed to take photos or video of the inside of the tomb. Actually every year they have a lotter for 50 people to come to one of the tombs (there are 3 large ones in the area) and watch the sun come in on the winter solstice. They say that sometimes it's cloudy and the sun doesn't even come in on those days. Wouldn't that be a bummer? The first pic is a side view and the second is the view of the entrance.

When this was discovered the outside had fallen apart but the inner chamber has been left exactly as it was found. Also the gray stones to the sides of the entrance were added in the 20th century but I can't remember why. You can also see the neat little swirly patterns that were carved into the rocks there and which also lined the hallway of the tomb. Actually they don't know if it was a tomb or temple or what. They only found the remains of 5 people within it while other burial mounds in the area had like 20-40 something. 

Now I am in Dublin staying at Trinity College. I don't have those pictures uploaded on my computer yet, but as soon as I do I will try to trek up to the computer lab for an update. I start class tomorrow (boo), but I can't complain! I've had like a solid week of vacation! I love you all so much! If you want me to talk about different stuff on my blog or anything please comment so I can meet your needs (?).

internet=dumb

well, i'm in a bit of a rush now but i thought i'd let all 3 of my followers know that i have not forgotten to update here, but i do not have wireless internet. therefore, i can't use my own computer, therefore i can't upload pictures and so on. but i'm here in dublin now for 2 weeks and i am doing well. i will hopefully find some kind of wireless hotspot around town in order to get you up to speed. love to all!