Category: Trip

KLS was all “The price of success is hard work” today so I scooted off to Dublin. Of course I took the train, which was inexpensive (about $20 each way), took about 2.5 hours and provided almost endless views of of cows!

I only had five hours in the capital, which I spent visiting the zoo and then taking a walk around the tourist district. This entailed a lot of walking, which wasn’t a problem since I like walking and because the weather was sunny and warm.

I like zoos and have visited many and whilst this one was small I was very impressed. Some of the exhibits, like the savannah shown above, were very impressive and showcased the animals better than in most other zoos I’ve seen.

This elephant was stretching out and picking grass with his trunk! It seemed like a massive effort because the water where’s he’s standing was almost over his head!

The landscaping off the zoo was perhaps the most impressive aspect. There were all sorts of weird and wonderful plants everywhere, but what I liked the best were the artichokes! I’d never seen these before and was surprised how tall they grew (far over my head). These were abundant near the gorilla and chimp enclosures and I think it possible the apes could snack on them!

There was lots else I liked, such as ‘Zoorassic World’ (which showcased dinosaurs and reptiles), a cute sleeping hippo and the red river hogs (who have fuzzy ears like me). It was a great zoo and absolutely worth the visit.

Dublin is a famously ugly city, full of ugly architecture and poor planning. I’m saying this because I read about it (in some detail) on the train back, but it’s immediately obvious to the experienced traveler. To the novocastrians out there I’ll just say this: Dublin is what a city would be like if the whole thing was the west end of Hunter Street. I read a theory that to the Irish appearance is irrelevant which is why Dublin is so unplanned… but Cork (which is like Cooks Hill, to continue the analogy) seems to contradict this.

At any rate Dublins not pretty as a whole, but I wanted to see the buildings worth seeing.

That’s Christ Church Cathedral which was built almost 1000 years ago and has experienced a mind-boggling amount of history. As you know I love visiting old cathedrals so even were it not one of the cities premiere attractions I would have stopped by.

It was all sorts of pretty inside, with intricate carvings and windows and a particularly good exhibit of icons (with examples of how they were made). Even better was that the crypt is open as well, and downstairs you can see a mini museum of vestments, sculpture and silverware.

However I was most intrigued by these:

A mummified cat and mouse! There wasn’t any explanation of where they came from or why they were here either!

I wanted to visit the other cathedral as well but ran out of time. Back to the train for the trip to Limerick! This was more or less a repeat of the trip out, except now my window was south-faced and I saw sheep instead of cows.

I took the chance by the way to scribble some postcards during the return trip. I beg your forgiveness if some of my writing is illegible 🙂

KLS was all ‘workedy-work’ today so I explored Limerick on my own. This started with a stroll along the the Shannon.

My destination was King Johns Castle, which has stood on the banks of the river here in Limerick for over 800 years. It’s seen multiple wars and revolutions as well as extensive building and rebuilding over the years, and there’s a fantastic history of the site in a large museum-attachment that was opened only a few years ago.

It’s worth mentioning that no photo here has been retouched or colour-corrected. It was a dreary, grey morning and the sky matched the stone of the castle perfectly.

When I reach the top of the ramparts the rain was belting down, and I’ll admit it was quite fun waiting in the tower all alone watching the water run down the stone outside. As it does here though, it didn’t last too long and I soon got out to admire the view.

I very much enjoyed the castle. If you’re ever here, definitely take the time to visit.

My next stop was the nearby cathedral, St Marys. It’s been here even longer than the castle! The rain was still falling so it was good to duck inside again.

This place was a little cluttered and unpolished compared to other cathedrals I’ve been in! The stained glass was wonderful though, as were the old ‘mercy seats’ which are apparently their biggest draw for tourists.

That grave stone is older than Australia 🙂

The remainder of the afternoon was shopping. I even stumbled upon a used bookstore with thousands of retro postcards for sale! They weren’t cheap, but were irresistible and some of you may see one in your mailbox at some point in the next few years…