Flying over Dublin, my first thought was "I can't believe it's ACTUALLY green!" Everyone keeps telling me that it rains a lot (today was sunny, I don't know what they're talking about), which would explain why the landscape is so lush and beautiful. After I landed, I took the bus into the city centre, dropped my bag off at the hostel, and then headed straight to the James Joyce Centre off of Parnell Street.
I went on a walking tour called "In the Footsteps of Leopold Bloom." The tour traced Bloom's path in the "Lestrygonians" chapter of Ulysses. "Lestrygonians" is all about food and digestion. It's about midday, so Bloom is getting hungry and starts thinking about where he'll eat lunch. Even the path he takes through the streets-- our tour guide reminded me-- is shaped like an esophagus and stomach. Bloom stops at a sweet shop at the beginning of the chapter. Unfortunately, what once was the sweet shop is now a footlocker. That's kind of funny.
Bloom crosses the Liffey (the river which runs through Dublin). There are many walking bridges that cross it- below is a picture I took from one of them.
The Liffey from the North side...
At locations that are important in Ulysses, there are plaques in the street floor which tell you where in the book each place appears.
Who said Leprechauns don't exist?
The tour ended at the National Library, where they are currently holding an exhibition on Yeats. I peaked inside the main reading room, but they wouldn't let me take pictures.
Dublin is a small, compact city. Most people walk since it's so easy to get around. I walked down to St. Stephen's Green, a beautiful park all the way on the south side of the city. I then went back up to Parnell street, back across the Liffey. It took me 20-25 minutes to walk from the southmost part of the city centre to the northernmost part- pretty crazy.
More of the green...
There's a statue of James Joyce by the spire on O'Connell Street. I decided that he looked like a PIMP, so I tried to pose with him as such- total failure.
It's hard not to love a city with canals running through it - some of those look so much like Amsterdam, it's comical.
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ReplyDeleteyou're adventures sound like fun, my friend! can't wait to read more :)