Thursday, May 2nd: Last day in Dublin!

It's so hard to believe that today was our last day in Dublin. We started off the day with a hotel breakfast of eggs, bacon and cereal, and after a quick trip back to our rooms, we were on our way! We were to spend the morning looking at museums, and then were given the rest of the afternoon to explore on our own. The first thing we saw was the Natural History Museum in Dublin. This museum held many animal artifacts, ranging from fully preserved mammals and birds, displayed in their traditional habitats. There were also various aquatic animals, such as fishes, crabs, lobsters, even squids and jelly fishes suspended in jars for all to see.

After going to the Natural History Museum, the class then walked to the National Gallery of Ireland. We were able to see many famous works of art, in forms of drawings, sculpture, metalwork, and of course paintings. There was a whole exhibition on Yeats' sketchbook, and one of just Masterpieces from various European artists, ranging from the early Renaissance to the late 20th Century. Sadly, no photos were allowed to be taken inside, so please take our word on how beautiful this art was, and how it was a privilege to see it in person. This museum was significant for us to see as many of the pieces of artwork were influenced by the rich and exciting history of Ireland. Seeing how history influenced art showed the class how important history was to Ireland's culture, and thus can affect everyone's culture.

After seeing the Gallery, we then walked to the gates of Dublin Castle. Seeing as we couldn't go into the actual Castle (it was closed due to important people staying there), we went to the Chester Beatty Library. The library entrance gave us a wonderful view of the surrounding castle. Inside the Library, we got to see an exhibit on three major world religions: Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism. We saw many examples of their famous literature, such as famous version of the Bible and Qu'ran. Seeings these books reminded us of our visit to see the Book of Kells earlier in our trip, and how religion played such an important role in Irish history and culture.  The viewing of this exhibit ended at 2:00, and the class was able to split into groups to explore the city.

After we went our different ways, the group rejoined at 5:00 to eat dinner. The restaurant we eat at was a place called Fire.  We were lucky enough to be able to eat with Erin Baumann, the daughter of Dean Baumann. Erin provided great insight on how to go to college and live abroad, as she has been living in Dublin and going to school for the past six years. She was wonderful dining company to have on our last night in Dublin.




After we ate, we then walked back to the hotel to pack our things, seeing as the next morning we had to be up and ready to leave for Edinburgh at 6 AM. The time we spent in Dublin was fantastic, and we will never forget the memories made. As we move on the the next leg of our journey, we will be sure to keep everything we learned in Dublin close to our hearts.

                                                            Top sites of the day (Click for more info!): 
                                                         1. Natural History Museum
                                                         2. National Gallery of Ireland
                                                         3. Dublin Castle
                                                         4. Chester Beatty Library
                                                         5. Fire