There are lots of updates from Dublin! After my last entry, I went with my orientation group from Trinity to the famous Abbey Theatre in Dublin.  We saw James Joyce’s “The Dead”.  On Friday we went to Glendalough which is an old monastic settlement about 20 minutes outside of Dublin.  It was beautiful and exciting to see some of the Ireland countryside after being in the hustle and bustle of the city for the week.  It was absolutely gorgeous there with old stone buildings, rolling hills, and green fields.  Of course since we are in Ireland it had just rained.  That made pictures and the scenery even more amazing because there was mist rising from the gravestones in the cemetery and the old broken down stone buildings. 

After leaving Glendalough that day we drove to Wicklow to visit an old jail called the Wicklow Gaol.  This was a very old jail that now is open as a museum to the public.  It is supposedly the most haunted place in Ireland!  It was very creepy to walk around inside, but it was also very interesting to learn what life was like for the inmates there.

Over the next two days we did a lot of sight seeing.  On Saturday morning we bought tickets for the open-top bus tour which takes you to all the major sights in Dublin.  You can get off and on as you please and the buses run all day.  Since our tickets were valid for Saturday and Sunday we took advantage of that to see a few sights.  On Saturday we went to the Guinness Storehouse and on Sunday we visited the National Museum of Ireland.  The bus also went past some places like St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Phoenix Park, and Kilmainhem Jail.  We took lots of great pictures and saw the outside and we have plans to go back and see them.  

Another exciting thing that has happened this week is the start of classes at Trinity!  Since our schedule is not final for two weeks, I have had the opportunity to try out different classes and decide exactly which ones I want to take this semester.  I have gone to a few interesting lectures, but I am still deciding which ones I will take for my final schedule. 

There is still lots to do to get adjusted to living in Dublin.  I’m working on joining clubs, registering for classes, and straightening things our with banks and garda.  It’s finally starting to set in that I’m actually living here and not just on a fun vacation.  I’m looking forward to all the new changes!

Location: Dublin, Ireland