The Longest Day

Friday started off early (well earlier than normal). We met inside the Arts building (or usual spot) at 9:15am to depart for Wicklow County - the mountains south of Dublin - for Glendalough and Wicklow Gaol (jail).

After an hour-long drive, for which I mostly slept, we arrived at the "Glen of Two Lakes" which boasted a medieval monastery first founded in the 600s and active through the 14th century. It is truly a picturesque sight, with the inner-most circle of the monastery preserved. There is a large round tower (used for storage not to ward off Vikings), a Cathedral, several smaller churches and buildings, and an extensive (and still used) cemetery situated in a valley and surrounded by, as the name would suggest, two grand lakes. It is very much still an active site, with our guide mentioning that an outdoor wedding was held in the now roofless stone cathedral.

Glendalough with Round Tower in background

Following Glendalough, we were off to the town of Wicklow for lunch and to explore its infamous gaol. Since I was awake for this ride, I was aware of our bus' trip through the narrow and winding rounds of the countryside. On either side were small streams, homes, rising mountains, sheep, and the occasional small car (or large truck) that managed to share the road. Once in town, a few of us ate at the gaol's cafe, whiched boasted a traditional irish menu. I opted for the freshly cut ham sandwich with potato chips, potato salad, egg salad, regular salad, and coleslaw.

The tour of the gaol brought you through the original narrow room in the basement that used to hold as many as 100 men, women, and children; the makeshift school house, the surviving cell block, the lower dungeon, and the exercise yard. Most cells included various artifacts from the period, and led you from the capture of plotting Irish Republicans, to sentencing, to torture, to daily life, and to expulsion to Australia (there was even part of a full-scale ship in the attic). Conditions were notoriously poor throughout the prison's operation(1702-1922), and it is regarded to be the most haunted place in Ireland.

Facade of Wicklow Jail

Full Albums from Glendalough and Wicklow

Already a long day, I was ready to just make dinner and stay in for the night when we returned to campus after 6. Well the former happened, but after dinner we decided to meet up and head to the Pavillion or "Pav," the on-campus pub (technically the rugby club) and favorite destination for Trinity students on Friday nights. There the gang met up with Russell and several of his friends. It was a bustling and the college pub that AU at one time had but now lacks.

Since last drinks at the Pav are at 11, we left for McTurtles and to meet another one of Russell's friends, Ryan who had just driven down with his dan from Derry. Once there, I struck up a conversation with both Ryan and his dad, and was able to understand the notoriously thick Derry accent. His dad had some very interesting stories, including his time spent working for Fruit of the Loom for three months in Alabama, and when he heard Clinton speak during the Peace Process.

I spent so much time talking with Ryan and his dad over Guinness that the others had already left for a club called The Twisted Pepper, on the other side of the Liffey, by the time that we had finished. Ryan and I hopped into a cab, paid the exorbitant 10 euro cover charge, and joined the others inside. By the time we left it was after 3, which is when we decided to head past Goldsmith and onto Russell's apartment.

I should mention, that from the start, Russell and Ryan were lobbying us to join the Surfing Society at Trinity (only 3 euro). They accepted anyone from beginners to the best, but on some level they were looking to replace the much revered Devon from California who had never surfed before, but turned out to be a prodigy and lead the team to many successes. Sure enough, by the end of the night, many of us were convinced to join - at the very least it will provide an amazing opportunity to explore the western countryside.

To get to Russell's we past by one of the last throws of the Celtic Tiger (according to an architecture lecture from earlier in the week) the Grand Canal Theatre. Opened in 2010, it is the largest theatre in Ireland and has a very modern - all glass - facade.

Once in Russell's apartment, we promptly woke up Michael and Axel who had left us after the Pav. More suprising than the "box" game that they would teach us, was the cardboard cutout of Obama (same one was at GQRR) adorned with an Ireland soccer jersey. It reminded of the conversation with Ryan's dad, where I assured him that Obama would be reelected despite the energy of the Tea Party movement.

Back to the box game. It is incredibly simple, requiring only an empty cereal box and open floor space. The box is placed upright with the flaps open, and the objective is to pick it up with your teeth. To do so, you cannot use your hands nor allow your hands, arms, or knees to touch the floor. And for it to count, you must be able to stand upright and catch the box from your mouth. After each person has completed the maneuver, a strip of the box is ripped off (thereby making it smaller), and play continues until each person has been eliminated by being unable to successfully pick up the box. By the end, I managed to pick up the remaining piece with a less-than centimeter edge, but did not attempt to complete it while standing on two magazines (to create negative height).

Shortly after the game ended, we returned to Goldsmith, and I went to sleep sometime around 7am (certainly a long day).

As a result of Friday into Saturday's adventure, I kept the rest of the day Saturday very low key. I woke up around 1 and managed to run a few errands - finally buying my own ethernet cable! It is interesting to note the little differences too, such that there were no folders for sale nor loose leaf lined paper.

After lunch, Skyping with my parents, and dinner, I visited Ali's room where the girls demanded that we watch the Dreamworks movie "Spirit" (about a horse on the great plains). Even though I was not inclined to enjoy the movie, I turned down other offers to go out, and in the end, enjoyed being able to go to sleep early.