Delightful Dublin

I spent about five days in Dublin, and had an absolutely wonderful time. This is the first time that I have ever visited Ireland, and although I liked it at first, I did not adore it. I thought it was a lot like Scotland, and it was expensive without a wide variety of museums. However, after a very short time I realized that the tourist attractions are not the reasons why Dublin is such a delightful place to visit. It is the people. I have so many stories to tell about the kindness that I encountered there. One time I had missed my bus by about five seconds, and the driver of another bus saw what happened, so told me to get on his bus and he drove to catch up with another one. Another time I was walking with my two heavy backpacks and got several offers from other people to help me carry them. That does not happen in Canada, and certainly doesn't in Israel!

And the greatest example of the kindness that I met in Ireland was when I was blessed to meet a wonderful family that invited me into their homes and with whom I had an absolutely wonderful time. I met them through Servas, a peace travel organization, and they had me stay with them the entire time that I was in Dublin. They were so much fun to be with. They are both in their seventies, and the lady has gone back to university to study art while the gentleman just finished building a porch and gazeebo. They also went on a year long trip around the world. We had so many wonderful conversations, on religion (they are Catholic), on Irish and Israeli history, basically on everything. They were a delight, and I feel so blessed to have met them.

Of course I did not mean to negate the city of Dublin itself. Sure it is expensive, and the museums are not free like they are in Dublin, but some of them are top rate. I loved the Kilmainham Gaol, an old Victorian jail where many of the political activists were executed by the British before Ireland got its independance. I also really enjoyed the City Hall Museum, with its excellent use of different types of multimedia to depict the history of Dublin. And my personal favourite was probably the Chester Beatty Library, a collection of antiques, books and other articles collected by a wealthy American. It was a delight to wander through. All in all, Dublin proved to be a very enjoyable city, and I had a great time while I was there.

I also went on a three day tour of the south west of Ireland, and I will post my description of that, as well as what I am up to in Paris, later on. The stupid computer at this internet cafe keeps on freezing, making me lose my work, so it will have to wait for another time. But until then, adieu!